Miracles in Goleta

Miracles are real. Jesus Christ is alive, and He is doing amazing things in the lives of billions of people around the world. This site chronicles a small sampling of those things in a little corner of the globe: Goleta, CA.

[miraclesingoleta]

Man Miraculously Survives Gunshot Wound to Head, Gets Saved

Kevin wrote:

This Sunday at church, we had a visitor. His story was remarkable. He had been shot in the head weeks before and was in the hospital in Intensive Care in a coma. After much prayer, he awakened from the coma. Many who were there caring for him and hearing the doctor reports said that it was a total miracle that he even survived the wound, not to mention awakening from the coma. He said that during the experience he saw Heaven. After he woke from the coma, he fully dedicated his life to Christ.

[miraclesingoleta]

Deafness In Ear Healed

Kevin wrote:

A few weeks ago (late December), a man in our church received prayer for his ear that has been deaf for decades. During the prayer, the hearing began to return, and he broke down in tears as he realized what was happening. I questioned him afterward to ask him what had happened and what his new condition was, and he said that though it's not 100% healed, it is no longer totally deaf, and a sudden, noticeable change occurred in that ear during the prayer.

[miraclesingoleta]

Sore Throat Healed

Julie wrote:

"I had a severe sore throat, a swollen gland, like the onset of a bad cold, and I prayed that God would heal it and remove it by the next morning, and I stood on His Word and believed that He does hear our prayers and has power to heal. The next morning I woke and the gland had returned to normal without a trace of the symptoms. Thank You God for Your mercy!"

[miraclesingoleta]

Protected From Two Hurricanes In One Weekend

Kevin wrote:

"Our pastor and his wife were in Maui the weekend when two hurricanes -- Hurricane Iselle and Hurricane Julio -- formed and headed straight towards Hawaii, which would be the first direct landfall of a hurricane on Hawaii in 22 years. And it just happened to be the weekend that Pastor Jon and Julie were there! It was serious enough that the people in their neighborhood were very frightened, and everyone was going to the store to buy supplies. Jon and Julie prayed -- and their church back home in California prayed too -- that God would keep them safe from any danger even though hurricanes were headed straight towards them. After they prayed, God gave them peace about the situation. When a neighbor expressed fear about the situation, Julie told the woman not to worry, that God was going to protect them.

The first hurricane veered to the south at the last minute -- something that surprised the meteorologists -- and missed their specific area. They were hardly affected. The second hurricane veered to the north of them at the last minute -- which also surprised the weather channels -- and the most Jon and Julie got was a little rain. God did indeed protect them!"

[miraclesingoleta]

Protected From Two Hurricanses In One Weekend

Kevin wrote:

"Our pastor and his wife were in Maui the weekend when two hurricanes -- Hurricane Iselle and Hurricane Julio -- formed and headed straight towards Hawaii, which would be the first direct landfall of a hurricane on Hawaii in 22 years. And it just happened to be the weekend that Pastor Jon and Julie were there! It was serious enough that the people in their neighborhood were very frightened, and everyone was going to the store to buy supplies. Jon and Julie prayed -- and their church back home in California prayed too -- that God would keep them safe from any danger even though hurricanes were headed straight towards them. After they prayed, God gave them peace about the situation. When a neighbor expressed fear about the situation, Julie told the woman not to worry, that God was going to protect them.

The first hurricane veered to the south at the last minute -- something that surprised the meteorologists -- and missed their specific area. They were hardly affected. The second hurricane veered to the north of them at the last minute -- which also surprised the weather channels -- and the most Jon and Julie got was a little rain. God did indeed protect them!"

[miraclesingoleta]

Woman Healed From Anemia

A woman in Goleta, CA who attends Jubilee Christian Church was diagnosed with anemia. The doctors had determined that there was nothing she could do to self-treat it at home or with medication or supplements at home because it was so bad, and they were planning to hospitalize her to deal with the issue. She received prayer in Jesus' Name that she would be healed, and the next day when she went to the doctors, the medical staff was shocked to find that the anemia had gone away and that hospitalization was no longer needed.

[miraclesingoleta]

Migrain Headache Instantly Healed After Woman Receives Prayer

Kevin O. wrote the following testimony for the "Miracles are Real" blog:

"This afternoon (Friday, August 1) I went and dropped off a car for my friends Tim and Maru, and as I was leaving Maru asked me to pray for her because she had an extremely painful, intense headache. I could see the pain in her facial expression as she asked, and my heart just went out to her. I placed my hand on her head, prayed a very simple prayer declaring that the name of Jesus has the power and authority to heal her, and after the prayer finished she had a very surprised and happy expression on her face and she said, "It feels better! It's all gone! The pain is gone!" I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement that God could use a simple "lay person" in the church like me to heal somebody else through a simple prayer. She texted me awhile later and confirmed that the headache vanished immediately during the prayer, and the pain never came back. THANK YOU, JESUS!!"

[miraclesingoleta]

Woman's Numbness in Hand Instantly Healed

Kevin wrote:

"A woman came to church with no feeling in her hand. It had been that way for awhile. For an inexplicable reason, her nerves had deadened and become completely numb. It was very frightening and troubling to her. She was crying out to God during the church service, asking Jesus to touch her hand. By the time worship ended, all feeling in her hand had been restored, and it happened instantly. She was so surprised and overjoyed by it, that she stopped to share what happened right then and there with the whole church."

[miraclesingoleta]

Boy's Skin Disease Healed

Kevin wrote:

"This happened a couple months ago, and I kept meaning to add it to the reports. A young boy at my church had an unbearable skin disease. I'm not a doctor and didn't get the full report on what it was exactly, but it had the effect of, well, boils, basically -- or something very painful on the surface of the skin. Some folks prayed for him to be healed -- in Jesus' Name -- and the disease went away rapidly. The doctors were shocked."

[miraclesingoleta]

Miraculous Financial Provision: Jehoshaphat Style

This is a testimony that few people know about, but I have decided to share it. Without getting in too much detail, there was a financial crisis that hit my life. It was very stressful. I tried all of my earthly options and used up any ideas or resources I had -- to no avail. 

And then I thought, "Why am I doing this? Why am I not seeking God about this?" 

Then I remembered the account of King Jehoshaphat in the Bible. Israel was in trouble militarily, and he sought God's counsel on what to do. The Lord told him to send the worshipers -- singers and musicians! -- out ahead of the army. In other words, worshiping God, trusting in Him, and calling on His name would be more powerful than any earthly army. The king obeyed and, though it looked crazy to others, he sent out the worshipers ahead of the army. I always imagine the enemy armies looking on the horizon and seeing a mob of singing musicians coming towards them. They probably laughed. 

But God didn't. He miraculously gave Israel the victory that day. 

With child-like, simplistic faith, I pursued the same course. There was a certain deadline that I needed to have money for a bill. I decided to go away alone and worship God for awhile until the deadline came. The more I worshiped, the more joy I sensed. God's Presence was there with me.

Just before the deadline passed, someone contacted me and informed that some anonymous person wanted to give me money.  

And, in a single moment, God took care of the situation. 

I've never forgotten that day, and I never will as long as I live. 

[miraclesingoleta]

My Leg Stopped Working -- Part 2

In part 1, my friend Gerald (G is his nickname) woke one morning to find his leg partially paralyzed. He began praying to God, crying out for healing, and he prayed for an entire day, but no healing came. 

He prayed for a second day -- the entire day -- and he was desperate because things had gotten worse. 

But he still wanted to rely on God this time, so he continued praying and seeking God about it. 

Then, on Sunday morning, he woke and felt a sensation he hadn't felt for a few days.

His leg. 

It was working again. In fact, not only was the paralysis completely gone, but his leg felt stronger and healthier than ever. He felt as if he could do a back flip. He went to church with incredible joy in his heart. 

Thank You, Lord, for your mercies are new every morning! 

[miraclesingoleta]

My Leg Stopped Working -- Part 1

My friend Gerald (we call him G) is a Haitian fellow who is in excellent physical shape. He has probably 1% body fat, and he is a talented dancer.  

Imagine his dismay then, when one morning very recently, he woke to find that one of his legs was partially paralyzed. He couldn't walk easily. He had to grab the leg and swing it out of bed with his hands. He limped terribly. He could still drive, but he had to physically grip the leg and swing it inside the car just to get in. 

So what did he do? 

Well, first he thought seriously about going to the emergency room. 

Eventually, he decided he would not go to the hospital. Although this site or anyone mentioned in this site is not opposed in any way to medical care -- and, in fact, God often heals us through the hands of doctors and nurses -- in this one particular case, G decided that he did not want to go through the whole ordeal of the ER or pay the huge financial costs of it.

Instead, he wanted to trust God. He began to pray and ask the Lord to heal his leg. 

He prayed all day without stopping. 

When he woke the next morning, his leg was not better. In fact, it was worse! 

So he spent another day praying, crying out to God. 

To find out what happened to G, keep an eye out for Part 2 of this blog post, coming tomorrow! 

Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers right away or not in the way we had hoped. We can be angry at God in our hearts or we can have this heart attitude instead: 

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." -Habakkuk 3:17-18

[miraclesingoleta]

Introducing "Miracles in Goleta"

Miracles are real. Jesus Christ is alive, and He is doing amazing things in the lives of billions of people around the world. This site chronicles a small sampling of those things in a little corner of the globe: Goleta, CA.

We're also on Tumblr now. 

And we got this nifty site. 

[miraclesingoleta]

Hearing Impairment Healed

Tim wrote:

"I have a history of ear problems.  That ear (right side) got severely infected when I was 13 years old, and I had to go to a specialist.  He said he had to lance the eardrum to relieve the pressure or my eardrum would rupture.  He couldn’t give me general anesthesia to knock me out because I had a temperature of 105 and he was afraid I would have a severe reaction which might include death.  He tried to put local anesthetic on the eardrum itself, hoping that it would absorb enough of the anesthetic to deaden it, but it was so swollen and the cells were so saturated with fluid that the anesthetic had no effect.  He finally said that the only option was to lance the eardrum without anesthesia.  He held my head against the headrest on his chair and shoved the lance through my eardrum, took it out, rotated it about 60 degrees and shoved it through again, and then finally one last time, making a very neat pie-cut pattern completely through my eardrum.  It was by far the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced.  But it worked.  The infection cleared up in a couple of days.

However, ever since then I have had hearing loss and recurring ear infections, primarily in that right ear.  This last occurrence began just after Thanksgiving last year when I caught my annual cold, which turned into a pretty severe sinus infection.  I took some antibiotics and the infection seemed to go away, but the pressure behind my eardrum remained and at times was very painful.  I could not hear much of anything in that ear.  It felt like I was at the bottom of a swimming pool, you know how all sounds seem very blurry and muffled and distant?  I would estimate that I had about 5 – 10% of my normal hearing in my right ear.

I finally went to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist who told me that there was a large buildup of fluid behind the ear, and he advised me to have a tube surgically inserted in my eardrum to facilitate the drainage.  I asked if there was another alternative and he said he could prescribe steroids in hopes that they would shrink the membranes of the eardrum and ear canal enough to allow the drainage, but it would take a long time, and the fluid buildup could reoccur after stopping the steroids.  I told him I would like to try those, and save the tube insertion as a last resort.  He gave me the prescription last week, but I did not get it filled.

Sunday, seemingly out of the blue, Gary Hines [during his sermon] stopped preaching. He explained that the Holy Spirit stopped him and spoke into his heart that there was someone who was having problems with their right ear.  He said he was praying for the immediate “release” of the condition, and in the exact moment that he said the word “release,” I felt an incredible relief in my right ear as what felt and sounded like high-pressure air suddenly and rapidly escaped from around my eardrum.  There did not appear to be any fluid involved, but there was a substantial release of pressure from behind the eardrum.  As Gary continued to speak, I moved my jaw around and the pressure continued to release.  After just a minute or so, I realized that I had regained almost all of my hearing.  It no longer sounded muffled and “underwater,” but was clear and distinct.  I guess I probably regained 90% of the hearing I had lost.  Amazingly, Marie also testified that the hearing in her right ear had been greatly helped, and I felt I just had to add my testimony of God’s healing power and goodness.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the release of pressure and the restoration of my hearing was due entirely to that prayer during the sermon and the grace of God."

[miraclesingoleta]

Elderly Woman's Teeth and Gums Healed

After a Sunday worship service, an elderly lady in my church approached the prayer team and asked for prayer. Her teeth and gums were in terrible pain.  But, with a child-like faith and confidence, she looked at the team with a smile, despite the pain.  During the prayer, her pain went away immediately.  She was so happy and thankful that she couldn't stop talking about it with her daughter in the days that followed.

We know that God heals and dispenses His power as He chooses. He can use trials to glorify His Name as much as miracles, but miracles like the one above emphasize the promise that Jesus made: our Father cares about us and even has the hairs on our head numbered!  And yes, He's aware of our dental health, too!

[miraclesingoleta]

A Second Chance to Live

Pastor Julie Eymann wrote:

"Last month on one of my visits to the gym, I spoke with the wife of an elderly man who had been attending the same exercise class that I attended.  She was visibly upset and told me that her husband, Eddy, was in the hospital after surgical complications, and was not expected to live.  She had just come from visiting him and the doctors had just reported that there was very little hope of recovery.  For many days, they had been hoping to be able to perform a corrective surgery, but Eddy had developed blood clots in his lungs and other complications, rendering him too weak to be able to withstand another surgery. 

After the class, as I was walking back to my car, the Lord spoke to my heart, "Go buy some oil, go to the hospital, lay hands on the man and anoint him with oil and I will heal him."  I bought the oil and proceeded to the hospital where I found both the man and his wife in the room.  They were surprised to see me, not recognizing who I was at first.  I explained that I was a Christian minister and had come to pray for Eddy.  Although neither was a believer, I asked if I could pray for him "in the name of Jesus" since Jesus is the only one who has power to heal.  First, I prayed for the wife, Rosel, for comfort and strength.  As I prayed, the presence of the Lord came so powerfully into the room, they were both visibly touched and began to weep.  When she asked, "What is that?", I said, "that is the presence of the Lord that you feel and now He is going to touch your husband."  Then I prayed a simple prayer for Eddy and anointed him with oil.  I felt God's presence on Him, and knew without a doubt that God had done a miracle.

The next day, when I went to the gym, Rosel was there, only this time she was testifying to everyone there of what had happened.  A few minutes after I had left the hospital room, a nurse had come to run the daily tests to see if Eddy was getting any better.  This had been happening each day for two weeks, and each time the results had been increasingly discouraging.  But after I prayed for him, the nurse was shocked to discover his condition had improved so miraculously that they immediately called the doctor to report the change.  The doctor was amazed and decided to go ahead with the corrective surgery that afternoon.  It was successful, and Eddy is now recovering at home.  Rosel was so amazed at the miracle that she came to church the following Sunday and received Christ as her saviour.  God in His mercy has given Eddy a second chance, both physically and spiritually--His steadfast love endures forever!"