Sunday, 30 January 2011
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Miracles Today: Cancer and Miss Donna
There was something different about the atmosphere at church this morning. It was...church, only better somehow. I couldn't quite place it, whatever it was, but I was not left to ponder long as to what it was. Before I get into what actually happened, I will share a bit of myself as it pertains to my beliefs where God is concerned. I am a Christian. I am born-again and I believe that signs, wonders, and miracles were not limited to the very early church but are alive, well, and working today. Now, I know that many Christians believe that these things ended in around 70 AD and with them I do not argue. They have every right to believe what they like and since it has no bearing on one's salvation.There was a palpable feeling in the air this morning. It was...electric. Something really special, ya know? As the worship team began playing, what began as a sparsely filled service filled up very quickly. Everyone was smiling. Everyone joined in singing. The room was absolutely filled to the ceiling with joy for the Lord. After a few songs pastor got up and began to speak. He announced that Miss Donna had a testimony that she would like to share. The music stopped and the place went quiet. We were all on the edge of our seats awaiting what this dear woman was about to share. Part of me was very nervous because, you see, Miss Donna has been battling breast cancer and there were many Sundays where she was unable to make it to church as a result of her treatments. Every time her husband, Pastor Charles, would walk in without her my heart just sank and I would immediately life her up in prayer. I know I was not alone.
Miss Donna got up and took the microphone from Pastor and began to speak. She began by saying that she had given her testimony already to the Saturday evening service crowd. I really believe this is what sparked the incredible energy that was present this morning. God was at work, my friends, and we were about to hear just how. Her story goes like this...
Six months ago, Miss Donna...a pastor and a teacher at our church school...was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a partial mastectomy and 17 lymph nodes were removed to be tested. Two of the 17 nodes had cancer present so the next step would be for her to have a PET scan. This would allow the doctors to see whether or not the cancer had spread through her body via her lymphatic system. The results of the PET scan told of cancer being present in Miss Donna's lungs. She officially was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She was given two years to live if she responded favorably to chemotherapy.
Now, for Miss Donna, having cancer would result favorably for her either way. If she lived, great! She did not want to leave her family yet and would be so grateful for more time with them. On the other hand if she died, well that would be great too. Perhaps not for her family who would be grieving her loss, but for her because she knew where she would be going. She would be in heaven with the Lord and this gave her such peace!
She really did not want to do the chemo but ultimately decided to for the love of her daughter. She knew that her daughter would just fall apart without her and so she decided to go through with the treatment. The chemo made her nauseous, tired, and weak but her attitude and faith in the Lord remained strong. We, her church family, were praying for her. She read uplifting stories of healing. One story she read was about a woman named Dodie Olsteen. Dodie had been given just a few short weeks to live but through her faith in God she is alive and well today! Miss Donna read 'healing scriptures' and watched TBN as much as possible. Her husband of over 30 years fasted and sat at her bedside many nights and prayed for her. She told us today that she was sure to put on her make up and make sure her wig looked just right (the chemo has left her 'bald as an egg') because she did not want to look 'half dead' while she was going through this time. It was important to her to look as healthy on the outside as she felt the Lord was going to make her on the inside.
So in front of a full house so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, Miss Donna gave her testimony. She told the story that you have just read and wrapped it up by telling us that she had a PET scan this past week and the doctors informed her that they detected NO CANCER! No cancer anywhere in her body!! None. Nada. Can I get an AMEN??? Of course, she will still have some subsequent treatments to ensure it is gone, but man oh man! The moment she finished the sentence the whole service just erupted in cheers and clapping and tears of joy! Everyone in the place was so overjoyed for her and for her family and every one of us knew that God had a hand in this. In fact, He had her in His hands the whole time!
This woman's level of faith is one that I hope to reach as I mature in the Lord. I am sure I do not even come close as she is long in her walk and and I am but a babe...but if I can be half as faithful as she...
God is faithful. God is strong. God is with us...forever and ever.
©TRW2010
Do you believe that miracles still happen today? Have you known someone faced with cancer who has/had so much hope? Is God with us in suffering just as much as in miracles?
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- From: Living_Truly@xanga
- About Me: Wife, mother, writer, photographer, all-round creative soul.
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Comments (7)
A pastor in my church had stage 4 colon cancer...he was 35 when diagnosed. He and his wife were in the midst of starting a new site of our church in downtown Boston. We prayed and fasted as a church for two years. His parents, also pastors at my church, have been in ministry since their college days and know Christian leaders all around the world. There were likely thousands of people praying for my pastor all around the world. The sense of God's power and presence was huge for many in our church.
My pastor died last summer...I believe God is still good and still omnipotent. My senior pastor wrote this about his friend and co-pastor recently in a paper he sent to leaders in our church:
"I think of a friend who died this past year from colon
cancer. During his illness, he talked with me at great length about his
determination to fight the fight of faith along the way and about how
hard it was at certain stages. As his strength failed more and more, he
found that even prayer was too taxing physically. And so he learned
Catholic practices of prayers of silence and found that they helped
restore his happy heart in God, even with the very real chance that he’d
widow his young wife and leave his young children fatherless. The very
last day I saw him, five days before his death, he talked about his
depression at the rapid losses he was facing—how a month before he’d
been able to play ball with his boys, how a week before he’d been able
to climb stairs, how a day before he’d been able to keep food down. But
that morning he’d realized he had the strength to stand up next to his
bed, and so he did. He asked God what he should do and he found
himself, as he put it, singing a goofy, five-year-old-level song of
praise to God. And depression broke off of him and he was again at
peace with God. To my mind my friend “believed God and it was reckoned
to him as righteousness” viz. Romans 4, even as his presenting problem
wasn’t solved."
Last night my pastor's wife, parents, and others on staff shared their current experience of life. One told a story of looking at pictures of my pastor with his wife. She said she could see the progression of the cancer as it devastated his body. Some pictures showed him healthy, later ones showed him gaunt, bald and sickly, and still later ones showed him thin, but 'glowing.' She said none had noticed how in his final weeks of life his face radiated and shown bright, but looking at the pictures it was suddenly obvious to her. My pastor's faith grew even as his body was dying...and the glory of Jesus shown through him.
I (and many in my church) are sad and angry, but we also sense a promise. A sense that while our prayers were not answered in the way we hoped, that we as a community have gained something too. I am tempted to be offended by God, just as Peter, John the Baptist, Joseph, Abraham and others had in Biblical times. But like them I'm still convinced that there is no other place to go...that only God speaks the words of eternal life. So I continue to say...
Praise the living God!
...and btw, I've seen God heal lots of people (another leader in our church was healed of brain cancer), but not everyone. I don't know why, but He is building my trust in Him alone!
I am honored that you decided to include my piece in your blog. Thank you!
Do you believe that miracles still happen today? Have you known someone faced with cancer who has/had so much hope? Is God with us in suffering just as much as in miracles?
First off, it is nice to hear that the lady is doing well, and that her cancer seems to have subsided. Her whole family is probably happy as can be, and it's nice to hear of such uplifting stories. It might really be that her strong faith has a role in this (as it has been proven that a strong mind helps to heal), but I do not believe that god had his hands in this affair.If god really exists, I cannot fathom that he does use his energy to heal her, but let other people starve, that never did anything wrong. If god really exists, he is probably more of an observing nature than acting.So her thanks should not only go to the lord, but to herself for keeping a strong mind, and of course to the doctors for doing a good job on her and saving her life.
HER faith has healed her.
Prayer does not work , it has been scientifically proven to do nothing more than to CHEER the patient up temporarily. Faith healing is FAMOUS for scamming people from their money....if you believe faith and prayer heals then you are or are lining up to be a victim.
You might ask yourself why God hates amputees. You show me a God who will grow a limb back on a child who has lost an arm or a leg and I will convert in a heartbeat to your particular brand of bloody cultism.
@god_stories@xanga - I was curious as to whether this story remained after I had departed from xanga last year. I am glad it did. Thank you for commenting.
This is actually my article and I wonder if you would not mind shifting the author information to my current account here at Xanga.
Thank you. :)