Just a couple of paragraphs from now, you’re going to read about a little Guatemalan girl who was brought to our medical team one evening, severely sick. The doctors examined her and then she was transported to the nearest hospital, where she died.

But before I let you read the rest of that story, I need to tell you about my personal dilemma surrounding miracles.

I’ve always felt a thrill run through my being when I read in the Bible of Jesus restoring sight, commanding demons, healing deafness, feeding huge crowds from a handbasket, changing water into wine, curing leprosy, paralysis and every other disease.

Don’t you feel this, too? This sense of overwhelming supernatural awe?

But I grew up in a world where Bible stories happened back then, and this is now – in modern times – where we have medicine, doctors, science, plenty of food, and Biblical scholars full of intellectual explanations for everything from Genesis to Revelations.

Here’s my dilemma then. Though I’ve heard theologians explain why miracles like Jesus did aren’t supposed to be happening nowadays, I have yet to read that anywhere in the Bible, supposedly the very sourcebook for the theologians’ explanations. I have begun to wonder if the simple fact that miracles aren’t happening routinely, is the real reason these explanations came into existence in the first place.

What I do read in the Bible seems to paint a picture of Believers – Christians – continuing the work of Jesus. I can’t get past this statement Jesus made: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

So I’ve always been on the lookout for miracles. It’s not like God needs to prove himself to me. God is God. See, that’s the very reason I want to participate in miracles – because I know he can do them. And because he cares about people. If he didn’t, then why would Jesus have been so compassionate, healing all who came to him.

I’ve heard of physical miracles happening, but I’ve never actually seen a paraplegic stand up and walk, or a blind person toss away the cane. In fact most of the reports I hear come from other parts of the world – especially those countries and cultures where the people don’t have all the modern securities we have – like health insurance, medical care, money, etc. I’ve wondered if there’s a connection there. Could it be that we don’t see miracles routinely in America, because we’ve come to a place where we operate as if we don’t really need them?

Here’s the rest of the story of the little Guatemalan girl who died. I didn’t see this with my own eyes, though I know the people who did. Do I believe this really happened? Absolutely.

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I noticed a sick girl lying on a mattress as we passed through the
doors of the church we attend. I found out her name was Jaclyn who was
5 years old. Her father had just accepted the Lord the day previous.

During worship time I was drawn to join in the prayer that was going
on for this little girl, although I didn’t know what was wrong. I only
sensed that this girl was near death and soon found myself weeping for
her life. When the service ended, using a interpreter I instructed the
parents to drop by the FeViva base first thing in the morning should the
condition of the child not improve, as we “happened” to have a medical
team planned here for the day.

The next morning the parents did come with the little girl. (Note: the parents actually brought her to our medical team that very evening) Jaclyn was quickly diagnosed with spinal meningitis in its later stage. We immediately sent her to the hospital where her heart stopped beating on the hospital operating table. After 15 minutes of attempting to revive her, the doctors pronounced her dead.

Felix, our new Guatemalan team director (who drove this family to the hospital) heard the wailing of her parents as they received the bad news. Felix was quickly overwhelmed with compassion and asked the doctors if he could pray for this child. The doctors looked puzzled but allowed him to do so. Felix prayed for God to spare Jaclyn’s life but nothing happened…until he ended his prayer with Amen.

In that moment a loud gasp of air was heard and Jaclyn came back to life, shocking the doctors and everyone around.

It’s been over 2 weeks now, and Jaclyn is being released today from the hospital. We believe that she will fully recover. – Steven Peters, Director, Fe Viva Orphanage, Guatemala

Note: when our team was about to leave Guatemala, we had already heard that Jaclyn was awake, alert, talking and walking. Should we be surprised? To the spiritual person the supernatural seems natural.