WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.399 --> 00:00:04.879 She undergoes surgery, and when she wakes up from surgery, 2 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:09.519 a nurse tells her some devastating news. She's losing too 3 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:12.880 much blood and if she fills up one more drainage bag, 4 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.919 she's not going to make it. And as you can imagine, 5 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:19.559 she's just devastated and terrified. She tries to call her husband. 6 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.920 He's not picking up his phone, so she just breaks 7 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.679 down in tears and she starts pleading with God to 8 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:31.719 spare her life. 9 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:33.679 This is the Miracle Files. 10 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:38.359 I'm Emily Jones and I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters 11 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:41.920 who love a captivating true story, but we're also seeking 12 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:43.159 more light in our lives. 13 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:46.840 So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, 14 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:51.560 uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us 15 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:54.600 on this journey. 16 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.719 Welcome back to the Miracle Files. Not long ago, we 17 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:01.520 decided to do something a little different. So we get 18 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:04.760 so many miracle stories sent to us, and they are 19 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:07.599 so incredible and we honestly cannot share them all. But 20 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:09.439 we want to share them all, so we're going to 21 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:12.159 do everything we can to share as many as possible. 22 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:15.439 So in an effort to do that, we decided to 23 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:17.840 read some of the miracle stories again sent to us 24 00:01:17.879 --> 00:01:21.000 through email, and the response has been incredible. 25 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:22.840 Yeah, it really has. 26 00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:25.359 And so we've heard from a lot of you that 27 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:28.159 you just love to hear more miracle stories, and so 28 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:28.519 we're going to. 29 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:28.959 Do it again. 30 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:30.359 I'm gonna do it again. 31 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:31.079 Yeah. 32 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:33.799 So today we've picked out five amazing stories that were 33 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:36.040 sent in by our listeners and we cannot wait to 34 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:36.799 share them with you. 35 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:39.239 Yeah. Oh guy, So let's jump in. 36 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:43.680 Our first miracle story was sent to us by Pamela Parr. 37 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:49.480 Pamela writes on September sixth, twenty sixteen, I was leaving 38 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:52.760 work in the small town of Saint Cloud, Wisconsin, just 39 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.239 like I had every other night. As I was about 40 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.280 to cross the road to my car, I heard the 41 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:00.760 voice of my grandfather telling me put your phone in 42 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:05.159 your pocket and don't touch it. It caught me off guard, 43 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:08.719 but I did exactly what the voice said. I figured 44 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:12.080 it was a warning that something unusual was about to happen. 45 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.120 As I drove home, the fog became thicker and thicker, 46 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.840 until I could barely see a foot in front of 47 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:22.599 my headlights. I slowed way down because I knew the 48 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:26.639 road was full of sharp turns. About ten minutes into 49 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.759 the drive, a large pickup truck came over the hill 50 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.759 with bright lights mounted on the hood and its high 51 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:36.759 beams on. The driver flashed both sets of lights directly 52 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:40.560 at me. I was completely blinded. I tried to pull 53 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:43.879 over while waiting for my vision to return. Just as 54 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:45.599 I thought I had reached the side of the road, 55 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:47.639 I crashed head on. 56 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:48.680 Into a tree. 57 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:49.560 Oh my goodness. 58 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.360 At first I didn't realize how badly I was hurt. 59 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:55.000 I tried to get out of the car, but the 60 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:57.919 moment I stood up, I couldn't put any weight onto 61 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:01.360 my right leg and collapsed onto the ground beside my car. 62 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.120 That's when I remembered what I had heard before leaving work. 63 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:08.759 I pulled my phone out of my pocket, called nine 64 00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:11.879 one one and tried to explain where I was. I 65 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:14.000 told them I thought I had broken my hip and 66 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:17.800 that I was lying beside the driver's door. Then I 67 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.039 blacked out. 68 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:23.879 Oh my goodness, that gives me chills. Yeah, I cannot imagine. 69 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:26.599 Although I did get in a head on collision once, 70 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:28.800 and I did not have my cell phone with me 71 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:32.240 and in my situation. I had two angel women stop 72 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:35.159 and help me, and they called nine one one. But 73 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.159 in her situation, it is such a blessing that she 74 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:40.280 had her phone near her in her pocket. 75 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:42.879 I know there's like fog, no one can see her, 76 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:46.000 No one knows that this has happened to her. And 77 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:48.439 you think if she hadn't listened to the impression, maybe 78 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:50.000 if she was holding her phone, or if she had 79 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.599 it in the cup holder or something, it probably would 80 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:54.680 have flown away and she, yeah, wouldn't have been able 81 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:57.240 to call nine one one. So amazing that she listened 82 00:03:57.240 --> 00:03:59.479 to that impression. But her story does not end there, 83 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:05.879 so to continue on. The first responders arrive and they 84 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:09.319 take her to the hospital. She's super injured. She's got 85 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.000 broken fingers, she's broken her hip, she's broken her nose. 86 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:17.360 But her worst injury is her femur has disconnected from 87 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:21.000 her hip and it has been pushed up into her body. 88 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:26.519 Oh my goodness, awful. So she undergoes surgery, and when 89 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:30.360 she wakes up from surgery, a nurse tells her some 90 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:34.759 devastating news. She's losing too much blood and if she 91 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:37.720 fills up one more drainage bag, she's not going to 92 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:38.079 make it. 93 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:39.040 Oh no. 94 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:42.759 And as you can imagine, she's just devastated and terrified. 95 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:44.360 She tries to call her husband. 96 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:48.319 He's not picking up his phone, and so she just 97 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.160 breaks down in tears and she starts pleading with God 98 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.959 to spare her life and to allow her to continue 99 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:58.000 to live here with her husband. And here's what she 100 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:02.560 said happen next. I drifted into a deep sleep. That's 101 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:05.240 when I saw a bright white light shining on me. 102 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:09.519 What I didn't know was that shortly after I fell asleep, 103 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:13.639 the nurses call woke my husband. He began praying the 104 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:17.279 exact same prayer, that I wouldn't die and that we 105 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:19.680 would get to spend the rest of our lives together. 106 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:23.680 The next morning, I woke up. The nurse who had 107 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:26.160 warned me the night before, came back to empty the 108 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.240 drains one last time before the end of her shift. 109 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.079 Instead of filling with blood, there were only two drops 110 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:39.480 across all four drains. The bleeding had completely stopped. The 111 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:44.079 doctors were in shock. They ordered X rays, CT scans, 112 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.439 every test they could perform from my hospital bed. They 113 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:51.079 couldn't understand how I had gone from bleeding out to 114 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.800 not bleeding into the drains at all. Without a doubt 115 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:58.720 in my mind, I know I am only here because 116 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:00.920 of the miracle God prefer formed that night. 117 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:06.120 What a miracle and so amazing that they were praying 118 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:08.879 the same prayer at the exact same time. I think 119 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:10.360 there is so much power in that. 120 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:14.040 Yeah, and obviously she had a long road to recovery, 121 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.920 but she's so grateful that her prayers were answered and 122 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:18.759 she gets to be here with her husband and they 123 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:19.959 get to live their lives together. 124 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.959 So amazing. That is a beautiful story. Okay. 125 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:29.279 This next story was sent in by Karing Gotchel. Hopefully 126 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:31.240 I pronounce that right. And this is a story she 127 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:35.160 shared about her brother Mark about two years ago. In 128 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:37.439 August of twenty twenty four. My brother Mark was out 129 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:40.600 jogging on the boardwalk. When he finished his run, he 130 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:44.560 sat down on a bench. Then he collapsed. His heart 131 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:48.439 had stopped. But that's when God started putting every piece 132 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.160 into place. An older couple who took care of the 133 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:54.920 flowers nearby just happened to be there. They had finished dinner, 134 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:57.879 and the wife suggested they leave the dishes and go 135 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.920 water the plants, something they would normally never do. They 136 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:05.560 immediately saw Mark collapse and rushed over. A woman renting 137 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:08.000 the house on the corner just happened to be outside 138 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.600 and saw the commotion. Her daughter in law, Samantha, is 139 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:14.680 a nurse. She called to her, and Samantha later said 140 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:19.839 she felt compelled drawn to run outside. She immediately started CPR. 141 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:25.120 Yes, so another story where a nurse or doctor or 142 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:28.319 first responder just happens to be there at the right place, 143 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:30.839 right time, right seeing all the time. 144 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.120 Just wait because there's more to this story. And as 145 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:38.160 we've learned, CPR is incredibly exhausting to perform. But thankfully 146 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:41.279 Samantha didn't have to do CPR by herself. Within minutes, 147 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:44.560 another nurse who just lived a couple houses away showed 148 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:47.040 up and they began to switch off back and forth. 149 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:51.319 And as it happens, police officers were already nearby responding 150 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:55.040 to another call, and they have a defibrillator. And then 151 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.519 an anomyshesiologist shows up who just happens to live across 152 00:07:58.560 --> 00:07:59.000 the street. 153 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:02.160 This is the neighborhood I want to be in, right 154 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:03.680 if I member were in trouble. 155 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:06.759 Yeah, seriously, if you need medical attention, this is the 156 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:11.199 place to be. So the anesthesiologist also goes on to 157 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:14.959 help the police. He's a breathing apparatus that gets oxygen 158 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.600 to Mark. And basically all these people come together. They're 159 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:22.480 where they need to be to help save Mark's life. 160 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:27.279 And this is what Karen said happened. Against all odds, 161 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:28.480 they brought him back. 162 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:29.839 Mark was rushed to. 163 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:33.919 The hospital, where doctors discovered he needed triple bypass surgery. 164 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:38.120 Today he's doing great. Looking back, we don't see coincidences. 165 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:42.120 We see miracles. The older couple who never would have 166 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:45.480 gone out that evening, Samantha was home when her family 167 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:49.279 was supposed to be out for dinner. Paige, a trioge nurse, 168 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:53.320 was home to help a CPR. The anesthesiologist was close 169 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:58.000 enough to save Mark's brain. Every person arrived exactly when 170 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.080 they were needed. My nieces Be, who works as a 171 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:04.960 nurse in the cardiac unit, told us, you don't understand 172 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:07.679 what a miracle it is that he survived. People that 173 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:12.000 have a cardiac arrest in hospitals don't often survive. That's 174 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:16.440 why we know God was there long before anyone else arrived. 175 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:17.639 Wow. 176 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:21.559 I love that she gave the glory to God, because 177 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.879 I mean, obviously all these people are heroes. But I 178 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.120 feel like God pieced this together all the pieces. Yeah, 179 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:29.279 so that he was able to have a full medical 180 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:31.240 team right there on the side of the road. 181 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:32.200 Yeah, I know. 182 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:36.639 And Mark didn't remember anything about this afterwards, but he 183 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:39.720 was able to eventually go and thank every one of 184 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:41.960 those strangers that were there that day that helps us 185 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:42.840 to save his life. 186 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:45.679 So cool that it wasn't just one, it was so 187 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:46.240 many of. 188 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:47.960 Them, so many. 189 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:53.080 Okay, So our next story comes from twenty four year 190 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:54.399 old Kylie Bangerter. 191 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:56.879 Again hopefully I'm saying that right. 192 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.440 She and her husband jac were snorkeling in Hawaii and 193 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:02.399 they were just out exploring a big rock. 194 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:03.440 And she grew up. 195 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.840 Swimming, so she was a really good swimmer. But he didn't, 196 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.120 so he wasn't a super strong swimmer, so he's really 197 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:11.320 just kind of practicing swimming as he was out there. 198 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.840 Oh boy, And they didn't notice the winds shifting and 199 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:19.759 the currents changing. So Kylie writes, I popped my head 200 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:23.039 up and these white waves just kept crashing over us. 201 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:26.159 I looked at my husband and he said, we have 202 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:29.279 to start swimming to the edge. So I started kicking 203 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:32.559 and swimming, not quite in panic mode. Yet, but I 204 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:35.600 wasn't getting anywhere. I looked at him and saw him 205 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.399 starting to panic. One thing about him is he doesn't panic. 206 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:43.559 He's always calm in difficult situations. That's when it became 207 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:47.320 very clear, very fast, that there was nowhere to go. 208 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.919 There was no rock to grab onto, nowhere to stand 209 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:54.399 in the fifty foot deep water. My heart just dropped. 210 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:59.320 Then everything happened so fast. We got pulled into a riptide. 211 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:03.480 Rock disappeared, he got caught in the waves above me, 212 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.639 and I got pulled into an undertow. It felt like 213 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.720 being trapped inside a washing machine. I was trying to 214 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.200 catch every breath I could, but honestly, I wasn't worried 215 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:17.320 about me. I was worried about him. I started praying 216 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:21.759 harder than I ever had before. I said, God, please 217 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.919 save him. He has so much he still needs to do. 218 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:29.279 I love him, He's my best friend. Please save him. 219 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:32.679 I don't care if I make it. I'm okay. Please 220 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:37.279 take me instead and save him. There wasn't even a 221 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:41.639 second thought. I immediately found peace with dying, but I 222 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:44.240 just couldn't bear the thought of watching my best friend 223 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:46.759 die while I couldn't do anything to help. 224 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:47.720 Him. 225 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:51.240 Things started to fade, and my chest started to burn 226 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.360 as water filled my lungs. I stopped trying to swim, 227 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.320 and for a moment it felt like I was slipping away. 228 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.600 I remembered the p well I loved in the life 229 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:06.039 I'd been given, and I just felt grateful. Then everything changed. 230 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.639 I can't really explain what happened next, but it felt 231 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:14.919 like home. All the panic disappeared. I felt completely surrounded. 232 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:20.720 It was warm, it was peaceful. Then suddenly it was gone. 233 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.159 A wave pulled me up just long enough to catch 234 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.480 a breath. Jace caught a breath too, but he was 235 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:29.480 still struggling. We had been pulled so far out that 236 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:32.360 I couldn't even see the rock anymore. I closed my 237 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.440 eyes and prayed the same prayer one more time. 238 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:37.840 Then boom, A. 239 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:41.039 Huge wave picked us up and threw us straight into 240 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:44.320 the lava rock. We thought we drifted far away from 241 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:47.559 The rock was covered in sea urchins, and they went 242 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.519 into my knee and all over my body. But I 243 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:54.639 didn't care. I had something to hold onto the painment. 244 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:55.440 I was alive. 245 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:58.559 Jace tried to climb on top of the rock, but 246 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:01.559 another wave ripped him away. I was about to go 247 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:05.320 after him when another wave hit me and suddenly he 248 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.279 was standing on. 249 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:06.960 Top of the rock. 250 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.799 Later, he told me he felt someone grab him or 251 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:14.399 push him up onto the rock. He said he didn't 252 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.840 have the strength to do it himself. We both knew 253 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:21.120 in that moment that God had saved our lives. 254 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:25.440 Oh my goodness. When she was talking about like God 255 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:28.759 taking her life instead of his life because she loved 256 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:30.480 him so much and he was our best friend. 257 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:32.720 Oh, she cared way more about him. 258 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:34.879 Oh my gosh, I would feel the same way about 259 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:39.759 my husband, and that just that's heartbreaking but amazing that 260 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:42.559 they received that miracle. I'm so grateful. 261 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:45.360 Yeah, and I also really liked the part where she 262 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:47.639 said it felt like home, like she had that same piece. 263 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:48.120 Yeah. 264 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:49.840 Everybody talks about that peace. 265 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:50.480 YEA. 266 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:51.480 Such a blessing. 267 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:55.759 Yeah, such a blessing. And I'm so grateful they both 268 00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:57.120 making it onto that rock. 269 00:13:57.679 --> 00:13:59.600 I know me too, Okay. 270 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.360 The next story was submitted to us by Louise Royam Royanne. 271 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.279 I'm so sorry. Why do these names have to be 272 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:07.360 so pronounced? 273 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:09.159 Well. 274 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:12.679 Her family was traveling on vacation. Her four year old son, Dexter, 275 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:17.120 was taken to the er where their family received the 276 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:23.080 worst news. Dexter was diagnosed with chronic Myalloyd leukemia. And 277 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.120 obviously that's a devastating diagnosis at any age, but to 278 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.559 receive that at four years old, I can't even imagine heartbreaking. 279 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:34.559 But she says they immediately began to see miracles. So 280 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:38.279 here's what she said. We were away on family holiday 281 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.639 in a completely different town when everything happened. The doctor 282 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.360 at the r was only at that hospital for one day. 283 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:46.879 Her son goes to the same school as our son, 284 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.039 and she called ahead, which I'm assuming means that called 285 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.960 another doctor's office so that he could get diagnosed right away. 286 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:57.360 Looking back, it felt like God had every detailed plan 287 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.120 before we even knew what was happening at the At 288 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:03.080 the same time, my uncle was fighting his own battle 289 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.759 with cancer. He's also a priest. He helped guide me 290 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.840 through the anger and heartbreak of everything we were facing. 291 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.200 The prayer network that surrounded our little boy was incredible. 292 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.960 People in South Africa were praying, His auntie in America 293 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:20.759 was praying, friends in India, family in Australia and London, 294 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:24.080 friends of friends in Dubai and Hong Kong, and all 295 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.399 of their families too. The power of collective prayer is limitless. 296 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:32.159 Even while feeling so awful, Dexter always had a smile 297 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:34.799 on his face. Even while he was in the hospital. 298 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.000 He would ask me, are you okay? That was just 299 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:41.159 who he was, even in the middle of his own suffering, 300 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:45.320 he was thinking about everyone else. Today, Dexter is still 301 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:49.080 the same loving little boy. Recently he asked me, can 302 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:52.480 we please be the homeless? So that's exactly what we did. 303 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:56.519 Through everything he's been through, his heart has remained full 304 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:59.679 of compassion, and that to me is a miracle too. 305 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:04.919 It's amazing that this sweet little boy who's going through 306 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:07.840 such hard things is thinking about other people. Yeah, and 307 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:08.960 how to serve other people. 308 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.519 I think sometimes that's like what happens when you go 309 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.759 through really hard things, is that you have developed apathy. 310 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:17.320 Yeah. Yeah. 311 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:21.240 And we had another listener named Brittany Luccerini right in 312 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:25.120 and she said, make sure you think about the fact 313 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.120 that it's not just that you get comforted in the 314 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:30.840 midst of these trials. That's not the only miracle, but 315 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.679 there's also all sorts of little miracles that take place 316 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:36.559 in the midst of our trials. And she's so right, 317 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.480 like a lot of the miracles that take place are 318 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:41.600 in our hearts during these times. 319 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:44.480 Yeah, I know, my father in law passed away from cancer, 320 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:47.440 and cancer is just it's the. 321 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:48.559 Worst, it's the hardest thing. 322 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:51.279 But I can tell you that we experienced so many 323 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.480 miracles along the way, and I could go through all 324 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.240 of the individual ones, but there were a lot of them. 325 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:58.799 And yeah, I'm just grateful for those little signs that 326 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:01.000 we knew that God was aware of us. 327 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:03.120 Yeah, so true. 328 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:07.440 And here's our final story for today. 329 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:12.119 This story comes from Melanie Linum and this is one 330 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:14.839 about pregnancy, So if that's a sensitive subject for you, 331 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.960 just fair warning. But Melanie is working as a pastor 332 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.559 in Australia and she became pregnant and she and her 333 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:27.000 husband Dan were just so excited. And here's an excer 334 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.319 from her email. At our twenty week growth scan, the 335 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:34.160 sonographer took a long time and said he was having 336 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:36.920 trouble looking at all four chambers of the baby's heart. 337 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.079 He suggested I get up and move around to try 338 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:43.200 and reposition the baby. I laughed and joked as I 339 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.519 stood up, leaning forward and wiggling to try and move 340 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:50.079 the baby. I had no suspicion that anything was wrong. 341 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.559 The next day, my doctor called and referred me to 342 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:57.960 a specialist scan in Brisbane. Honestly, I still wasn't worried. 343 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:01.880 Three weeks later, the fetal cardiologists spent a long time scanning. 344 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:05.119 Part Way through he took a call just outside the door, 345 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:08.559 which I overheard about a baby needing heart surgery at 346 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:11.839 just six weeks of age. I turned to Dan and 347 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:16.759 whispered in sympathy. Imagine that the cardiologist came back in 348 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.480 and said, do you know your baby has a small 349 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:24.920 right heart. We were shocked, no, I answered. He led 350 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.960 us into another room and returned with another doctor. What 351 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:30.920 I'm about to tell you will be difficult to hear. 352 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:37.400 Your baby has pulmonary atresia, a hypoplastic tricuspid valve, and 353 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:41.839 hypoplastic right heart syndrome. He explained that the pulmonary heart 354 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:45.079 valve was completely blocked up, causing the right heart to 355 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.880 be small. He told us our baby would need heart 356 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:51.400 surgery at three days old, then two more surgeries before 357 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.359 the age of three. He said quality of life would 358 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:58.519 likely be low, and we could choose termination or palliative care. 359 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:04.319 I answered immediately, we choose the operation. Don't answer straight away, 360 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:08.400 think about it, he said. Then he left us alone. 361 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:11.799 Dan and I cried in each other's arms. Then Dan 362 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.279 said two words that changed everything. 363 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:15.839 But God. 364 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:21.200 The next few weeks were painful. Every appointment brought more 365 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:24.559 bad news. The baby was small. They said, if the 366 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:28.319 baby is too small, the baby will die. We sat 367 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:31.000 down with our pastors and tearfully told them the news. 368 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:33.880 I said to them, but I know that God knows 369 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:36.640 this baby. He knows if they're a boy or a girl, 370 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:40.000 and he knows them by name. Our whole church prayed 371 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.799 and stood in faith with us. We chose to give 372 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:46.440 God every opportunity to do a miracle. We put our 373 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:50.240 trust in him. We trusted in his goodness, in his love, 374 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.960 and ultimately that whether our child lived or died, he 375 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:57.160 was sovereign and good. A scripture I held on to 376 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:00.599 was Psalm one fifteen fourteen. Made the Lord caused you 377 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:04.799 to flourish both you and your children. I would place 378 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:09.039 my hands over my belly and say, flourish, baby, flourish 379 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:13.680 in Jesus' name. Three weeks before her scheduled see section, 380 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.200 the final scan still showed she only weighed about one 381 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:20.759 point five kilograms and the right heart was about fifty 382 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:23.759 percent the size of the left heart. We continue to 383 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:27.240 believe in God for a miracle. The day she was born, 384 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:29.640 we didn't even have the car seat in the car. 385 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.039 We didn't know if she would live. She was born 386 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:37.119 full term, weighing two point twenty six kilograms, a girl. 387 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:42.480 We named her Isabella Faith. Hours later, the pediatric cardiologist 388 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:46.599 came into our room after doing an ultrasound. I interrupted, 389 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.160 wait a minute, the right heart is meant to be 390 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.839 half the size of the left heart. Well it isn't 391 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:56.119 he answered, It's almost the same size as the left heart. 392 00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:00.200 The pulmonary valve that had been completely blocked up is 393 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:04.119 now open, although narrow, there were also two new holes 394 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:08.000 strategically placed that allowed blood to flow properly and bought 395 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:12.680 Isabella time to grow before surgery. We had received a 396 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:17.000 creative miracle. Instead of spending the estimated five months in hospital, 397 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.559 she was only there for three weeks. Then we got 398 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:23.839 to bring our baby home. At eight months old, Bella 399 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.519 had a total heart repair. When I brought her back 400 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:30.480 to our doctor, she announced to the staff, Look, this 401 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.400