Incredible Testimony of Gloria
No matter how I word this testimony or what format I use, the most important thing to remember is “To God, be the glory, Great things He has done”.
In April of 2008 I had a quadruple by-pass. However the healing process did not go normally and I contracted an infection in my sternum as well as fluid around my lungs. The combination of these and coughing ripped my wires out of place and shredded the weakened sternum beyond repair. It had to be removed. I then had a muscle flap done. This procedure surgically repositioned my pectoral muscles to cover my exposed heart and bring some stability to my now floating ribs.
In a nut shell: rearranged pectorals, loose ribs and an unstable chest wall. My life was drastically changed.
I could no longer extend either arm fully across my body. The left one would move the loose collarbone enough for it to press into my throat and cut off my breathing. Lifting anything above four pounds caused my abdominal muscles to press against the ribs and push them apart, causing angina type pain.
I could raise my lower arms, but raising my upper arms would pull at my shoulders making them feel as if they would dislocate. I would then have to lower them in stages. Swinging my arms at my side while walking, produced the same result. Yes, I could use them but had painful and limited range of motion. I was also no longer able to hold my arms in front of me in order to drive.
Even as a passenger, my insides twisted painfully every time we went over a bump in the road or turned a corner. The only exercise I was capable of doing was walking. Swimming, weight resistance, hiking, even lifting babies, playing catch, tag, or digging in the sand with grand children were no longer possible.
Think of the ordinary everyday things we do. Sweeping, washing our hair, sitting in a bathtub, lifting a roast out of the oven, cutting a sandwich, all gone in one day. Service and volunteering were gone. No more soup and sandwich, special needs sewing, volunteering at community festivals and the list goes on. I have had such wonderful prayer warriors behind me through the whole ordeal from the initial heart attack to this very day.
Friends make sure I get to any function I need to attend and back home again. They are here to cut my grass, clean my house or anything else needed. My warriors prayed for my healing and we know without a doubt that one day I will have that sternum again. My word from the Lord has always been “It is finished,” Jesus has done the hard work, and for that I continually thank Him. I knew the healing would be manifested.
My one and only prayer was that it be in a manner that would give Our God the greatest glory. When I heard that Chris Gore was bringing “The Hem of His Garment” conference to Courtenay, my thought was, “What a wonderful way to learn to pray effectively for others.” I just said “Count me in.” My daughter is a graduate of BSSM, and I though it would be terrific to learn some of what she has. That was what I wanted.
One of the first things Chris taught Friday evening was that you didn’t need to be a big time faith healer or use long winded prayers for God to hear you. Each of us has Holy Spirit within us. Our job is to allow God to use us as His conduit, to thank Him and pass His healing power through us to the person being prayed for. The next step was to pray for the person sitting next to us. All we needed to know was the person’s name and what needed to be healed. Chris called out a few words of knowledge, and among them was frozen shoulder or rotor cuff.
That was part of my problem so I told my prayer partner and he prayed for it be healed in Jesus’ name. Even though I didn’t feel anything at the time, I thanked Jesus for what He had done and what He was going to do, and then prayed for my partner’s ankle. When Chris asked us to check out the affected area I raised my arms completely over my head and lowered them without pain or stiffness, which I had not been able to do in three years. Full mobility had been restored.
The rest of the evening I praised and worshipped freely with my hands raised. Somewhere during the evening I realized the drums and bass in the music no longer pounded through my ribs causing pain. I no longer had to press my hands into my rib cage in order to sing or to stop the painful vibrations and pounding of the music. I continued to receive healing throughout the evening. My world was being restored without my thinking or asking or wondering about it, just thanking and praising Jesus each time I noticed something new.
Being able to shower and wash my hair, get dressed, put on my makeup one after the other was something I had not been able to do for over three years. These tasks used to take all day. By Saturday evening, I discovered I was able to actually hug people instead of just a quickly light side hug. Hugging always felt as though the bone was being pressed against the muscle protecting my heart. The bones felt sharp and crushingly painful. But not any more! I went through the fire tunnel that evening giving everyone a hug and a blessing. What a delight.
I also remember an extra measure of joy being received at that time as well. During testimony time on Sunday morning, I started to tell our congregation what happened. I was so overwhelmed; I almost forgot a few of the things that had changed. Sunday evening was our last session with Chris and it was different from the others. We weren’t praying for each other and neither was Chris. He just delivered his message and asked that we raise our hand if we felt the Holy Spirit working in us, any changes or warmth or stirrings in our bodies. Part way in I had warmth and tightening in my chest that lasted for a few seconds, my ribs were coming closer together. I raised my hand and, as with everyone else, Chris just added an extra blessing and thanked Jesus. Later that evening it felt as though something shifted ever so slightly under my ribs, and I noticed that the clicking I used to experience when I moved had stopped.
It has been a week now and day by day the blessings and healings continue. As I thank God for each one, I find myself doing things without even thinking, and without any pain or discomfort. I am finding that I’m able to do everyday things again, like picking up heavy objects, dancing, and lifting my hands before the Lord. I am reaching for boxes and containers in stores, sleeping on either side without pain and skeletal shifting, throwing things, doing laundry, holding a book while I read, etc. all of which make life so normal. Yesterday I went shopping and pushed a cart for four hours and today I went for a 45 min. drive and attended a wedding and reception. No pains, shifts or nausea just a pleasant trip and lots of hugs throughout the day.
I do not have a sternum yet, but that is what makes these events even more remarkable. My pectoral muscles are still displaced and my clavicle is still unstable. I shouldn’t physically be able to do all these things. Last week I couldn’t but this week, through the healing power and grace of Jesus Christ, I can. I enjoy every minute of every day and will continue to share my ongoing testimony. This can not logically be explained.
This is Jesus.
Blessings,
Gloria
Canada