Miracle 7

2002 was the year of the miracle but I will start in September 2001.

My brother who was eight years older than I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He fought a long, hard battle... 64 years of age at the time. During the Thanksgiving holiday period, my sister had come to Arkansas to be with my brother, from her home state of Florida.

During a prayer session, which consisted of my diseased brother, my sister and myself. I think... but am not sure that my brother's wife was present. While my sister was praying I felt a tremendous amount of impatience... that's the best way I can describe it... perhaps the word "anxiety" is equally descriptive. As I was praying, The Lord spoke to me and told me tell my brother that he was already healed if he would make a covenant with God and if he truly intend to honor the promise. The promise or covenant was to ask forgiveness for some sins he had committed against me, my sister and others that I can't even begin to name. I, however was instructed NOT to tell my brother what the promise was... only to tell him to make the "promise" and that he (my brother) would know the topic.

I told several close friends about the message.

My brother later asked my sister if I understood what the covenant was. It seemed as though he was unaware. She explained, she did not know.

I kept waiting for "Brother" to make the request for forgiveness so he could be healed. It never came. He died May 9, 2002 and was buried May 13, the same day I was diagnosed with cancer.

The entire time Brother was suffering I was suffering severe pain in my right side. After going through test after test, I was given a date for a colonoscopy, May 13, 2002. I knew when I saw the date that my brother would either die or be buried that day! It was a strange, "super-natural-knowing."

For several weeks while waiting for the dreaded test... when people would ask when the appointment was, it would remind me that that date had something to do with my brother's demise. I have no idea "why" that was important.

Upon my brother's death, my sister asked my brother's wife and sons to not have the funeral on May 13 because I needed to keep my appointment and she was afraid I would cancel the appointment... Which I would have done had God not prepared me that May 13 was to be critical. The family chose to have the funeral on May 13! It was as though God was telling me to keep my appointment.

May 13, I looked at my watch, it was 11:30 am, I figured that at just about that time they were lowering my brother's coffin into the grave. Exactly 11:30 am I was sitting across from the doctor as he gave me the results. "A large malignant mass that had probably already spread" .... Colon cancer!

My dear friend, Terry, was there with me as the doctor gave me the "death sentence" ... She was in shock! God had told me weeks earlier that I had cancer but "not to worry, HE would heal me" ... At that moment I was not thinking about His promise about healing, I was only accepting the impending death sentence.

As we were leaving the hospital, I told Terry, "not to worry, I would not be a problem, I would go to a hospice unit and not be a burden to her."

For several days I had forgotten God's promise. It was a depressing time for me.

On May 17 I was scheduled, for surgery, to have an "infusion port" installed in my chest to accommodate the chemotherapy treatment. This device looks like a small golf ball that is cut in half and it had a catheter... about 18 inches long that would be inserted into an artery which would almost reach my heart. This way the Chemo needle could be inserted into the Infusion Port and not violate the veins in my arms.

Well... That morning when preparing to go to the hospital, I noticed there was no blood! No bleeding for the first time in (more) a year! I had NO SYMPTOMS anywhere or in anyway of cancer! I was healed! I went ahead with the surgery to install the 'I-Port," I felt I had better not cancel, it would not hurt to be ready if I should need to go ahead with the treatments. When things happen this fast you don't know what to do! My sister encouraged me to go ahead with the plan.

Don't ask me... I don't know why I continued. I needed to talk to my doctor. I needed to explain to him that I was healed. That (appointment) would be several days later. The chemotherapy was to start in about a week. I would see the doctor before then and have more tests... I thought.

I explained to the doctor and he asked, "Who healed you?" I told him, "GOD HEALED ME"... He pulled out the pictures which were taken during the colonoscopy... "Look at this, this is a VERY large malignancy" he continued and convinced me that it would be far better to take the chemo and radiation for 6 weeks because it had probably spread. "Better to be safe than sorry"... I reluctantly agreed.

Six weeks of chemo and radiation daily, then a month of rest, then surgery.

I explained to the surgical team that I had been healed and they made a promise. They promised that after putting me "under" on the table, if there was nothing there they would not cut.

Eight hours later I was in recovery and I was told the good news, everything went
well and there was no 'bag' .... no colostomy! I was going to live a normal life without any "devices."

One week later, after asking several times, I got the report from the lab results, NO CANCER!

Thanks God! Thank you, Jesus!

By the way... There was a reason God allowed the surgery to be performed, that's another story!
(Hint: it was a tremendous witness to doctors, nurses and staff, a few of which were muslim.)

I have many, more cases to write about and I will but as for now I am called to do some other things,,, more later.

Your Friend,

John