At the close of 2014, my wife and I were experiencing what we thought was a storm, trial, tribulation or what most Christians would call an attack. We were experiencing financial difficulties and she had gotten laid off of a job we thought would be the last one before she would retire.
Well, God ‘held our hands’ and as I was thanking Him for getting us through the storm one morning in late November or maybe early December (vague at this point), He graciously corrected me and said it wasn’t a storm, so I changed my prayer to thank you for getting us through the trial. He then corrected me and said it wasn’t a trial. So then I became confused and asked what was it Lord? I then heard His still small voice say one word: ‘Purification!’ I began to be overflowed with joy because I knew that when God is holding you in a fire, allowing heat in your life, He won’t let you be consumed, destroyed or burnt up because He wants to see Himself after the process is done.
That’s what the Bible calls the refiner’s fire. He takes the dross out of the gold so He can see Himself a little more clearly in us. Well, little did we know that this was the beginning of the process.
Mind you, I had been asking Him to help me hear Him even clearer and always be aware of His Presence (because He never leaves us or forsakes us, we just forget or are unaware He is always there!)
So, somewhere in 2014, He had challenged me to start going to the altar during our worship services we attend and also to start going to early morning prayer (6 am, which means I have to get up at 4 am in order to get ready and then drive to Rancho Cucamonga – 18 miles away) which I did out of obedience, not really knowing why (believe me it was and still is challenging, the bed always calls you back especially in the cool months!)
I was beginning to hear and discern His presence more and felt this was part of my growth. In November 2014, we attended a Missions meeting (on the strong urging of a fellow church member) and we went even though we felt that this was not the time for us since we were still involved with the Connection Groups Ministry (small groups) and felt it would be at least another 2 years before we would go on a missions trip.
Well, we ended up with a very strong urging (I should say I did, more than Caroline) to go to Uganda. After several prayerful weeks, confirmations from the pulpit, confirmation through His word, we knew we were supposed to go. Not only did God confirm we were supposed to go but He showed us how to pay for the trip, get our cars (both needing $1000+ repair work each) fixed and because of donations from others we were able to bless others on our team with their fund raising.
So, in March 2015, we started the process to go to Uganda. The following events occurred in sequence (the dates are very close to exact as I journaled the journey and looked back at appointments:
April 30, 2015 The Phone Call
Received phone call from my doctor stating that I needed to come in immediately to pickup referral form to see my urologist because my PSA score was high (8 instead of 3). Didn’t understand what that meant, so I did my own detective work after picking up the form and found (via google) that it could be either an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer, of course my mind raced with the worst case scenario, so I went immediately to my accountability brother, talked it out and gave him the scenario that I would not wait for the doctor to tell me what I thought but to go to war immediately against it through prayer and declaring and standing on what God’s Word says: that I am already healed.
After being prayed over by my wife that same night, and then the next day I met with my brothers in Christ, Johnnie and Ty, and they anointed me and prayed over me in agreement with the 14 healing scriptures I provided them that I am already healed by Jesus.
Here are the scriptures I came up with and the one God gave me to show me the journey I would be on:
May 5, 2015 Miraculous Divine Visitation
Went to Tuesday morning prayer (as I had been doing for several months prior) and on this day, the prayer director states that we will have a healing and restoration prayer session. After the session we were instructed to find someone who needed healing and pray for them. So I was asked to pray for one of the members that had pain in her knee. (I did not ask for prayer because I stood on the word I was already healed). She received her healing and as we rejoiced and I turned to put up my prayer shawl, I felt the presence of God come upon me like a lightning bolt through my body and then I heard His still small voice whisper: “You are healed”. I ran around the chapel like a crazy man speaking in my heavenly language and praising God. After I calmed down and everyone looking at me like I was crazy, I just told them to mark the date because a miracle just happened and I would confirm it later in the coming months. Also I had pain in my body and was always tired prior to this day and since the visitation, the pain and tiredness went away!
June 19, 2015 Digital Exam
Received a digital (finger digit) exam and the prognosis was there was something abnormal on the right side my urologist didn’t like so I needed to have a biopsy performed to be validate or negate.
July 28, 2015 Transrectal Ultrasound with Biopsy (12)
Had 12 biopsy samples taken, procedure relatively simple and fast.
Begin to see all types of TV commercials, programs about ‘cancer’
As Pastor Diego stated during his journey, I begin to see all types of shows and programs related to cancer (and I haven’t even received an official diagnosis yet!), One was that a pastor’s mother had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer but she was miraculously healed before the surgery.
I heard the Lord ask was I ready to go through that type of scenario and I was taken aback since I believed I was already healed but then I realized He was showing me the journey I was about to take. So I said yes, I am ready, one because You told me I was already healed and if this is for my doctor’s eternal salvation then I was willing to be a willing vessel for the means for that to occur.
August 6, 2015 Results of Biopsy
Receive results (with my wife at my side) that 6 of the samples on the right side were positive for prostate cancer and 1 on the left side, so with the PSA scores and the results I am diagnosed with a moderate stage II type of prostate cancer. Since I was given the journey prior and shared it with my wife, we were both not shocked and actually had ministry moments with my urologist to share our faith. So the journey begins!
August 29, 2015 CT Scan performed
See September 14, 2015
August 31, 2015 Bone scan performed
See September 14, 2015
September 2, 2015 Doctor Appointment for persistent cough (lingering for almost a month, causing dizziness)
Just another distraction! Didn’t go away even after the medication until after the Uganda Trip!
September 14, 2015 Results of Scans (CT & Bone)
No spread (metastasis) into any other areas of my body, contained in the prostate only
September 21, 2015 Get unction to fix TV antenna/watch TBN Salsa
I get an unction to fix my antenna to get better reception and told to turn my TV on and watch TBN. I begin watching TBN salsa and nothing out of the ordinary until After watching an interesting program with David Taylor speaking about His face to face appearance encounters with Jesus, he begins to pray and speak healing prayers. Then I hear this: There is a man watching who has prostate cancer and God is healing him right now. So I lift my hands and receive the prophesy in agreement with what I already believe (I am healed)
September 27, 2015 I Find the program with Word from David E Taylor
(and it is actually a prerecorded program from May 2015 but I still receive it for conformation for my healing since the unction was from the Lord to watch it when I did.
October 7 – 21, 2015 Uganda Mission Trip
Feeling great, we (my wife and I) go on our planned Uganda mission trip and God showed up big time, saw many healings, people come to Christ and received my divine purpose confirmation. Link to youtube videos: Uganda videos
October 13, 2015 Happy Birthday to me in Uganda!
October 15, 2015 The Divine Call
After a time of pray, one on one time with my Lord, He says it is time to accept my calling. I became overwhelmed, humbled and ready to take on my divine calling he has unction-ed me with for the past 7 years.
October 16, 2015 The Miracle ‘Fall’ in Uganda
The next day, after being a guest speaker on Pastor Harriet Senfuka’s radio program speaking on spiritual legacy, we go to one of her church member’s house for lunch and to here the church member’s testimony. We were having fellowship, waiting for the other team members to arrive when it began to lightly rain. Hearing them arriving, I got up to go open the gate and slipped on the tile ramp, falling hard, landing on my back and hitting (slamming) my head on the tile concrete ramp flooring, I thought I cracked my skull wide open! The pastor and another team member who was there began to scream, pray and run for help.
Meanwhile I can’t feel any pain, through all the commotion, them screaming that I’m bleeding, I try to feel my head and feel wetness but don’t know if it is the rain or blood I’m feeling. I begin to panic a little since I feel nothing and feel as though I going into shock.
The others rush to my aid, one being the pastor’s son who happens to be a neurosurgeon and begins to administer medical aid to me. I ask my wife who arrives to take a picture of my head since I feel fine, no pain but I’m freaking out because of all the attention and the announcement of all the ‘blood’ that is being wiped away. When I see the photos I don’t see any thing abnormal, no gash, no cuts, no hole in my head and I feel fine. a divine miracle! No concussion, no side effects, no headache the next day! Just my faith boosted to another higher level because the enemy was mad, tried to take me out but my God intervened!
NOTE: April 26, 2016 – noticed white glow around my head in picture on the left today, never noticed it before, hmmmm….
THANK YOU JESUS!!!
October 31, 2015 Re-showing of program with David Taylor’s prophesy and I happened to watch right when he’s about to come on, here’s the prayer:
November 17, 2015 Scheduled Surgery for Prostate Removal
Surgery went well, Prostate was removed without any complications. My surgeon comes out of surgery and tells my wife it went well. She comments to him, “Thank you Dr. —– for taking care of my husband”. He hugs her and says, “Didn’t you say Jesus would take care of your husband?”
Amazing! We saw the real miracle, God changing his heart.
Moved from ICU to recovery room #316 (yeah, John 3:16), room mate is a christian and that Friday as I prepare to go home, I look at the door charts and my roommate’s initials are J.C.
Side Note: 7/23/2018 – While searching for an unrelated picture on my computer, I came across the picture I took on my last day getting ready for discharge to confirm the recovery room revelation above, check it out:
Don’t you love the subtleties of God?
November 24, 2015 Follow-up appointment/News from family in Virginia
Get a call that my maternal Grandmother’s house caught fire, my sister
made it out safely with her daughter (house has been in the family since 1920’s). Praise God and my follow up went well. House in historic part of Portsmouth (Truxton area), received news that it can be rebuilt.
November – December 2015 Healing & Recovery
Learning how to deal with adult incontinence and a strong bladder but healing going very well. Some minor complications, bleeding and pain but able to actually walk short distances after Dec. 14 and made it to several Church services and started driving around Dec.
Dec.28, 2015 followup visit
Got second PSA results: 0 – (zero) cancer! Praise God
March 11, 2016 followup visit
Third PSA results: 0- (zero) cancer! My doctor was very jovial this time, even asked if I could help cure his right knee, jokingly (since I was so sure about my test results) but I responded I can laid hands on you to which he didn’t know how to respond, so he settled for asking for prayer over his right knee as we departed the checkup room. In which I responded, “I always pray for you”. The he responded with a big AMEN. So the actual miracle is God changing his heart!
March 31, 2016 God never ceases to amaze me!
On 3-28, 2016 I get a call from my Parkview Hospital recovery room roommate, Jeremy Castro who called out of the blue to see how I was doing and to thank me and my wife for pouring into him while he was in the hospital, then yesterday (3-30-16) as I’m telling my wife that Jeremy called the day before she tells me that our daughter Merlina posted an instagram post that Jeremy did thanking us: so here is the facebook & instagram posts that shows how God uses us when we make our selves available and continues to touch others through one seed plant.
Be a seed planter.
facebook comments to post
My son David’s text reply to the facebook post
July 16, 2016
I have another update, my wife comes home about 2 months ago and tells me of a ministry moment she has with one of her co-workers where she is sharing the testimony of what I went through with the doctor, and long story short, He shares his wife works for my doctor and he said things have changed, the doctor is nicer and things are more pleasant in the office. Another confirmation of how amazing this story has unfolded.
Then on my last visit, my doctor allowed me to pray for healing for his back and knee. Stay tuned... in September, I go back and we shall see if he truly believes in the healing he received…
Well. I went back for my September checkup and he had no issues with his knee or back but still couldn’t verify if he truly believes he received healing but he did seem to take our advice and decided to retire and enjoy his family.
Just want to thank all of you who stood by and prayed and covered me and my family during this challenging but God inspiring journey. I also thank my Pastor Diego Mesa because of his testimony, it helped me to stay focused on what God says instead of what our body, the doctors and the enemy and sometimes well-intentioned but not well spoken others, will try to speak into our lives when we get what we initially think is a ‘death sentence’. Thank God, He always gets the glory!!!
Well, all I can say is draw close to Him and He will draw close to you. I actually have more to say but I’ll let God’s Word have the final say (God Bless you all):
Revelation 12:11 (Amplified Bible Version)
11And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.
June 27, 2019
Well, another interesting chapter in this testimony
On June 27, 2019, I launched a Prostate Awareness and Support Community Group to bring awareness to the need for men to take preventive steps to avoid the risk of Prostate Cancer diagnosis when it is to late to cure. Just by coincidence or maybe by divine appointment, I received an unexpected call from my recovery room roommate Jeremy Castro earlier that same day.
We talked and got up to speed on current status in our lives. It was really cool that he called me on the same day that I had my initial launch meeting for prostate cancer awareness. God is good…