When God shows up...

I am a strong believer in faith. When I pray, I practice the bible verse that says "Pray in faith believing". Today I want to share three miracles of people who had extreme faith in God and got the miracle of life. These are all true stories of people I go to church with that have struggled with health issues and through their faith in God, were able to receive second chances at life. 

Ms. Norma was in dire need a new lung. She needed a fundraiser in order to afford the procedure. She prayed and a fundraiser was created to help her get the deposit required for her to be put on the list. One fundraiser was all it took to raise the money. In fact she raised every penny needed and a little bit more. She was told the lung should give her about 5 more years due to her age. Well, she lived around 10 or 11 years after the transplant. We lost Ms. Norma a few years ago due to an emergency issue not related to her lung transplant. With God's intervention on the lung transplant she had a blessed life for 10 years long than she thought she would live. 

My friend Stephanie. She has suffered from cystic fibrosis since birth. She was told she wouldn't live past 16. She has such faith that it just blows people away at the trust she has put in God. In 2017, at 29 years old her fight was getting to the point that it was get a double lung transplant or she wasn't going to have much longer. To shorten a long story, she went on the transplant list in July right after she turned 30. They said it could be months or even a year but at least she had a hope and her faith. A month later the call came. The lungs were a perfect match and pinked up right away when the transplant was done. She beats all the odds. The doctors said she could come home in about six months from Nashville where they needed to keep watch over her. She came home in time for Thanksgiving that year, a mere 3 months after the surgery. Fast forward to now 2 years and 3 months later. No rejection. No problems. She has passed all her exams with flying colors. She hikes, rides bikes, breathes and sleeps like a normal person. Something she has never been able to do.  

And the most recent miracle is still in process. Meet Mr. Rickey. Rickey has a heart problem and has other medical issues which have delayed what they are able to do with his heart until it became apparent he was in need of a transplant. He underwent all the tests and was approved to be placed on the list. They told him in late October that he would be about a year down on the list before he would get his new heart. They were called back the next day and said that due to all the various testing in his rare blood type it was going to be like 2 to 3 months instead of a year. So the family was preparing for hopefully a new heart by the end of the year. The first week of November he was officially placed on the transplant list. The family asked the church to pray on Wednesday night when they found this out. The next morning we got a church call that Rickey was on his way to the hospital. They had his new heart. He is doing great and as a matter of fact is expected to released from the hospital soon to go to what will be their temporary home near the hospital for awhile. 

We definitely serve an amazing God. Three lives reaching the end of their journey and within moments a miracle was performed. God is in the miracle business. Always has been and always will be. 

Each one of these survivors pray daily for the families who so graciously and unselfishly gave a piece of their loved one who passed away so that others would have a chance at a normal life. They will all tell you their stories and will always end with how thankful they are to the family that provided them with new chance at life at such a dear cost to them. 

April is National Organ Donor month. It is something a lot of people struggle with whether to donate or not. But as I look at the three people that have touched my life so tremendously, I can't help but realize they wouldn't be here if someone had never made that decision to be an organ donor.