In 1996, I was walking home late
at night and stumbled over the sidewalk, falling off a pair of high
heel boots. I tore the ligament connected to my right ankle. Thinking
it was just a sprain, I did not seek immediate medical attention.
After one year the ankle was still not properly healed and caused me
quite a lot of pain at the end of the day. I sought help from a
sports injury specialist. His prognosis was grim; the original tissue
was damaged beyond repair. He offered me a gruesome option of surgery
that would cut a good tendon, drill holes through the bone and weave
the tendon through to re-secure the ankle. I chose not to take the option.
Also, my lower back, hips, and
both knees had been badly effected by two car accidents in 1996 and
quite often they cause me pain and difficulty in movement.
Then in 1998, God told me in
prayer that He would restore all that the enemy has stolen and that I
was to expect total restoration of my mind and body.
This past year looked like things
were getting worse in my lower limbs instead of better. The swelling
and stiffness in my right ankle and both knees were a daily problem;
I went to the altar for prayer almost every Sunday and the pain and
stiffness would dissipate, but the relief lasted only a few days.
A few months ago, my Pastor began
teaching us that faith is an action, not just a passive state of
agreement with the word. He said that the confessions of your mouth
should be in harmony with your faith -- not on the obvious
circumstances before you. I began to declare out loud the promise God
gave me in prayer and also to speak out loud some verses in the Bible
that pertained to my problem. Getting ready in the morning became an
easier task as the pain and stiffness left, but it was still a daily
battle to get relief
.
On August 3rd, 1999, a married
couple from St Paul's United Methodist Church in Coronado, CA, by the
names of Bill and Becky Hitt were visiting my church who noticed my
limp, and asked me if I would like prayer for my ankle. To my
knowledge the couple were not pastors, elders, or visiting
evangelists with world renown healing ministries. I said "O.K.
sure" without seriously expecting anything more than some relief
from the swelling and pain. What I didn't know about them was that
this couple places great faith in Jesus' words in Mark 16:18b
"and they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
When the couple began to
pray and lay their hands on my ankle, the power of the Holy spirit
came over me so strongly that I could no longer sit upright in my
chair. As I was gently slumping over to the ground, a strong thought
entered my mind. It was so strong that I spoke it out loud
"Expect something great." Then the verse Matthew 7:11 came
to me and I asked the husband to read it out loud to me from his
bible . "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask Him?" The words pierced through me and I wept
uncontrollably. Another resounding thought filled me "Yes, this
is the day". I grabbed hold of that thought and responded
"yes" several times in reply and I knew that this was
really it. I spent the next three hours lying on the floor as the
couple prayed and lightly kept their hands on me. After about a half
hour, the wife said that the swelling was completely gone and a new
phase of healing began. Another loud thought inside my head said that
a new ligament was being formed. When I spoke the thought out loud to
the couple, something amazing happened. My right leg shot straight up
into the air; the muscles began to flutter by themselves much like a
guitar string vibrates. At the same time that happened, a wave of
laughter flew out of my mouth from deep within my belly as if I had
heard a funny joke. As long as the muscles fluttered, I continued to
laugh. Then a soft peace filled me and everything relaxed for a
while. A young lady waiting to lock up the church walked over and
asked me how it was going. I answered softly "I have a new
ligament" and then the fluttering began all over again.
When the peace came back, the
husband asked if my left knee was giving me trouble and I replied,
"yes." This began a different phase of healing much like
chiropractic adjustment but without a chiropractor. My hips turned
this way and that way by themselves without anyone touching them. I
heard and felt several vertebrae in my lower back, mid-back, and neck
go back into place. I felt no more pain or stiffness in any area!
I am writing this
approximately one month after the event. My ankle is completely
whole, and I am in the process of rebuilding muscle tissue daily. I
am still amazed at the faithfulness of God. "He who started a
good work in you shall be faithful to complete it." My lower
back still sometimes goes out of place causing problems with my
knees, but what is that to a God who can regenerate a severed and
dead ligament? I wait with anticipation for Him to complete the work
of restoration.
Thank you for the opportunity to
testify of the greatness of God.
Sincerely,
Valerie Smith.
Note: Valerie has attended our
healing class and received additional ministry .
