FSM 424 — November 2006
AM

[Editor's note: These articles and testimonies have been collected over the last couple of years, so some of them are older, and in some cases the people are no longer in the countries mentioned. However, the Lord led us to put these stories together in an FSM in order to boost our faith in His power to do miracles on our behalf. We pray these are a great encouragement and inspiration to you!]

Malene

By Myron (of Meri), China

The Lord said, "This is not for her sake, but for yours. …"

Moving About

Not long after the Charter, our team of 11 moved frequently, first from Finland to Mexico, then Mexico to the States, then back to Finland, with our final destination being India, where we had previously spent seven years. During this time the Lord also started working behind the scenes to make some even bigger spiritual "moves" in our lives, and the instrument He chose to bring about these changes was one of our own dear children, Malene (sixth of our nine children).

My brother, John (whom I hadn't seen for nearly 12 years), invited our family of ten, along with another teen who was living with us at the time, for a visit. John had been in the Family many years before and was longing for some fellowship. I think he got more than he bargained for when we all landed on his doorstep!

While there, Malene, who was eight years old at the time, had some spells which would render her completely unaware of her surroundings. She would literally go blank, and even though her eyes were open and she looked normal, she acted as if she was in a trance. This had only happened a few times before, and they were so brief we didn't think much about them.

After visiting the States we returned to Finland to make our way back to India. Malene continued to have these same seizures more frequently, so we took her to a specialist to find out the cause. She was diagnosed as having a form of childhood epilepsy (petit mal), that most children usually outgrow by adolescence. The doctor, a neurologist, explained that if the seizures were frequent and long enough, although not life-threatening in themselves, they could prove to be dangerous, as she might have them in a situation where she could suffer an injury, such as getting run over while crossing a street. We explained that we were homeschooling Malene, and that as she was hardly ever without direct supervision, we would rather that she not take medication. Nevertheless, the doctor was very insistent and prescribed a drug called Suxinutin, which he said had very good results in treating childhood epilepsy. Since in Finland refusal to give a child medical treatment is punishable by law, we felt obligated to comply.

To detect whether there were any side effects, the doctor made an appointment for a blood test, in order to verify that her blood counts were stable. So one week after starting on the medication, Meri took Malene for her first blood checkup. The doctor saw some changes in the blood counts, but instead of investigating further, he decided to up the dosage, since the medication seemed to have lessened the seizures. We were pleased that Malene seemed to be getting better, and to us everything seemed normal. We continued to prepare to go to India, and were looking forward to leaving in a couple of months.

The News

Several weeks passed and one morning we noticed black and blue marks all over Malene's body. We asked her if she had fallen or hurt herself, to which she replied no. Then we noticed that her tongue was covered in black spots. To say the least, we were alarmed and phoned the hospital right away. They told us to bring her in for an immediate checkup.

The checkup took several hours, as they took blood tests and various scans. Finally we were called for a meeting with two doctors who told us the results. We were not prepared in the least for what we were about to hear. They sat us down and in a very calm manner began to explain that Malene had a rare bone marrow disease called aplastic anemia. They further explained that in this sickness the bone marrow stops producing the three main types of cells that the blood is made up of: the platelets, red cells, and the white cells. They went on to say that this disease is more difficult to treat than leukemia, that the recovery rate is less than 30%. They stated that Malene had to be hospitalized immediately.

Coping

How does one cope with this kind of news? I can't say that we were the picture of complete faith. We weren't. We were shocked, crushed, discouraged, angry, and left with so many questions racing through our minds. Why? What have we done? This was the beginning of a lot of heart searching and a lot of tears. Regardless, we knew that we had to put on a brave front for our dear, sweet eight-year-old daughter, and be a sample of courage, even though we were falling apart inside.

After several days of trying to digest all the facts, we understood that we had to put aside our missionary aspirations for the time being and concentrate on taking care of Malene. Of course, while this was going on, we also had to tend to all our other daily jobs—witnessing, schooling, cooking, etc.

Hospital

Malene's hospitalization was the beginning of many long days in the hospital for different ones of us. We would take turns between Meri, Mai (our dear colleague and friend), Nina (our oldest daughter), Nadya (our second oldest), Nicolai (our oldest son), and myself, as she had to spend several weeks in the hospital. At times she was allowed to come back home, but still had to go for blood transfusions at the hospital three times a week. For months she was totally dependent on the transfusions to keep her alive.

As Malene's bone marrow stopped producing the precursors of blood cells, her platelet (the cells that cause the blood to clot) count was down to about 300 (normal is about 2,000). Her red blood cells (which carry oxygen and nutrition to the body) were down to about 20 (normal is about 120). And her white cells (which give immunity to diseases) were down to about 50 (normal is about 300-400). Because of all of this, Malene wasn't allowed to climb trees, ride bicycles, go in public areas, and if any of us got sick, she would have to be put in strict isolation to protect her from catching anything.

Wisdom of Doctors?

Here we have to backtrack a little, to explain where this rare disease came from. Of course, we know that "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord," so even though I'm explaining part of the physical cause that led to her illness, we know that the Lord allowed it to happen to teach us many deep and beautiful lessons about faith and trust.

The source of Malene's sickness was the original medicine (Suxinutin) that the doctor had prescribed against her epilepsy. After Malene was hospitalized for this rare blood disease, we found out from the main doctor responsible for Malene's care that one of the possible side effects of this medication is aplastic anemia. Unfortunately, this turned out to only be the first in a line of sufferings that Malene was to endure at the hands of the medical staff.

For example, they tried a new medicine that had been developed and used in the United States with moderate success in treatment of aplastic anemia. After taking this medication, Malene went into a trance-like state for three days. During this time she would seem to look at things, as her eyes were open, but she didn't really see anything around her. She would reach for things in midair, and when we would call her name she wouldn't respond. She couldn't recognize anyone. We were despairing and angry as we talked to a young doctor on duty, and asked him if they were just doing medical experiments on her. Sadly, he told us quite frankly, "Yes. Sometimes all we can do is to try different drugs and hope one will work."

Learning to Let Go

As parents, I suppose we would all rather suffer the illnesses or hardship in place of our children. When one of them suffers, the effect seems to be amplified a hundredfold. There were times when I just didn't have the courage to meet or face anyone, as I felt like the Lord must be very upset with me. But as the months passed, we realized that the Lord wasn't angry, but was trying to teach us a much deeper understanding of what it means to trust Him. All we could do was trust in His great love and believe that He indeed would not give us more than we could bear. We had to just let go and leave everything in His capable hands.

The Little Bird Above the Raging Cataract

Malene was such a trooper, and the doctors were so impressed by the calm spirit that she manifested, even during the most difficult times, such as when they would stick a needle in her back the size of a pencil to take bone marrow samples, or when they attached a catheter straight to the main artery next to her heart to make the blood transfusions easier, or when she puffed up like a blow fish from the heavy doses of cortisone, or when the doctors would tell us, right in front of her, that that there was little chance of recovery. She was a perfect example of the little bird above the raging cataract that Dad talked about. God bless her!

Gift of Prophecy—Ray of Hope!

Although Malene's condition kept us busy, we still had to keep up with all of our other duties, and also consider the future. Since we had planned to go to India, we had only rented a house for a year. Now the owner of the house was coming back from the States and needed his house back. Amidst the mounting pressure of concern for Malene, we were soon to be homeless as well.

It had been a little over a year since Mama and Peter had started to encourage the Family to use the gift of prophecy. In desperation we asked the Lord what we were to do. The Lord told us that He would supply a new house for us, and that the new house would be given to us for just the amount of time He would need to heal Malene, and to prepare us for going to India.

As our gifts of prophecy were indeed baby gifts, this was quite a revelation. These prophecies were such an encouragement to us and gave us the grace and faith to keep going despite the bleak outlook. We sent an urgent prayer request to the Family, and many responded by sending beautiful prophecies of encouragement. We also sent out a newsletter to our precious supporters and explained our situation. Soon after this we received a prophecy from one of our supporters telling us that Malene would be healed. This confirmation from an unexpected source also strengthened our faith in what the Lord had promised. These prophecies were our sustaining force throughout the ordeal of the next few months, even when it seemed that it took crazy faith to keep on believing.

The Countdown Begins

A couple of weeks before our housing contract was up, a supporter phoned and said that another friend wanted to go to a Bible school and was thinking of renting his house for ten months. We called this man and explained our need for housing. He was silent for a time and then said in a choking voice that the Lord had told him that he was to rent his house to a missionary family. This was an amazing answer to prayer for both him and us. Our new house was spacious and even had an indoor swimming pool with a sauna. Our Husband's infinite care and foresight amazed us.

According to the prophecies we had received, this also meant that within ten months Malene would be healed and we would be on our way to India. The countdown had begun!

Where to Next?

About eight months into Malene's illness, we felt led to send a scouting trip to India. By faith Nicolai and I prepared to go, although we had no money for the trip. The Lord showed us to plan a ten-day fundraising road trip for four of us, and He supplied a brand-new car from one of our contacts and places to stay for the whole trip. So off we went, and the trip was fantastic! The Lord abundantly supplied for the scouting trip, confirming that it was indeed His plan, and encouraging our faith that we were actually hearing from Him in prophecy. After making the trip to India the Lord showed us to open a Home in New Delhi.

I would like to interject here that our little vessel was being furiously tossed about on a raging sea and nearly sank several times. It would have, if it hadn't been for the Lord's love being manifested to us through our wonderful Family's prayers; our other children's concern and encouragement; and dear brethren like Meryem, Zac, and Jemima, and many others who so willingly supported us with love and prayers during this difficult time.

When it Rains, it Pours!

I guess the Lord knows better than we do what we can bear, as He had yet another "little" test to add. As our time in the "miracle house" was swiftly passing, we had to think about raising funds for our move to India. We planned another bigger road trip, and this time six of us would go to Germany with the Christmas CDs. The trip went very well, as we got out nearly 400 CDs in three weeks. Three days before Christmas, our team split up and we went our separate ways to enjoy Christmas with our loved ones. Nadya, Claire, and I started driving our Nissan Patrol back through Poland and the Baltics to Finland.

It was a trip to remember! While driving through eastern Germany, the alternator went out in the middle of the night. After getting it fixed early the next morning, we were on our way again until we had another calamity. When we got to the border crossing of Latvia and Lithuania, to our horror, the clutch went out right at passport control. With our hopes dashed, but not broken, I put the Nissan in second gear, started the engine and crept up the hill out of the control area. Then a truck pulled a left turn right in front of me, and though I did my best to steer clear—BAM! The whole right side was smashed and the windows broken. It was still drivable, but with the weather being minus 20, and with no windows, it was cold! To make a long story short, the Nissan finally had a complete breakdown (along with its driver) in Latvia, and we had to leave it there in a special compound to be collected later by the Finnish insurance company. We took the train back to Finland, arriving home on Christmas Eve, with a great deal less of our hard-earned India fund. We did have a nice Christmas, though, together with some wonderful brethren visiting from Russia.

Still Clinging

Things continued on as normal for the next little while, but with only three months to go before the ten months were up in our "countdown house," we were getting kind of anxious, wondering how the Lord was going to fulfill His promises concerning Malene's healing and our move to the mission field.

It was at about this time that the doctors had some sad news for us. After more than half a year of treatment, they basically told us that all the medicines had failed, and that there was no hope of finding a bone marrow match for Malene, so the best thing we could do was to make Malene as comfortable as possible until she went to her heavenly reward. This was a very trying thought, and one that we didn't want to dwell on, but at the same time we felt that we had to at least accept the possibility. Still, we all clung to the promises and prophecies of her healing, and Malene remained sweet and full of faith and trust.

A further complication was that the doctors told us that we would not be allowed to leave the country as long as Malene was ill. If we did so against their wishes, and should her condition take a turn for the worst, we could be charged with neglect, for which we could be imprisoned.

A Step of Faith

With Malene continuing to go for her checkups and blood transfusions three times a week, and now with only a couple months left in our miracle house, we felt that the Lord wanted us to put feet to our prayers by faith and send a house-hunting team to India.

We decided that Nicolai and I would go to New Delhi to find a house for our team, which was by now 14 people. We researched the best possible flights and found a helpful manager of an airline who gave us a very special deal for our whole family, along with 300 kilos of overweight. We booked the tickets. The day came for Nick and me to pay for our tickets, but I didn't have the money for mine as our India fund was by now depleted. Nick had enough for his ticket, as he had taken part-time work, so I had to borrow for mine. This seemed crazy, as we were supposed to rent and furnish a house in India.

Now I have to again back up a little to the first doctor who had originally diagnosed Malene with epilepsy and prescribed the original medicine. Since he had failed to monitor Malene's blood properly, we made an official complaint to the medical authorities. In Finland you can't sue people outright for neglect, but you can file a complaint. After getting to know some of the other doctors responsible for Malene's care, they admitted that the first doctor had made a mistake. After a couple of months of gathering all the correct documents together, we lodged a formal complaint, asking for compensation. We didn't expect to get anything as the social services were already financing nearly all of Malene's medical expenses.

So after buying our tickets, I phoned home to tell Meri that we had done it. Meri was ecstatic and told me over and over again to go check the bank account right away. I hung up the phone and went to a nearby bank to check the balance, and there it was: a total miracle. I wept! The medical insurance office had awarded us US$6,000 in compensation for Malene's case. Wow! When you step out by faith the Lord will indeed put the ground beneath your feet!

Then the crowning miracle happened! The doctors had tried all that was within their power, but as nothing was helping, they had decided to take Malene off all the medications. As they did so, they were amazed to see Malene's bone marrow starting to produce new blood cells on its own. Man's extremity is God's opportunity! The doctors and nurses were amazed at the recovery, and knew it was an answer to prayer, and proof of God's healing touch on our little one.

Only a few days before Nick and I went to India for house hunting, the doctors told us that Malene's condition had improved so much that they no longer saw any reason prohibiting our missionary family from moving to India. They only requested that once there we have blood tests done every few months and the results sent back, so that they could monitor her development.

Prophecy Fulfilled

In July of that year, after 14 months of barely keeping our noses above water, we were all in India. This was a wonderful fulfillment of the Lord's promises! And now many years later Malene is a very healthy, beautiful young lady. During her sickness the Lord had given her a precious gift: She started writing amazing poetry and receiving beautiful prophecies. We know that the Lord gave her these special gifts and a strong connection with Him to help her through that very difficult time in her life.

In Conclusion

I've always wanted to write this testimony, but it has been hard for me to find the words, as every time I think of it I still get teary eyed. Not so much because of the seeming suffering, but more with a sense of awe of the way the Lord works. He seemed to give us a raw deal, a stone instead of bread, but after months (that have now stretched into years) of looking at that stone, we came to understand that He, in His great wisdom, had taught us more about trusting and faith through this than anything else in our lives could've taught us.

I'm not eloquent, but if I could convey anything through this, it would be to share a bit of the appreciation for how far above our ways the Lord's ways are, how full of tender mercy He is even in the midst of our fiercest trial. He truly does answer prayer and fulfills all His good promises.

P.S. from Meri:

One practical lesson we learned the hard way is to always find out about all the possible side effects of any drugs you or your child may take. Even so-called harmless medicines often have a long list of possible reactions. It is extremely important to read the list of side effects usually included in the medicine package and to watch out for any possible signs.

If not enough information is included, ask the doctor and/or research it on the Internet. If the patient suffers any of the mentioned (or even not mentioned) side effects, contact your physician.

Praise and Cheeky Charlie

By Natasha (of Simon), United Kingdom

One night when I went to check on my daughters, I saw that Amanda's hamster, Cheeky Charlie, was restless in his cage, so I let him run around the bathroom while I brushed my teeth. Then I saw him scurry behind the bidet and I was concerned that he might get stuck, so I tried to grab him, but he disappeared.

Then I realized what had happened. He had fallen through a hole where the pipes went under the floorboards. I called my husband and we tried to do all we could to rescue Cheeky Charlie, but he had disappeared into the recesses of our big house. At first we could hear him scuttling around, but then we couldn't hear him anymore, and I knew he had wandered far away. We made a little ladder for him and put it in the hole. We also put some food down there, in case he got hungry. I was so concerned that I even wanted to sleep in the bathroom, just in case he came to the hole in the night.

All this time, I was despairing and worried. Quite a few things had gone wrong recently—a crashed computer, some very expensive work that needed to be done on our car, personal battles, and now the hamster. To add to that, Amanda had already been having worries before this incident that her hamster was going to die.

I was worried, discouraged, and was beginning to wonder if perhaps the Lord was unhappy with us, or me in particular. Just then I heard my daughter, Suki, coughing in her bed, and that felt like the last straw, as I thought she was getting sick. I was sinking in negativity and discouragement. But then the Lord punched through. I remembered the book summary of Power in Praise (by Merlin Carothers), which I had taken to the bathroom with me. I realized that this was a perfect opportunity to do the impossible by praising the Lord that the hamster was lost and by faith he'd be rescued.

I went into the bathroom and committed the whole situation to the Lord in praise. I read a few paragraphs of the book and implemented its counsel. I sang in tongues, and I praised the Lord. Then I prayed one last prayer in faith for the hamster.

I told the Lord that I knew His eye was on the sparrow, and asked if He could have His eye on Cheeky too. I asked Him to send an angel to guide Cheeky out and return him to us safely. Then the Lord told me that that was it—I didn't need to worry, because it was in His control. Now I just needed to keep praising Him for the whole situation. With faith in my heart, I lay down and went to sleep.

In the morning, although there was still no sign of the hamster, I refused to worry and immediately began praising the Lord. My husband told the children what had happened to Cheeky, and amazingly, Amanda's reaction was very positive.

Then the miracle happened. While I was washing the breakfast dishes, Amanda came running into the kitchen shouting that the hamster was in the living room behind the cupboard. And sure enough, there he was, safe and sound. An angel had guided him out of the recesses of the upstairs floorboards and somehow got him onto the ground floor into a room where someone was able to hear him.

Though this seems like a small thing, it was such a life-changing experience, not just because of the miracle of the lost hamster being found, but even more so because I knew that the miracle had happened because I had chosen to praise. That very day, I shared this testimony with the garage owner and he said it really was a miracle. They had had exactly the same thing happen to their hamster, and they never found him again.

I feel so full of faith now! And I am praising the Lord even for having to spend a lot of money on getting our car fixed. Praise and be thankful for everything! It surely is God's way, and releases His power into our lives to work miracles!

A Real "Seeing Eye" Dog!

By Kristia (of Peter), Thailand

When Jesus lived on Earth, He caused the blind to receive sight and raised the dead to life again. Can these incredible things still happen today? Pobei wondered as she stroked her dog that had become blind after a sickness a year earlier. Pobei, an architectural graduate student, has been studying the 12 Foundation Stones with us for a year. While visiting her family and her pet in the upcountry, she asked God for a miracle. "Jesus," she silently whispered, "if You could heal a blind man, You could also heal this blind dog."

After a week, Pobei returned to Bangkok to her studies.

Several days later, much to her surprise, her sister called with the news that their pet dog could see! The miracle had happened. While it wasn't the instant healing of Bartimaeus, nonetheless, in just two weeks the dog was no longer blind.

Pobei was so encouraged, and in reflecting on the answered prayer, she recalled another occasion, when she was 14 and had a different pet dog. This dog was quite sick, and the vet had said it was just a matter of time before he died.

At that time, Pobei had just received a tract that talked about Jesus. After reading the tract, though not knowing much else, she decided to ask the God that she had read about to heal and help her pet. Not long after, the dog was up and about and very much alive!

Pobei has since grown by leaps and bounds in her walk and relationship with the Lord, many times affirming to others how personal the Lord has become in her life through direct answers to her prayers.

Photo caption: Pobei with pet Shannon and her puppies

Praise: The Ignition

By John, South Africa

As we were parking the car to go witnessing, it suddenly stopped, and I wasn't able to park properly. I tried to start it again to move a little bit closer to the curb, but the engine wouldn't start.

When we prayed and asked the Lord what we should do, He showed us to leave it in His hands, and that He would take care of it. We pushed the car into place and went witnessing.

We came back a few hours later, but after ten minutes of trying, the car still wouldn't start. We started praising the Lord, even though we didn't feel like it, and only a few minutes later the car started and we were on our way. Thank You, Lord, for the power of praise.

Parking with the Best

By Michael, Taiwan

I was driving around in a big city trying to find a parking spot—as usual, it seemed. The particular area where I needed to park had no parking place in sight. I couldn't park just anywhere, as that would ensure being towed away. Then a thought popped into my head: to call on a spirit helper for some help. Ha! A spirit helper to help find a parking place?! I mused. But then I thought, Well, who would know about parking cars? Maybe some famous race car driver! Heh, if I even knew of one. And then it came to me—Ayrton Senna.

I recalled that this was the name of a famous Brazilian race car driver who crashed and died in a 1994 race. I thought to give it a try. So I called on Ayrton to help me find a parking place … and right after I'd done so, a car pulled out of a parking spot right in front of me! Not only an empty space, but in the best location I could hope for. I was astounded! Remember, you are never alone—even when trying to park your car!

Miraculously Healed from Stroke and Paralysis [box]

By Lisa, South Africa

I was presenting our work to a woman when she said that she had met another missionary from our Home just a couple of days earlier. She then explained what had happened. "I asked your colleague to pray for my mother, as she is paralyzed and in the hospital, due to a stroke. Later that day I went to visit my mother, and when I arrived she was completely healed! Thank you so much for praying for her. I know that her healing is in answer to your prayers." Thank You, Lord, for the keys and their healing power.

God Operates While Doctors Stand By

By Tim, Nigeria

Some years ago, I developed severe stomach pain, like a constant cramp, which put me in bed for three days. During that time, I reread all of the Feast 2002 GNs, and had united prayer with the rest of the Home, who claimed the power of the keys for my healing.

When praying about whether or not I should go to a hospital for a checkup, the Lord told me that He could heal me right there in the Home, although He said that He wanted to do it more publicly so that others would glorify Him also. He explained that if I didn't know what I had, it wouldn't be so easy for me to testify of what I'd been healed from, once He'd healed me. That seemed to indicate that I should have a checkup, so a friend who is a doctor came by and examined me.

He said that from what he could tell, the situation demanded immediate surgery. We decided to go to a clinic for a second opinion and got pretty much the same diagnosis. It wasn't possible to run tests that night, so they hospitalized me and put me on an IV drip.

During the next few days, the doctors kept recommending surgery, as it turned out that the problem was with my appendix. Throughout the ordeal, someone from my Home stayed with me, so that we could read, pray, and hear from the Lord together. A prayer request was sent to the area office and my parents, who passed it on to others.

By the time the doctors ran a few more tests and figured out what had happened, I'd begun to get better, and so the operation was no longer necessary. What had happened, they said, was that my appendix had begun to rupture, but that miraculously my stomach muscles had cramped up so tight around it that they were holding everything together, preventing an actual rupture. Eventually, a protective mass, like a scab, had developed over the perforation, allowing it to heal naturally.

After I'd been home for a few days, I went back to the clinic for another checkup. Along the way, we met our friend who had originally recommended surgery. He seemed a little surprised to see me doing so well and accompanied us to hear what the doctor would have to say. The doctor said that I didn't need any further medication, and that I could start eating normally again.

This was a powerful testimony to our friend, as well as the other doctors and nurses whom we had given "Why Worry?" posters to, and talked with about the Lord's power to heal. To us, it was a very encouraging reminder that the Lord can do anything but fail, and that the power He's given us through the keys is very real.

I can truly say that the keys are real and that they work as advertised!

No Longer Crippled!

By Sarah Bishop, Philippines

A while ago, my son, his family, and I visited Canada for the first time in many years. He had to do some business, and we were going to be fundraising and visiting relatives and then returning to the field.

While we were there, I started a CTP at a rehab center I'd been involved with back in 1974. I went with my grandson, Kelvin.

On the first visit we were passing out posters, and we met a woman who asked if we were Christians. She had had such a bad case of pneumonia that the infection entered her spinal column and left her crippled. She was 40 years old and had five children.

She looked at me with such desperation in her eyes and asked me to pray for her, as she said, "I can't be here—I have to take care of my children." I felt so sorry for her, and when I could hardly sleep that night, I prayed lengthily for her. We went back two weeks later, and I had to ask for her room number as I'd met her in the lunch room the first time around, and had forgotten to get her number. The orderly said that she'd been healed suddenly, and had gone home for Christmas.

We know God had intervened and healed her. They weren't allowed to divulge her personal address or phone number, but we know that she will remember "those Christians who prayed for her that day."

"I Trusted the Lord to Heal Me"

By Abel (of Angel), Japan

I'd like to thank everyone for praying for me when I had internal bleeding some time ago. The Lord miraculously answered and stopped the bleeding without my having to go to the doctor or the hospital! It is a great testimony to the power of united prayer and claiming the keys, which can heal anything and overcome any obstacle.

Being forced to slow down gave me some very good time with the Lord. He is in the process of teaching me a lot of important lessons, such as being more careful about what I eat and drink, hearing from Him more clearly, as well as having the conviction that He means what He says when He shows me something.

When I first noticed the bleeding, it was kind of scary because it was black, not red. From checkups when I'd had something like this before, we knew that meant internal bleeding from an area above the large intestine. I then began to feel very weak, and after a while could hardly stand up, so I rested in bed. My diet became mostly liquids, like soups.

I asked for prayer with laying on of hands at our area fellowship meeting that Sunday and started to seek the Lord about what to do. Reading through the "Comfort in Affliction" Letters and "The How-tos of Healing" changed my perspective on afflictions quite a bit. I saw the blessings in them and also felt the Lord's love very strongly. I could more clearly see that the important thing was not whether I went to the doctor or not, because the Lord can heal in any number of ways. The most important thing was to hear from the Lord about what to do in my situation.

My wife and I prayed and we got verses about definitely trusting the Lord to heal me. We also got confirmation on this from another Home through prophecy, and that we should take my condition back to the Lord daily to see if He had anything else to say. It was a test of faith, not only because my condition was so serious, but because many of our well-meaning friends and relatives strongly insisted I go to the hospital. But the Lord did as He had promised, and after about two weeks the bleeding completely stopped! "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1Jn.5:4). TYJ!

The main lesson I'm learning from this is that it's so important to hear from the Lord about each situation, and that when we do and obey what He shows us, He will do as He's promised. This is good training for the soon-coming Endtime days!

A Weeping Dilemma

By Simon, Kenya

Another SGA and I were home alone one day. She was with the kids and I was making phone calls. One of the toddlers was going through the "missing mommy blues," and she cried nonstop for a while. Normally, this toddler is pretty happy with this teacher, but today was just not her day.

Now, this certain toddler is not used to me—and usually she would rather hang out with the neighbor's Rottweiler, ha. We tried all sorts of tactics to get her to stop crying, but to no avail.

Finally, we decided I would take her for a little bit, and then give her back to her teacher. The idea was that the sheer joy and relief that she would experience at going back to someone she was comfortable with would make her stop crying and be happy.

So I took her, and of course, she began crying all the more hysterically. I was about to give her back, hoping that it would solve everything, but then I got this strong "whisper" to just start praying and claiming the keys for her really softly and soothingly. I started praying, and as soon as I got to the line, "and I claim the power of the keys," she stopped instantaneously!

It was like, "Wow," but at the same time, "Duh!"

"Call on the power of the keys for your children's needs, and your prayers will be powerful. Angelic helpers will be sent, and you will see change, improvement, and even miracles" ("Children/Parents," Key Promises).

Keys Relieve Pain

By Mercy, Italy

I was one of those who had been slow to use the power of the keys that the Lord has placed in our hands. But the Lord helped change that, when some time ago I began having episodes of sharp, strong pains in my left thigh, all the way to my lower back. They would hurt so badly that I couldn't even walk at times.

One day it happened while walking in a beautiful park. Slowly the pain increased until I could hardly breathe. In desperation, I called out to the Lord, claiming the power of the keys of healing. I had to say it out loud as I could hardly concentrate or even stand up. Then immediately the pain began to fade, until it totally disappeared! I know that through this the Lord brought me to the place where He helped my unbelief.

Invisible Wall Averts "Dead End"

By Timothy, Ukraine

I want to testify of a great miracle of protection that took place not long ago. I still cannot fathom how it could have happened; it's definitely the greatest miracle of protection that I've personally been a part of.

While driving we came to a point in the road where two lanes in each direction suddenly turned into one, without any road sign or warning. On that particular day, the road was covered with snow and black ice. The car's wheels suddenly lost their grip, and the car was thrown directly in the path of a bus that was speeding down the hill toward us. I had no control at all over the car, and the bus was approaching very quickly. I wasn't afraid, but I do remember very clearly thinking, This is it! There's no way to escape!

Then, right when the collision should have happened, it seemed like the car hit an invisible wall that straightened us on our side of the road so that the car and the bus passed each other side by side, only centimeters away from each other.

I was shocked! There was no way to escape the accident, and I certainly didn't do anything. The others that were in the car also testify of this great miracle of protection that took place.

Keys of Heavenly Anesthesia

By Nehemiah, USA

We went for a dental appointment with a dentist whom we have been witnessing to and who is very hungry for the Word. Esther needed extensive work done on one particularly sensitive tooth. However, even after two doses of anesthesia, the pain was still unbearable whenever the drilling began. The dentist told us that she couldn't do the needed work as it was too painful for Esther, so we were to return the next day and she would do a special series of electronic tests to determine the problem.

But the next day the tests were inconclusive, so armed with the conclusion that nothing could be done to stop the pain—nothing, that is, but claiming the keys in prayer for heavenly anesthesia—we decided to go ahead with the dental work. We were more desperate than ever now, as Esther couldn't use any anesthesia at all that day due to her weak heart condition. This time I was on the edge of my seat in the waiting room, praying and claiming the keys of heavenly anesthesia to work a miracle. And miraculously, the whole operation was performed with hardly any pain at all, and even less trauma than an ordinary operation with anesthesia. The doctor couldn't understand how a tooth that could hardly be touched the day before was now not feeling any of the drilling and work that was being done on it.

The next day when we saw her again, the first thing she said was, "You were praying for heavenly anesthesia, weren't you? I can't believe what actually happened. It contradicts all human medical logic! You have to tell me all about your use of prayer as a real and practical tool. How does it work?" We saw what the Lord was really after through this experience—drawing one of His sheep closer to the fold.

Another benefit of heavenly anesthesia that even our doctor mentioned is how it doesn't have any side effects, and most of all, it doesn't wear off in a few hours, leaving you in pain. Praise the Lord for His training us in the use of the new weapons.

In our learning to use all of the new weapons simultaneously, we have seen a specific pattern emerge which works as a combination for results:

This is certainly not the only way to go about claiming results, but these steps have worked for us in some of the tight spots we have found ourselves in lately. We're so thankful to be part of the army of believers in the power of the keys, training for the great battles and victories of the future.

Elixor Terrorizes Irrazzmon [box]

By James and Ruth, Venezuela

A few weeks ago I had a strong pain in my shoulder and took some pills for the pain. It subsided for a while, but then came back strongly. Then the Lord led me to reread the GN "New Spirit World Power," specifically the part where it talks about Elixor and Irrazzmon.

After reading this section, I began to rebuke Irrazzmon, calling on Elixor and claiming the power of the keys for healing. Instantly, the pain vanished and hasn't come back! The new revelations exposing the evil spirits and revealing our spirit helpers are really far out and such a powerful tool in our hands, which are far more effective then any pills.

Taking on the Ministry of Miracles

By Anna (16), United Kingdom

Recently our Home made the decision that we wanted to see the Lord do more for us, thus we needed more faith, seeing that this is mainly what limits Him. Of course, the Lord already does so much for us, but after reviewing the "More on the Keys" series, we felt that the Lord wanted to do more for us in the way of miracles.

Despite the Lord's faithful supply each month, we were still not making our budget and needed an obvious boost. We got desperate and asked Him what it was that He wanted us to do. He told us that He wanted us to take the step to begin a ministry of miracles, and that we each had special gifts that He was beginning to activate.

This was quite exciting for us, because already in our personal prophecy times, the Lord had been saying similar things to us. He told us that our lack of faith had been limiting His power and His heavenly helpers. We got down in prayer and asked the Lord to give us greater faith, and we claimed the help of our Home's spirit helper, whom the Lord had given us at the beginning of the year, to help us in this area.

From that moment, we knew no day would be the same—and we were right. We would like to ask for prayer that we can properly dive into this era of miracles and begin this ministry in full in our Home.

The Tape Player

Our dance team had been especially busy with other ministries, and as such had not been able to practice much. We had a big show coming up and decided that we would arrive at the place early and practice there. When we arrived we found that one of the workers had taken away the only working tape and CD player, and the only other one around was completely broken. But the Lord reminded us of the promise that He would put us in difficult situations so that we could see His power work. So we laid hands on the tape player and claimed the keys for it. By faith we got into the position to begin the routine and pressed the "play" button.—And it worked! We were able to practice and went on to perform, due to the power of the keys.

Too Tired to Dance

Before another performance, most of the dancers had been on outreach that day and were especially tired. I felt like I could hardly move, but I knew that we had some especially active songs in our routine. Even when I have a lot of strength and energy, after our performances I get very wiped out and exhausted, so I knew we would need mega key strength in order to pull this one off.

We got together and laid hands on each other and prayed desperately. We claimed the power of the keys and immediately I started feeling a little better. During our performance, when it came time for the most energetic songs, I no longer felt tired. In fact, I felt more energetic than I had at any other show we had ever done. At the end of the show, I wasn't even out of breath and felt just great.

Awaking the Unconscious

While Juan and Ola were out witnessing, they noticed an unconscious man lying in the park. The police and other medical services were surrounding him trying to resuscitate him. It seemed that he had passed out from too much alcohol. Juan approached and asked if they would be allowed to pray for the man. The police said that they did not want to cause a stir, but would be happy if they prayed for him. Together Ola and Juan prayed and claimed keys for the man, and when they opened their eyes, the man regained consciousness and sat up. What awesome keys!

Quotes in boxes throughout:

(Jesus:) Because the keys only perform My highest will, it's important to find out My highest will when you claim them, if you want to be truly effective. One way to do that is by asking Me to show you what you should be praying for. Sometimes I'll tell you, and at other times I'll just tell you to pray for My highest will, whatever that might be. Sometimes I'll tell you to pray in a certain direction—for example, for supply or safety‚ however I choose to bring the miracle. In other cases I might ask you to pray for something that you would have never thought of, had you not stopped and asked Me. I won't always tell you the end result, and sometimes things change along the way according to many factors and the choices of those involved. But in any case, your prayers will be the most effective possible, because you'll be praying in the direction of My will. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 2," ML #3473:67)

(Jesus:) Yes‚ there are many keys. The keys of the Kingdom are not just one key with one use, nor even one small key ring with several important uses. If they were to be pictured in earthly terms, they would comprise a huge, massive, powerful key ring. For every impossibility, there is a key that is perfectly designed to transform it into a possibility. There is a key for everything. This is why there are no impossibilities, because for each seeming impossibility there is a spiritual law put into effect by the keys, which renders that impossibility void. There are an unlimited number of keys, because I can continually make new ones if needed—although I have a mighty grand collection already covering just about any scenario.

For every evil opposing spiritual force, there is a spiritual solution through the keys. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:116-117)

(Jesus:) Claim the power of the keys. Concentrate. Focus. Believe and expect miracles. Ask Me your questions. If you wonder about something, ask Me. I will lead you as you practice calling on the power of the keys. As you go along, you will feel your faith and belief being strengthened. You will clearly feel the knowledge in your heart that the keys work, that they are powerful, and that you have them at your disposal. As you begin to feel this sensation increase in your heart, you can know that your skill in using the keys of the Kingdom is also advancing, and that you are being prepared for the times to come when your life and service will depend on your ability to harness the power of the keys and to put them to use in your daily life. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:41)

(Jesus:) The keys were not created simply to obey your every wish and to fulfill your will. The keys must be used in conjunction with My will, and as you do so, I will perform your requests in the way that I know best. And remember also that I see the past, the present, and the future, and My manner of answering your request is almost always going to be somewhat different than what you had in mind. Your job is only to channel that power by being humble of heart and making a vacuum that I can fill. You need to suck in the spirit and work up that desperation, and then it frees Me to do My work in My way. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 2," ML #3473:87)

(Jesus:) I mean for you to use them at every opportunity! I want you to try them out, to seek Me for new ways to use them, to be continually calling on their power and using it all you can! The more you use them, the more you will grow to depend on the power of Heaven. It will become like an addiction, to the point that you will feel powerless without it. This is the way I mean for it to be—this is the way it must be in the days ahead. For the powers fighting against you will be increased, and the only way you will survive is to be so closely connected to Heaven's power, so exercised in using it, so familiar with what it can do for you, and completely dependent on it, that you are literally one with the power of Heaven, one with Me! ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:53)

(Jesus:) I have given you each the gift of faith and the keys of the Kingdom. This is a perfect time to begin using the keys of the Kingdom, and even delving into the spirit world deeper to find what specific keys I've given you, and what their particular features are. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:114)

(Jesus:) It's truly wonderful in My book—the fact that you receive Me, accept My Words, believe them, and act on them, all by faith, many times without even being able to see the results. That's real love. That's real faith. It makes Me so proud of you, and makes Me want to bless and reward you all the more!—And I do! ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 2," ML #3473:152)

(Ellya:) Continue calling on the keys. Do not let the phrase "we call on the keys" become a meaningless ritual, words without faith behind them, which will not call forth the power! Do not become weary of saying this, and do not take this power for granted. There is real power available to you through the keys as you appropriate it in fervent faith; calling on it in a lazy, lackadaisical way will lessen the power. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:155)

(Jesus:) The start of becoming familiar with and practicing using the keys in your daily life is to claim the power of the keys in prayer; quote and stand on the key promises. That you can be doing all the time, and you should be. Whenever anything comes up, call on the power of the keys and claim a miracle. Let the keys do the work. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:28)

(Jesus:) Learning to use the keys is a step-by-step process, and it's a process that you can only understand as you take the steps. The specific steps will be somewhat different for each individual, so each person who wants to truly learn how to avail themselves of the full power of the keys should seek Me about it. Seek Me not just once, but seek Me for a plan, and then as you proceed, continue seeking Me to know what to do next. ("The Mysterious Keys, Part 3," ML #3599:18)