Address:
9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
Columbia, MD 21046 USA
Contacts:
Email: contact@asiministries.org
Phone: +1 (443) 391-7235
Rabbi Seeking Help
by Maria Magdalena Dan, Director at Migdalia Lifestyle Center, Israel
On November 26, 2017, a very sick Orthodox Jewish man was received at Migdalia. He was a Rabbi from Jerusalem and found out about our Lifestyle Medical Center from the Internet. When he arrived, he was barely able to walk because of severe diabetes. His legs and feet were swollen, hard and blue from lack of circulation. He was very obese. He had extremely high blood pressure and uncontrolled blood sugar levels. He was on a high dose of insulin. It was obvious that this Rabbi was in critical condition. Traditional medicine hadn’t helped him. He was close to having his legs amputated.
Since we didn’t yet have a physician on staff, we were hesitant to keep him, but we knew we were his last hope. We thought that maybe God led him to Migdalia for a special reason. We knew that God could bring restoration by blessing our simple, natural treatments. I contacted a physician friend from the US and asked her to be on call for us 24/7. She was happy to help and also to pray for us and the Rabbi. I called other friends and asked them to keep us in prayer. My sister went on a prayer line and asked a whole church to pray for us.
In just a few days, the Rabbi's condition greatly improved. His blood sugar levels went from uncontrollable to literally needing no more insulin. In fact, he needed insulin only on the first day before his blood sugar normalized. He lost weight. His legs improved: the swelling decreased, they became softer and the color improved. He was able to go up and down a flight of stairs several times a day. Gradually, he was able to walk longer distances. Soon, he was able to walk half an hour twice a day. The staff prayed with him before every single procedure. Fifteen minutes every morning, a team member would discuss Bible verses from the Old Testament related to health with him. It was obvious to the Rabbi that God was blessing the treatments. In the past, doctors had given up on him, but with God there was hope! The Rabbi listened carefully to all the lectures and cooperated with everything that was requested of him.
When Friday came, the Rabbi planned to go home to observe the Sabbath, but we assured him that we didn’t work on Sabbath and all food and other preparations were done on Friday. The Rabbi decided to stay and was joined by his wife. It was a wonderful Sabbath for everybody!
On Sabbath morning, unbeknownst to us, God in His providence sent two Adventist surgeons, a husband and wife from Canada, to Migdalia. Along with the surgeons came a Bible worker who was also a foreign student at Jerusalem University. The Rabbi and his wife decided not to attend our worship; instead, they spent time together and went for a little walk. They joined the team members and the other guests for lunch. They sat across the table from the surgeon couple. It was a golden opportunity for them to hear about how the brain works and what the Bible says about the brain.
After sundown, Daniela and Oksana, two of our team members, gave the Rabbi treatments and showed his wife how to do them at home. I asked Daniela and Oksana to do a one week, very detailed meal and treatment plan. They also discussed with the wife the meal plan and shared recipes with her. At the end of the day everyone was very happy. The Rabbi and his wife said it was the most wonderful day and they felt blessed!
I was very happy with how the Sabbath had turned out! However, by 11 PM, the Rabbi felt tingling in his arm and called Daniela to take him and his wife to the hospital, thinking he may have had a stroke. There were no other symptoms. Daniela and Oksana stayed with them at the hospital until 2 AM to make sure that everything was fine. The Rabbi asked his wife to send them home and when she did, she told them her husband believed they were angels and not people.
On Sunday, Daniela called them and offered to bring food from Migdalia. The Rabbi and his wife were very happy because the hospital only served meat which they did not want to eat. When Daniela arrived with a luscious variety of our vegan food, they were so impressed and astounded to receive such hospitality!
At the hospital, the Rabbi had a head CT scan done that showed no sign of a stroke. They kept him at the hospital for observation until Monday evening. He was diagnosed with 60% occlusion of his carotid arteries. His wife stayed with him in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. Before traveling home, she stopped at Migdalia to pick up her luggage. While there, she told Daniela that she had never experienced such love and care. She said her colleagues (she is a teacher) and friends couldn’t believe people could be so kind in Israel.
On Monday evening, the Rabbi was transferred to a hospital in Jerusalem. Three of his four sons picked him up at the hospital close to Migdalia and took him to the Jerusalem hospital. Before leaving, they stopped at Migdalia to thank Daniela and Oksana for their dedication in the way they treated their dad.
God is so good! His plans are much higher than ours! Although I was worried when the Rabbi went to the hospital, I realized later that it was a providence. The doctors from his hospital in Jerusalem, which I understand is the best hospital in the city, were amazed with his health improvements. They were happy to hear that he was on a lifestyle program. They told him if he continued with the program, his arteries would unplug and he would have no need for any intervention from the hospital. They discharged him the next day.
Praise be to God for His providence and healing power in the life of the Rabbi. May God continue to use Migdalia for His glory.
Learn more about Migdalia at www.migdalia.org.
The Congolese General
by Abigail Duman
“Iam tired of this confusion of religion,” the Congolese general’s gaze turned grim as he spoke to his watchful wife and children. “From now on, I won’t allow anyone in my house to attend church—anyone,” he paused. “And no one may come to this house to talk about the Bible or to preach.”
The wife nodded. When the general spoke, everyone listened.
There are churches on every street corner in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The sound of drums and music on Sunday morning greets the noise of traffic on the busy streets. “We have millions of people attending church every single Sunday,” the general explained. “But the country is corrupted. Every church preaches about good news, but if you look at the lives of the people in church, they are full of corruption. I don’t like it. They may talk about good news, but the church is not changing people.”
This is why I will not allow my children to go to these churches, he added to himself. For they would become corrupted too.
Disappointed by a lack of genuine godliness in his Christian community, the general proceeded with his day’s agenda. Meanwhile, his wife ventured into town.
The general’s wife quickly learned that a group called “Train Them 2 Fish” was giving free medical care to the public. Curious, she decided to go through the eye program they offered.
When the general saw that his wife had returned home, he noticed something different.
“Where did you come from?” he interrogated her. “Where did you get that pair of eyeglasses?”
“There’s a free medical program around the corner,” she explained. “I went there, and the people gave these to me.”
“Do you have any idea how much those glasses cost?” he demanded.
“I have no idea,” she replied.
“The glasses you are wearing are the best you can buy here. They are very expensive. So, you must explain yourself,” the general insisted. “Where did you get them?”
“My husband, these people are offering medical care for free. The glasses cost me nothing.”
“I will not believe that. I cannot believe that they were given to you for free. They are very expensive,” he repeated.
“Go and see for yourself,” his wife suggested. “Or send someone to go for you and see if it is true..”
The man savored the thought for a moment. “Well, I will send my daughter. I trust my daughter to tell me the truth.”
The following day, the general’s daughter made her way into the street and enrolled in the eye program. She was given a pair of glasses for free.
“It is true, Dad,” she reported. “These were given to me. They were free.”
His eyes widened, incredulous. “Who are these people? I must go for myself and see them.”
When the astonished general arrived at the corner, he came just in time for the devotional. He listened to the message thoughtfully. When the program began, he approached the staff. “I want to see the chief—the coordinator—of this program,” he said.
The man in front of him shifted nervously. “I’m not sure…” he began.
“Don’t be afraid,” the general assured him. “I’m not here to arrest anyone. But I am here because I want to see who is in charge of all this. Please allow me to see him.”
The military general was led to Thomas Ongasa.
“Who are you?” the man of influence asked.
“I am a pastor,” Ongasa replied.
“What is the name of your church?”
“Seventh-day Adventist.”
“What is that? I’ve never heard of the name.”
“The name Adventist means that we are waiting for the Second Coming of Christ,” Ongasa began. “And the Seventh-day part of our name is there because we worship Him on Saturday, the seventh day of the week.”
“What?” the man questioned. “Can you come and visit me in my home?”
Pastor Ongasa needed to be present for the remainder of the medical clinic, but he offered to send a Bible worker to visit with the general.
“Yes,” the general replied. “Send someone to my house.”
When the Bible worker arrived, he marveled at the building’s high security—no one was allowed to step foot inside without permission. But two pairs of eyeglasses had been the key to his entry, and genuine Christianity had softened the heart of a once skeptical man.
“Come to my house any time and tell me more about your church,” the official said as he agreed to Bible studies. “I had made the decision that there would be no more religion in my home, but because of what I see you doing, my doors are open.”
The Healing of Marcio
by Bradley Mills, Amazon Lifesaver Ministry
“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:16-17).
I met Marcio when his family began attending the small church we started in his jungle village—a village nearly 30-hours by boat from the city. Marcio’s family was very poor, more so than the typical jungle villager. His mother was a single mother, raising nine children, varying in ages from one to 20 years old. The family lived in a small thatched hut and cooked over a fire. Their daily staple was the fish they caught from the river that bordered their community.
Each night, Marcio faithfully came to the church meetings and listened attentively to the missionaries as they taught Bible truths. At the end of several months, Marcio and his family accepted Jesus and were baptized, forever changing their destiny and current life situation.
It was several years later that I, in the city of Manaus, Brazil, received a phone call from Marcio’s mother! I was quite shocked to hear that she and Marcio were in Manaus. I was surprised first, because they had never been to a big city before, and second, because so many years had past since I heard from them. Marcio’s mother began sharing with me that Marcio was very ill. They had traveled many days to Manaus in hopes of getting help.
After several hours in the hospital, we received the bad news. Marcio had a joint infection in his hip. He had a large abscess that had eaten away the femoral head. The orthopedic surgeon noted that he would have to undergo several surgeries. The first surgery would be to clean out the infection and the second surgery would be to place a prosthetic piece, enabling Marcio to walk again. Marcio was only 25 and had so much life ahead of him, life that would be very difficult if he couldn’t walk.
After the first surgery, Marcio recovered well. The infection cleared up and he was placed on a waiting list to be operated on in the large government hospital. However, as jungle people often feel when in a large, unknown city, Marcio and his mother felt overwhelmed. They couldn’t get up and fish. They couldn’t go anywhere as they were afraid of the bus system. They were scared and lost. So as many jungle people do, they decided to not wait for the surgery but go back to the jungle. By the time I found out their plans, they were gone. I had no way to reach them as they were back in the jungle with no electricity or cell phone signal.
Two more years went by and I went to their village to visit. It was a very special event to be back and see so many people that we once lived alongside. We saw babies that were now kids and many faithful church members who had even rebuilt the little church in the community. But I wasn’t content until I saw Marcio. The villagers told me that he lived in a house at the back of the village. Off I walked down the trail to his house.
There was Marcio, out behind his house working in the garden. To my surprise, he was squatting and working away!
“Marcio!” I exclaimed. “So good to see you again! How is your leg?” Marcio was beaming with excitement to see me. He ran up and shook my hand. He said he had waited for so long to tell me how God had healed him. Simple. Just like that. He prayed and God healed him.
I stammered, trying to understand. How? What do you mean “God healed you?” I wondered in my mind. This guy has no femoral head; he shouldn’t be walking and jumping.
“Marcio, please tell me what happened,” I asked in confusion. Marcio explained that he had come back to his village and was unable to do anything. He was unable to work or plant or fish or help with family chores. He was unable to be useful in any way. In despair, Marcio took his cares to God. He prayed and asked for God to heal him so that he could take care of his family. The next day, he woke up and his leg was healed. He now could run, jump, bend, fish, and do all that he needed to do.
I suddenly remembered the story of Peter, John, and the cripple in Acts 3. Peter and John did not have material possessions, but they offered the power of God. My friends, we serve the same God today. We serve the same God who knows no limits in saving His children. As God healed Marcio’s femoral bone, He can take care of your problems today. Move forward in trusting in God and remember to pray for the missionaries in the Amazon Jungles of Brazil!
9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
Columbia, MD 21046 USA
Email: contact@asiministries.org
Phone: +1 (443) 391-7235
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