The Miracle

The Miracle

Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
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Six Years Before The Miracle Happened

Six years ago, a few minutes after we ate lunch my husband started getting an upset stomach, hives, itchy eyes, and his throat started swelling shut.  He was having an allergic reaction to something he had eaten.  I drove him very quickly to the emergency room.  By the time we arrived, he was unrecognizable from the swelling.  They quickly went to work to stop the reaction.  We answered all of their questions about what he had eaten and that he had no known food or drug allergies.

After several hours of treatment, we were told to keep a food diary, try food elimination, follow up with our primary care physician, and return to the emergency room if he had another reaction.  And so began our journey to a miracle.

He did not have another reaction for several months.  Suddenly, we were on our way to the emergency room again.  Food elimination did not show anything. There had been nothing new added to his diet either time.

We once again followed up with our physician and he decided to do a lab test to check for common food allergies (IgE).  He was tested for around 20 different foods.  A few days later we were called with the results that he was allergic to gluten, not just wheat.  Gluten occurs in many grains.  Ironically, the call came as I was putting spaghetti on the table for dinner.

Living the Gluten Free Life

He started on a gluten free diet but was so sensitive to gluten that the smallest amount of cross contamination would send him to the emergency room.  His sensitivity was so acute that after drinking iced tea from a pitcher that had previously been washed with a sponge, which had also been used to clean out a wheat-flour based batter, he ended up in the emergency room. This was the third and worst reaction yet.

He was so sensitive that he ended up in the emergency room after drinking iced tea that had been in a pitcher, which had been washed with a sponge, which had also been used to wash out a bowl that contained a wheat-flour based batter in it.

Through the years, we got more careful and there were fewer trips to the emergency room.  We removed all gluten based flours/powders from our home.  I mostly quit baking.  All “regular” desserts and baked goods were now store bought.  We still had pasta but it had to be prepared in pots and pans that I bought specifically for our children and me to use for “gluten foods”.

We even had a counter in the kitchen designated for gluten.  Even everyday condiments could not be “contaminated”.  There was no spreading peanut butter and jelly on regular bread and then putting the knife back in the jar to get more out.  There were even certain items that we had one for my husband and one for the rest of us.  We would put an “X” on the lid so that he knew he could not eat it.  Even eating out was difficult because so many people did not understand that it was not celiac but anaphylaxis.  We went to the emergency room after one such incident.

One Year Before the Miracle

About a year ago, I started investigating food allergy desensitization.  Unfortunately at the time, the closest facility that treated wheat was three hours away and the treatments are bi-weekly.  This was just not feasible.  I kept googling every few months and finally found a clinic a little over an hour away but they were building another office 30 minutes from us.  Just after they opened, I called and they agreed to see my husband.

At our first appointment, we were seen by a Physician’s Assistant (PA), who did not give us much hope.  We were told, he would probably not be a good candidate because of his history of a heart attack. The best that they could do was make it to where cross contamination would not send him to the hospital.  After receiving his medical records, she also ordered a long list of blood work and scheduled a meeting with an allergist.

When we returned for his follow-up, we were told that the only lab that was abnormal, other than his IgE level for gluten, was his Vitamin D level.  It was almost non-existent. This “could” lower a person’s immune response and make an allergic reaction more severe.  He was prescribed a Vitamin D supplement and scheduled for a monitored “food challenge” test.

My Prayers Changed

I don’t subscribe to prosperity theology. But, I do believe that God answers our prayers and gives us the desires of our heart.

Before his first appointment I had already been praying.  Of course, I had been praying for years, but my prayers changed at this point.  I earnestly began to pray for healing.  I KNEW God was going to heal him.  I was claiming healing and I refused to believe otherwise.  I would talk about each doctor’s visit and test and where we would eat WHEN he was healed, NOT IF!

My husband started to believe also, but he was nervous.

The Test

Almost exactly six years after this ordeal began, we went for his food challenge test.  We bought the softest, most wonderful loaf of multigrain bread for this test.

We were taken into a room marked “Emergency Room” along with several syringes of all the medications he would need for any allergic reaction. He was brought a carefully weighed out bite of bread to start.  My husband told her that if anything was going to happen, he would start having symptoms within ten minutes.  She chit-chatted with us for about fifteen minutes and left the room with the instruction to let her know if we needed anything.

This continued every 30 minutes in increasing doses followed by vital signs until he ate an entire slice…with no reaction.

The Miracle

The PA that administered the test was surprised and at a loss as to what happened.  I told her it was a miracle!  His IgE level still shows that he has an allergy to gluten.  The only slight explanation she has is the Vitamin D level.  But, we know that it was all God.


We are slowly returning to a normal life as per the PA’s instructions.  As of this writing, he has eaten donuts, pizza, and biscuits.  Every “new food” is an exciting experience.

We can now accept dinner invitations without hesitation or bringing food for him.  Vacations will be less stressful.

This has been life-changing! It will take us some time to quit doing some of the “odd” things we had to do before to prevent cross-contamination.  We do not know why God has chosen him for this miracle at this time.  But, we do know that God has given us a true miracle!

Have you experienced a miracle?

When God Tosses Your Mountain into the Sea

When God Tosses Your Mountain into the Sea

I was born in Denver, Colorado. I moved to OKC after quitting my jobs as a teacher and YouthIntern to pursue the call into ministry. I started as a non traditional student at Oklahoma where I met my husband. He was a non traditional student working on a 2nd degree after moving from Poland to pursue a degree in Ministry. We dreamed together of serving the Lord in Europe. Now we are blessed to be witness to the awesome way that God works all over the world. We live in Vienna, Austria with our3 kids. We work with Eastern European Mission. We provide Bibles and ethics materials in native languages of Eastern Europe. That means we get to seeGod's hand and providence all over Europe. I am Publishing Assistant at EEM and a fitness trainer. I fill my days caring for my family, teaching gym classes and designing book covers and working on details to provide quality materials to those who need God's word. In my free time I paint, cook, make jewelry and run 2 blogs.
Tamika R
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belief, unbelief, faith, miracles

 

Do you believe in miracles? I do. I mean, I have always said I do, but life happens and I don’t always live like I do.

I have a friend in Russia who discovered she has serious health issues. I try to check in on her and see how she is feeling and encourage her. I should pray more than I do. I believe in the power of prayer and that God is all that he says he is.

I have experienced his healing and rescue first hand. He is amazing.

My friend and I live in different countries. God has crossed our paths again and again and she is both a blessing and inspiration to me. Her faith has spurred on growth in my own.

I saw her last about four years ago. She found out she had thyroid cancer that had already metastasized to her lungs. She is in her early thirties and has three young kids. Shortly after she found out about the cancer, she had a surgery. There was a possibility that she would no longer have a voice and she was still able to talk afterwards. What a blessing! Her response was, “God is with me.”

We have been in touch and she asked me to keep praying about her upcoming treatment and some side effects she was experiencing. When I checked in to see how everything went she told me everything had gone well, and that her doctors were puzzled. They could no longer find anything in her lungs. She said they are amazed at her case. When they asked her what she did, she told them that she asked for prayers, but that is the only treatment she received.

Each time we talk she says the same thing repeatedly. We both do. Like a chorale reading. God is good.

Last time we talked she said this, “His mercies endure forever.” I tear up each time I think of her situation. Her experience has opened my eyes to the state of my own belief.

Part of me was shocked to the point that I read her message several times trying to wrap my head around it. Her mountain was just thrown into the sea. Something so big and seemingly impossible was just removed.

Our God is healer.

Our God continues to surprise me.

Our God still performs miracles and occasionally I am paying enough attention to witness them.

Why did I need to reread the message? I know this God. He does not change. I realized my belief was being drowned out by the nonsense of this world. We are not at home here. The king of our hearts is the ruler over all and he still moves mountains.

Do you have times like that? When you find yourself in a moment of unbelief? Have you ever stopped to think about what works of God we miss because of unbelief? I have thought about it a great deal the past couple of weeks.

Matthew 13:58 says this:

And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Matthew 17:20 reminds us how powerful even just a little faith can be.

“Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

 

The word unbelief in the original text here means weakness of faith. My first reaction was not one of belief. I don’t want to live that way. I want a strong faith.  I need to take up a posture of expectation, and live as though I expect the Lord to show up and do what I know he can.

There is a difference in believing in him and believing him. While I know he can do those things, I often live as though I am unsure. I want to awaken my senses to believe him. To walk and live in hope and confidence that he will do the mighty things I know he can do.

What areas of your life do you struggle with believing God?

Do you see a difference between believing him and believing in him?

What mountain in your life would you like to see him toss into the sea?

 

When God throws your mountain into the sea

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