15/2/93

—The Miracle of the Milk!DO 2844

—During the Three-Day Fast.

1. Well, I have three choices: Either I die & go Home to be with the Lord, or I have a major operation—which I don't like the sound of at all—or the Lord is going to have to supernaturally heal me.

2. Please, Lord, give me the strength & open my esophagus up enough so this food will pass through without pain‚ at least without too much pain. Bless it & make it a blessing & cause it to strengthen my body so I can at least live long enough for You to answer these prayers. Lord, You're surely stronger than the Devil who's trying to kill me. I don't know when You're going to release me‚ but I put myself on record that I would prefer to be healed by You through the Family's prayers & remain here to help them a little longer before I die.

3. This is Your food, Lord. You made it & the cooks put it together, & You provided it for my nourishment & health. Now please help it to go down, & without too much pain. Thank You Lord! I'm so weak‚ I need it. Please. Thank You for it, Lord. Bless it now & make it a blessing, in Jesus' name.

4. The milk and the water hurt in different ways. The worst is water, which starts with a lot of pain, & then pains all the way down until it hits bottom with a bomb. And then sometimes it even comes up. Some swallows start with a little pain‚ then it gradually diminishes as it goes down, until it hits bottom, & then it pains. Others start with a little pain, & then it gradually diminishes & goes down with no pain. Those are the best, the swallows that don't keep hurting.

5. I guess I'm supposed to fast too. I thought I was fasting, I've been eating so little. Maybe I'm not supposed to eat anything at all. The Lord could kill the pain or He could kill me, one or the other. "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord," & I've got a little. (Psa.150:6.)

Drinking Water!—A Battle Going On!

(At almost 8 P.M. on Feb. 15th, Dad tries some water after he had put his bottle of food away because he couldn't get anything at all down. By this time, the situation is desperate, as Dad has only had a few sips of nourishment during the last few days:)

6. It's a miracle! I could never drink water without it hurting, but that just went down beautifully without a bit of pain! I just got so thirsty I felt like, "I've got to swallow this water even if it kills me!"—And it went down perfectly without a pain! That's the closest thing I've had to a miracle so far. (Mama: I'm just about to send a message to the Family about how desperate your situation is. But they've been fasting & praying for your healing, so you know the Lord's got to do something!) (Tongues: ) "O how these little ones love their father & how they pray for him against his death!" Thank You Jesus!

7. Lord, You said, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters" & let him drink!—Isa.55:1. And Lord, I thirst, so please make this water good for me & help it to go down. The first swallow went down without any pain! The second one, I only had a little fleeting pain, a little bubble that the Devil threw in there, but it vanished right away.

8. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! That's amazing! It's a miracle! I haven't been able to drink water like that for almost a year! It's always been the hardest thing for me to drink. Just after I got that down‚ it's like the Devil really attacked me with this huge choking & coughing spell. It was like the Devil was saying, "Well‚ maybe it went down, but I can make it come back up."

9. There's a real battle going on here! I started coughing for no reason at all, my throat wasn't even tickling. It's just like the Devil was saying, "Well look, I can make it come up." I was lying here just resting so peacefully.

10. I'm going to try another swallow, Lord. You can do it. I'm very dry & thirsty & I need it. It's Your water, Lord, You made it.—Nice‚ clean, pure water like Your Word. Now help me to swallow it & be refreshed, in Jesus' name. Bless, sanctify & purify it, & help it to go down. I need it.

11. It's a miracle! It went down with only one little passing pain.

12. (Listening to recorded hymns:) Lord bless whoever You inspired to arrange that music to comfort the hearts of those who need it, like me.

Birds—Saints & Angels!

13. I forgot to tell you what I got about the birds the other day!—That a lot of them are Angels & Saints going about their business in the guise of birds. "Many thereby entertain Angels unawares" when they feed the birds. (Heb.13:2.) It's a very convenient way for them to get around while they do their work here without being recognised. But I recognise them & they recognise me, & they come & visit me a lot.

More Swallows of Water!

14. Fourth swallow! Thank You Jesus! Bless it, Lord. Sanctify it & purify it. It's Your water‚ You made it. Now it seems like the only thing You'll let me drink, so let me drink it & help it to go down & do me good with as little pain as possible, in Jesus' name. Help it to be a testimony‚ Lord!

15. There was some pain, but it went down. Damn the Devil, in Jesus' name! Rebuke you, Satan! Rebuke the damn pain, in Jesus' name! Well, that time I had considerable pain, but it's a victory if it stays down. You promised‚ Lord, if we resist the Devil, he will flee from us‚ so we resist him & all those little devils & imps that cause pain! (Jam.4:7.)

16. The Devil wants me to throw up in front of you so you'll think your prayers aren't working. I rebuke you, Devil, in Jesus' name! I resist you, Satan, in Jesus' name!

17. It's Your water, Lord. We prayed for it, now You've got to help it to go down. The bigger the swallow‚ the harder they fall.

Mama's a Jewel!

18. You're wonderful & so faithful‚ Honey! You've been with me for so long, you're my sidekick. You were made for me, I ordered you!

19. You've got a marvellous memory, Honey, to recall word for word things that I've just said. Your memory is almost like a tape recorder. It's the way the Lord made you—the scribe, the robot, remember? (See ML#984.) I love you, Honey, just the way the Lord made you. I love you, Sweetheart. Thank you for being the way you're made, the Lord's handmaiden. You're real good with your hands & everything that requires hands.—From your earliest steno notes & typing, to your management of the whole worldwide Family now.

A Crucial Year!

(9:50 P.M., Dad takes another swallow of water:)

20. That swallow went down with just one little twinge of pain.

21. It must be a crucial year, we're really getting tested. I guess the Lord wants to see if we're willing to die for Him or die for the flock. I don't see that my death right now would be any particular advantage to the Family, unless it would make them get more serious & work harder. But I don't necessarily think that my usefulness is completely over—there are other things I could help you with. (Maria: Look at your radical direction! You're still giving the direction, things I never would have ever thought of!) It's the Lord, Honey. (Maria: That's your job, Honey. You give the direction.)

Walking on the Milk!

22. (Maria: This is 2:00 A.M. on the 16th‚ & Dad woke up really hungry, then miraculously drank half a bottle of milk down in five minutes with hardly any pain! This is now some hours after we sent out the worldwide prayer request.) (Note: Dad's bottles are roughly a third of a litre.)

23. What a miracle! I felt like I had to have it. It was a miracle! I just suddenly felt like I had to do it. I just couldn't lie here & die. I couldn't go any longer. I was reaching for water, but I grabbed the milk instead. Maybe it's not me any more—maybe I'm somebody else! (Maria: Who else would you be?) Maybe the Lord made me over, a new creature in Christ Jesus! "Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new!"—2Cor.5:17. Thank You Jesus! It's scary! (Maria: What's scary?) Me. (Maria: Why?) It's a miracle, I couldn't do that before! (Maria: No, you couldn't!) Maybe I should try another one. Great things He hath done! (Interestingly enough, we later found out that others had gotten that same verse‚ 2Cor.5:17, when praying for Dad.)

24. (Maria: It's 2:20 A.M. & Dad is starting another drink. It's the one he tried to drink before, but couldn't.) If I can drink this now, it's a miracle! Hallelujah! It's working! No pain! I think I'm going to try one more swallow & then I think I've had enough. That's the third swallow.

25. I'm "walking on the milk" like Peter walked on the water! It's the same thing. You just step out & do it! (See Mat.14:28,29.) I'm going to take another sip while this is still working. They're not just sips‚ they're big swallows! Like Peter walking on the water, I'm just walking on the milk! Now here comes the Devil with this huge big cough. I think I'm going to kick him in the face. He's trying to make me sink. Another big swallow. The minute I look down at the waves, I get a pain, but if I keep my eyes on Jesus, I don't have any.

26. Amen, Lord, You did it, I'm walking on the milk! I almost sank once when I looked down. It scared me. I've just got one more step to go to get to Jesus. That did it. Two-thirds of a bottle in 13 minutes! I'm holding on to Your hand, Jesus, You do it! Thank You Jesus! You did it, Lord! It's been 40 minutes & I had two bottles‚ & both of them were almost full. Now that was a miracle! I knew I either had to have a miracle or I was a goner.

27. When I opened up the fridge & saw that bottle of milk sitting there, I thought of how thirsty I was. I was going to reach for water, but then I thought, "Why shouldn't I drink some milk?" I figured if I was going to die, I might as well die drinking milk. So I just started drinking it & it kept on going down! And I figured that while the miracles were working‚ I might as well try another bottle, & it worked on that one too! So I walked all the way. I walked on the milk holding on to Jesus' hand.

28. Now that was a miracle! (Maria: Yes‚ that was!) I just drank two bottles, & I hadn't even been able to drink one bottle all day! These were both leftover bottles that I couldn't drink. That oughta cheer you up, Honey. He could do a miracle for you too, Sweetheart! Deliver her, just like You delivered me, Lord! Stomp on the old Devil!

29. I'm even burping now! I'd gotten to where I couldn't burp any more. Something must have happened! I'm still walking on the milk & I feel fine. My stomach feels good & I'm not thirsty, & I'm not hungry. I just drank two bottles of milk straight down! I couldn't even keep a swallow down before. I couldn't even keep a sip down!

30. I think this beautiful music about the Lord helped me. The Lord did a miracle to make it play all night. I didn't know how to get it to repeat, but the Lord did, & He did it somehow. I had tried & tried & tried to get it to repeat, but to no avail. I think it was a miracle! That was the music for the walk. Remember how they used to have the old cake walks? As long as the music kept going, you kept walking; when the music stopped, you sat down, & if you sat in the right chair you won the cake!

31. Praise You Jesus! Thank You Lord! It's still going! I'm still walking on the milk! I won the milk! Now I think I'm going to win some sleep. I made it, Honey! Do you realise what a miracle that was? I drank almost two whole bottles of milk! Maybe I can rinse my mouth out with some water now.

32. I guess the Angels were just waiting till it was time to do it. They had to wait till everybody was ready. Our folks everywhere must've really been praying! God bless them! If I can drink some water now‚ this is going to be the final miracle tonight.

33. I'm on the beach now, Lord, help me to finish wading through the water, in Jesus' name. I walked on the milk, now I've got to wade through a little water. "When thou walkest through the water, I will be with thee."—Isa. 43:2. Wow, hardly any pain! It's a miracle! The time before I nearly exploded with pain. It hurt all the way down & went boom at the bottom. But this time it went down with hardly a pain. I must feel like Peter felt after he'd walked on the water. I've walked on the milk & it has not "overflowed" me, not even the water. Now that was a miracle!

34. It reminds me of that story about Dr. Forrest of Toccoa Falls Bible College. He was trying to explain to his class what a phenomenon was, & he said‚ "If you saw a little bird sitting on a twig singing a song, that's not a phenomenon." He was a great big guy who couldn't even carry a tune. He said, "But if you saw me sitting on a twig singing a song, that would be a phenomenon!" If you'd see somebody else lying here in bed drinking bottle after bottle of milk, it'd be no phenomenon. Like you, you can really eat. I'm glad. But if you see me lying in bed drinking two bottles of milk, that is a phenomenon! In fact, it was a miracle!

35. It happened, Honey! You were right here watching! (Maria: We'll really have something to celebrate on your birthday! We've got something to celebrate right now!) I wonder why He waited till right now? I guess because the Family were all praying. They're all praying clear around the World. (Maria: Maybe the Lord allowed it to get that bad so we would send out that message‚ so they would know how desperate the situation was.) Amen, thank You Lord!—And so that I'd appreciate it.

36. Well, I figure I might as well make it three while the miracle's going on, so I'm going to try this custard drink, God willing. This is sort of thick. (Maria: Do you want a thinner one?) No. It didn't matter whether the water was thick or thin—or the milk—Peter still walked on it. Lord, in Jesus' name, You can help this still to work. Thank You Jesus! Bless it & make it a blessing. You're the One Who did it, Lord, I couldn't do it.

37. I drank the first bottle at three minutes after two & it's still working! The doctor would be surprised that God's performing the operation on the patient. Maybe I can just drink another swallow or two. Amen‚ thank You Jesus! The Lord did it! (Maria: It will be wonderful to be able to give the Family some encouraging news about God's healing. We had two deaths listed on the Prayer List this time, so I think it will be extremely encouraging to see that the Lord is still in the business of performing supernatural healings.)

38. That second swallow went down just fine & I'm about to take my third. Praise You Lord! Thank You Jesus! (Maria: You might want to go on all night & make up for all the times you couldn't drink before! It tastes so good, just keep going.) That one went down with hardly a pain, nice & thick & delicious. That's my pudding. Well, I don't want to be a glutton. I think I'll put the rest of this aside. I've definitely had the equivalent of two full bottles!

39. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! What a victorious ending! I don't even feel any pain in my back any more. My left arm stills pains me, but You can take care of that too‚ Lord. Maybe that's just to remind me I've really been sick. Oh me, now I've got to rinse my mouth with water, that's the acid test. Lord, this is the final test. I need a good swallow to rinse my mouth, in Jesus' name! (Dad takes a drink.) I got it! No pain at all! I'm even able to burp again, which I haven't been able to do for quite some time. I was always a good burper.

40. Hallelujah! What a miracle! I think I'm ready to go to sleep now. (Maria: You had your bottles & you're all tanked up.) Thank You Jesus! (Maria: And you're really satisfied, more than you have been for a long time. It's been a long time since you put so much into your stomach in such a short time.)

41. I think all those good songs & words of the hymns I've been listening to encouraged my faith & had a part in my healing. I think it's when they started playing, "There is a Balm in Gilead" that I started drinking that first bottle, & I said, "Lord, if there is, You've got to prove it!" Do you realise‚ Honey, that you witnessed a miracle? And now I'm lying here perfectly comfortable & quiet, full of milk, satisfied, without a pain. I haven't even had any coughing except that one at the beginning where the Devil tried to get in.

42. I had my water, now this is my third bottle that I'm drinking. I thought I should keep going while the going's good. (Maria: You aren't full yet?) Honey, I've been empty a long time. (Maria: It seems like your stomach's able to hold more now, two at a time.) It couldn't seem to take much at a time before, but it hasn't had much for a few days. I just thought I might as well drink a little more since I feel like it & since it's still going down.

43. I'll never forget how funny I felt about that first bottle of milk. I was so thirsty & I was so hungry. I thought‚ "Lord, I've got to have some!" And it was almost like I could hear the voice of the Lord say, "You need it, go ahead & drink it!" So I just took a big swallow & it went down‚ then another one & another one, & pretty soon the whole bottle was gone!

44. That was a phenomenon! That was a miracle! And it's still going on, I'm still drinking! (Maria: Yes, you've been drinking for about an hour & 50 minutes, almost two hours straight.) It's such a miracle! I couldn't even get down one swallow before, & now I'm on my third bottle! Thank You Jesus! Lord, You did it! Man couldn't do it. The doctors told me the only solution was to come to the hospital & let them cut out the obstruction in my throat, but who knows if I could have even survived it. So I sure liked the way the Lord did it better.—No muss, no fuss, no puss‚ no blood.

45. I think that music really did help. It was like it was blessing me & inspiring me to go on, to plunge ahead, to keep going. I think the Lord's having me drink this third bottle just to prove it's a miracle.

46. Suddenly on this swallow I had a big pain! It's just the Devil trying to come in & mess things up. It's down now‚ thank the Lord! He was just trying to mess up this last swallow. This is the last swallow & he can't win on this one because the Lord's going to help, in Jesus' name. This is the first time my stomach's been full in weeks! (Maria: It didn't seem like there was even room for much in your stomach before.)

47. These songs have been a big encouragement & inspired my faith, helped me to go on. I drank three bottles, Honey, how about that! The Lord did it & I walked on the milk. He kept calling me to come. It's just like He was saying, "Go ahead, drink it! You can do it!" So I did, & it worked! Here comes the final acid test, I'm going to drink some water now. This bottle of water is freezing cold, & I took a swallow & I never had a pain!

48. Three bottles! The Lord answered so many prayers. That was a miracle! (Maria: Amen, thank You Jesus! What a wonderful miracle!) That water was freezing cold, it was even too cold for my teeth, so I just swished it around on my tongue & swallowed it & it never hurt me a bit. I feel like I'm going to live after all!

Dad relates the miracle of the night before (see above) to the Family over the intercom:

(Next morning, at 9 A.M., Dad drinks another bottle with no pain.)

49. Praise the Lord! This music kept us going all night. It went all night! The Lord did it! It was a miracle! I saw those two red lights looking at me from the machine, & I noticed it had just started over again. We've been playing this music all night long‚ it just kept going & going & going! We finally turned it off this morning.

50. Well, that was Miracle Number One! I looked up & noticed the tape was repeating itself again, & it's such encouraging music & such beautiful hymns, all the old-time hymns that I know & love. It just kind of kept us going through the night when I couldn't even swallow water or anything. But that was the first encouraging miracle that happened last night, the tape player kept going & playing over & over. I was just astonished! I hadn't done a thing. But two bright red lights showed up there & I knew that was something different, I'd never seen that before. I could tell it was playing the tape over & over, so it was really a miracle!

51. I had sort of a dream. I don't know if I was awake or asleep or what, but I woke up just before two o'clock in the morning, & I was so thirsty & hungry too. So I was lying here half asleep & half awake & it just came to me real strong: "Step out on the milk! Just like Peter walked out on the water, step out on the milk!" It just kept coming‚ "Step out on it!" I said, "But Lord, I tried it before & I couldn't do it." "Step out on the milk!" Hallelujah! (Tongues!) Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! "O how the Lord kissed me last night!"

52. So I took the milk back out of the fridge—I'd put it away because I couldn't drink it—& I decided to step out on the milk. I started taking one of those little tiny sips, hoping it would maybe dribble down. And it came to me, I'm so thirsty, I'm just going to take a nice big swallow! That's stepping out. Just taking a little sip is like sticking your toe in the water. So I took a nice big swallow & it went down great! I thought, wow‚ this is pretty good‚ I'm going to take another step. So I took another big swallow, & it went down great too, & it just kept going down! I went step by step until finally it seemed like I got to the Lord. He was just really doing a miracle, & I finished the whole bottle!

53. So I thought, that's great, now thank the Lord I can rest, I've had a whole bottle of milk. I'd gone all day yesterday without one whole bottle at all that I know of. I don't think I had a bottle all day. I tried several bottles & tried this & tried that, but I couldn't seem to get it down, maybe only a swallow or so‚ & then it would come up. So I thought, "This is a real victory, I've got to tell the Family about this miracle in the morning!"

54. So I started going to sleep, but I was still thirsty & hungry. I thought, "Lord, I don't want to push this. What if I try another bottle & it gets stuck? I'd be so discouraged. I don't want to spoil this wonderful miracle that's happened." And I kept getting‚ "Step out on the milk!" (Tongues) Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! "Step out on the milk!" Like Peter walked on the water, I was walking on the milk last night. So I got out another bottle. I just took a nice big swallow & stepped out & it went down, & I stepped another step & it went down. I just kept right on drinking it till it was all gone! Two whole bottles! But you haven't heard the last of it yet!

55. By the time I got done with that, it was almost three o'clock. I'd drunk two bottles within one hour, & previously I had only been taking a little sip every ten minutes. Before I'd get down about half a bottle an hour, & yesterday I hadn't been able to drink any. I thought, "Well‚ here I am & it's almost three o'clock, I've already had two bottles, & it's time to go to sleep. Am I getting greedy? I don't want to be a glutton!" But considering I hadn't had much to drink for the last two or three days, I was pretty empty.

56. So it came to me again: "Step out on the milk!" I said, "Okay, Lord, it's up to You! I don't know if I've got the faith for it, but You're telling me to do it & I'll do it!" So I grabbed another bottle, took a big swallow, & it went down just fine! Mama says I was really gobbling it down. I took another one‚ another one, & it was barely after four o'clock & I'd finished a third bottle!

57. That was a miracle! The miracle of the milk! It was wonderful! It felt so good & so comfortable & was so satisfying. I'd been so thirsty, I just could hardly stand it. You know, your body really runs on water or liquid, & you can get very dehydrated if you don't get enough liquid, which is quite a serious condition. That's one of the things the doctors were worried about, & why they were trying to get me to come in to the hospital immediately for an operation.

58. So by the end of the three bottles I thought, "Hallelujah, thank You Lord! I made it! Three whole bottles of milk, that's a big miracle, I'm going to tell'm about that in the morning!" And all my life I've had a habit of always rinsing my mouth with water after eating. So I thought, "Uh oh, now wait a minute, Lord, that's where I always have my biggest trouble. Water is the worst & the most painful of all. It just never goes down without pain." And it was the funniest thing, it just came to me like a picture: I was by this time on the shore wading about ankle deep in the water with the Lord, & He was saying, "Come on‚ have a little water!" So I thought, "All right, Lord, if that's what You say!" And I grabbed the bottle of water out of the fridge.

59. I've got this little fridge here beside me, & the water was freezing cold. I thought, "Oh Lord, I'll never be able to get this down!" It was so cold! Usually I rinse the water around in my mouth to clean my teeth & everything, but it was just too chilling to even rinse around in my mouth & my teeth. All I could do was just get it in my mouth on my tongue & quick swallow it.—And it went right down! So I thought, boy, that was great! Water!

60. But my mouth didn't feel quite clean yet, so I thought‚ "That went down so well, I'll try another one!" (Maria: I thought he was going to keep going all night!) I just about did! I think I did finally finish off that water, I'm not sure. When I used to eat meals I'd take three swallows of water afterwards to rinse my mouth, so I took another one, & it went down! Cold! It was ice cold. I thought, "Boy, if anything's going to cause me pain, it's going to be this!" But it went right down. And then I thought, "Maybe that's enough, Lord‚ maybe I won't have to drink the traditional third swallow," but the Lord egged me on.

61. It was just like I could see my feet in the water like when I was a little kid‚ wading in the real shallow water along the waterfront where it just barely covers your feet. It was just like the Lord was leading me by the hand like I was a little kid, "Go ahead‚ don't be afraid of the water." Just like my daddy used to do when I was a little kid, you know? You've probably had it happen to you. I said, "Okay, Lord, if You say so!" And I took another big swallow. I mean, these weren't little sips, I was taking swallows. I thought as long as I could do it, I might as well do it right. So I took another big swallow of water, a third swallow, & it felt so good & went right on down.

62. I would just lie here absolutely astonished! And Mama was lying here in absolute awe & amazement! (Maria: I'd say‚ "Did that one hurt?") Of all things, trying to remind me that they should hurt! Ha! She said, "Did that hurt? Did that hurt?" And I felt like my brother when he told my Mother, "I'm having a big enough battle with the Devil without fighting your suggestions!" (Maria: I just was asking you because I wanted to pray for you if it did hurt.) Right, she wanted to know, & she was praying with me & struggling with me, God bless her! She's a real fighter!

63. So I got down the three big swallows of water & I thought‚ "Well, that's it!" After three bottles of milk & three swallows of water, I decided it was time to go to sleep. I think about four o'clock I finally decided we'd had enough victories, we'd had enough miracles‚ we'd had enough milk, water & everything. So I turned over & went right to sleep & slept clear through till 8:30!

64. So praise the Lord! It was a night of miracles! And I woke up this morning & I was so hot. I was cold in the night for a while, but I was so hot this morning! During my sickness I've been quite cold because I didn't have enough fuel to fire my body furnace. But thank the Lord, I'm hot this morning & I'm just doing great! And as I'm talking to you I'm getting kind of thirsty again & I think I'm going to try another bottle. (Maria: You drank some more this morning, right?) Oh yes, I've drunk about half a bottle of coffee milk already this morning. Three bottles last night & half a bottle of coffee milk I've been drinking now. I just wanted to talk to you all & tell you thanks for praying, & that the Lord really did the miracle due to your & our precious worldwide Family's prayers, & I'm much much better & able to get some nourishment now. Thank You Jesus!

Prayer

65. So thank You Lord for answering prayer! Thank You for the miracles! Thank You for speaking to me last night & giving me that vision & the faith to follow it. And it worked, Lord, You worked, & everything went wonderfully! Thank You Jesus! I'm feeling so much better & drinking my nourishment so well. Thank You Lord for all those who have worked so hard on my food, & especially for all those thousands of our precious Family who have prayed so desperately & so long‚ that You've answered their prayers! Thank You Jesus! Thank You for the miracle You did for me, but we ask You for miracles for Mama too, & all the rest of these people who need healing. Bless & keep them all & continue to do miracles for us during this time of prayer.

66. We know that I need complete deliverance, Lord, but You sure have started it! And especially do it for Mama, who has been battling along with me in spite of her condition. The Devil's really tried to knock us both out at once, but You've kept us, Lord, & came to us in the middle of the night to give us a picture & orders what to do; and we did it, Lord‚ & it worked. Thank You Lord! Help us all to obey Thy Words & Thy Will! When You say to step out by faith, whether it's on milk or water or whatever it is, help us to step out & believe it & do it & expect the answer in Jesus' name.

67. Bless & keep us all today & make us a blessing. Thank You for another beautiful day & all Thy blessings, a good night's sleep & safekeeping. Give us all strength for this day & continue to make this prayer time a blessing, in Jesus' name! Thank You Lord!

68. God bless you as you continue to fast & pray for so many needs, especially now for Mama. Please pray for her. She's had a real battle & a struggle, yet she's been so sweet & so victorious, so cheerful, never down, always encouraging others. (Maria: My afflictions could be so much worse. I've got nothing compared to what so many other people have.) Oh Honey, you're just wonderful! She keeps us all going!

69. (Maria: One thing you can tell from Dad's sweet comments is how much love he has for me.) Well, Honey, that's been a foregone conclusion all these 24 years! I think it was March '69 you walked in, & here we are, we're getting close to March '93, & it'll be 24 years! So thank the Lord for Mama! I'm holding her hand right now & she's holding my hand‚ & she's held my hand all night long, off & on through thick & thin, praying for me & asking, "How are you feeling now? Did it go down? Did it hurt?" God bless her!—When she was having a very difficult time too! So God bless her for being such a good soldier & such a good fighter & standing by me. Now you stand by her! Okay? Really pray hard for her!

70. I got the victory, the major victory right now that I can drink my nourishment again, so please pray for her, that the Lord will strengthen & heal her! It's just the Lord Who's kept her, praise the Lord! Amy's taking a picture of us here. Praise the Lord! Mama & I are lying in our bed & we're holding hands. She's on one intercom & I'm on the other. Praise the Lord! Thank You Lord! Hallelujah!

71. So I wanted to tell you that good news myself! I hope I haven't kept you too long from your breakfast. My goodness, it's been nearly half an hour. Well, you're supposed to be fasting anyway! (Maria: You got the verse at the beginning when it first started going down so well‚ "Old things are passed away, behold, all things are new." You said, "It's sort of like I'm a new man, it's scary!") Yes, I woke up & I was in a kind of dreamy daze & I said, "I don't feel like me any more, it's like I'm somebody else! I feel stronger & I feel like taking a drink of my nourishment‚ I'm thirsty!"

72. It was about that time when I got that picture of Peter walking on the water, & I was going to walk on the milk, & the Lord kept saying, "Walk on the milk!" (Maria: Dad said‚ "I'm going to walk on the milk!" And I said, "What did you say?" He said, "Can't you hear me?" I said, "Yes, but I don't understand it!") Oh me, we have a ball in here sometimes! Praise the Lord! The Lord really can be funny when He wants to be. I said, "Okay, Lord, I'll walk on the milk," & I grabbed that bottle of milk & I quaffed it down! It really went & I really walked all over it, thank the Lord!

73. So God bless you for your prayers, & thanks, everybody‚ for everything! And thank You most of all, Lord, for doing such miracles! Now do some more for the rest of them & deliver so many people who need deliverance, Lord‚ especially those in the Family.—And particularly Mama, Lord, she really needs Your help to heal her eyes. Have mercy on Thy handmaiden & keep her close to You. We know You've allowed this affliction to keep her humble & make her more dependent on others & willing to receive help, now help her to continue to use other people to get so much work done. Bless & keep her & strengthen her & heal her. We'd like to see that be the next miracle, Lord, in Jesus' name! Thank You Jesus! It's been a morning of miracles! Hallelujah! God bless & keep you all & give you a good day!

74. I love you! Everybody happy‚ say, "Amen!" (Fam: Amen!) Praise the Lord! I love you. Thanks for coming to the phone. You'd better go eat. Well, you're not supposed to eat, but anyway, you'd better go have whatever you're supposed to drink for breakfast.—And continue to pray for me while I'm still drinking mine. I love you! Thank You Jesus! Amen!

75. That was sure a strange way for the Lord to talk‚ to say "Walk on the milk!" I saw that bottle of milk & I thought, "What do you mean, Lord, walk on the milk?" Isn't that amazing? It was a funny thing for the Lord to say, but I got the point! The Lord told Peter to step out on the water, & I got the point to step out on the milk! Praise the Lord! Thank the Lord‚ He's coming through‚ answering prayer! Thank You Jesus! And now I'll finish off my coffee milk!

The Birds—Angels in Disguise!

76. The birds have been by this morning too. They like to let me know they're here. I got something really amazing about those birds the other day. When I was so sick, there was a big crowd of them flying around right outside my window. There was no reason for them to be out here at all. They were swirling back & forth like they were putting on a demonstration right outside my window, to let me know they're here. And I got, "They know I'm here!" Well, the Lord uses them to encourage me. They always make me smile.

77. Then I got to thinking & praying about it, how there are so many birds around here & they come & see me, & I got the Scripture about "entertaining Angels unawares." (Heb.13:2.)—That many of them are Saints & Angels in disguise, flying about on their Father's business. Isn't that a good disguise? (Fam: "Seeing we are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses!"—Heb.12:1.) They act so intelligent, like they know that I appreciate them coming by my window, & they fly by. At least it comforts me.

The Celebration of the Birds!

78. (Mama: After the miracle of the milk the night before, & Dad's testimony to the Family, he's now having some very intense pain swallowing as the Devil is fighting him & trying to steal away the victory that the Lord has given. We've sent a message to the worldwide Family telling them about the miracle & that they should rejoice with us, but also to pray desperately for Dad that the Lord will continue to heal & take the pain away.)

79. The day of my Mother's healing, after she told the nurse to bring her a pillow so she could sit up, she keeled over in a dead faint & hemorrhaged a lot of blood from her mouth onto the bed. But she refused to give up! She had them prop her up again. And when my Dad came home‚ she got up & walked. I'll just keep walking on the milk! Thank You Lord!

80. You have to recognise the works of the Devil & fight! Although sometimes we just wait to see what happens, sometimes we have to make it happen. I just felt like I'm not going to wait & see‚ I'm going to make it happen!

81. The birds are circling all around my window, Honey, look at that! They came to praise the Lord with me & rejoice with me! Look at all those birds! They're rejoicing, Honey! They're circling around. Look, they're coming back! Look at that! There's no reason for that except the Lord. They're just rejoicing that I'm getting the victory. Look, this one came right up close to the window. Thank You Jesus! Lord bless them! "So great a cloud of witnesses!" Thank You Jesus! That was a celebration! I just said that I'm going to fight & I'm going to make it happen, & then they all came swirling right outside my window! They came right up to the window & looked right in, just like they were all smiling & rejoicing over the victory. Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah!

82. Amen‚ Jesus, only You can do it, but I have to do it too. You did it‚ Lord, but You had to make me fight too. Lord bless our Family for their sacrifices, thank You for their prayers. Let them know that their prayers are being answered, Lord.

83. Another victory is that there's not a sign of my back problem at all! It was just the Devil's dart in my back. It was just like the Devil was stabbing me in the back. He's an expert at that!

84. I've had three bottles of milk & one bottle of water, that's more than a litre, with hardly a pain! Once or twice the Devil tried to throw me a little dart, but it didn't stick. It feels so good! "Mi estomigo es lleno y mi corazon contento!" That means my stomach is full & my heart is content, & that's really a miracle! And I'm sure it's due to their prayers, Lord, & Your Love & our faith.

(—Thanks! God bless you all! I love you!—He's doing it!—Keep praying! He never fails! Thank You Jesus! I love you!—D.)

PRAYER REQUESTS & ANSWERS TO PRAYER FOR DAD!

Here, for your information, are the prayer requests & answers to prayer in chronological order that were sent to you & your leadership:

Message number one‚ to All Homes:

Emergency Prayer Request for Dad!

Dear Family,

Please pray desperately for Dad, as for the last few days he has hardly been able to get any food down, & the little that does go down does so very painfully, even water. He's lost six kilos & is getting very weak. In addition, he just wrenched his back, which is causing him some pain. Please pray for a miracle, as if he can't eat, he won't be with us for long. As we were about to send this message, the Lord said to him, "O how these little ones love their father & how they pray for him diligently against his death."

—Love, Mama.

Message number two, to All Homes:

Miraculous Answer to Prayer!

Dear Family,

Thank you for your time invested over the past year praying for Dad, & for your desperate prayers during the Fast. The Lord has answered by doing a wonderful miracle! Dad has gone from not being able to get more than just a few sips of liquids down during the last few days‚ to last night being able to drink as much as he wanted without any pain. PTL! The Lord woke Dad up in the night & told him to "Step out on the milk," just like He told Peter to step out on the water. This gave Dad the faith to try to drink some milk that just hours before wouldn't go down at all. Instead of just a little sip, which is all he had previously been able to get down, he took a big gulp, which went down with no problem & no pain! He then continued to drink mouthful after mouthful, & at the end of two hours he had drunk more than a litre!—A total miracle!

After sleeping a few hours, he was able to continue to drink his milk drinks normally. However, in the last hours he's been experiencing some very intense pain while swallowing. The Enemy is fighting back to try to steal away the victory‚ so please keep praying with us as we see this victory through to completion. We know that what God hath begun, He is able to perform until the End. Dad & I are so thankful that you have fought in prayer for us‚ as we know when you pray, the Lord answers! "Effectual are the faithful prayers of David's children."

—Love, Mama.

Message number three:

Thank You for Your Prayers!

(From Peter: ) God bless each & every one of you as you fulfil your role in helping the Family fight on to victory. We trust the recent Fast was a strength & blessing to you. Thank you so much for your prayers for Dad & Mama. Dad has been doing so much better & his liquid drinks have been going down very well. PTL! Of course, every time he has a meal, we all have to really be on the attack in prayer‚ but generally his food has been going down well. Also, Dad's back is completely better & he's really been gaining strength. On his birthday, though still very weak, Dad got up & testified of the Lord's healing & gave a very inspired talk, which you'll be receiving shortly, D.V. We're so very thankful for your prayers & those of the worldwide Family. We love you so much & could not do without you.

—Love, Peter, for Dad & Mama.

Message number four, a week after the Fast:

Pray Desperately for Dad's Nutritional Needs!

(From Mama: ) It's been very touch & go with Dad's eating lately, & he hasn't been able to get down anywhere near the amount of nourishment that the doctor said he needs! For the last two days‚ Dad has only been able to drink about 600 ml. of liquid nourishment, roughly only 25% of his minimum daily requirement, as sometimes his food will go down relatively easily & other times it will not. Each swallow is a real fight, a real battle in the Spirit! Please pray desperately for Dad to be able to get the nutrition he needs. Also, please pray that he'll regain enough strength so that he can once again get some regular exercise. Thanks so much!

The following is Dad's personal prayer request:

"God bless you all & thank you for your prayers, they mean so much to me. Because I've experienced so much pain when trying to swallow, I have to really keep my eyes on the Lord & can't let the Devil get in with even one moment of fear‚ because if I do, my esophagus will tighten right up & it will cause me a lot of pain. It's a battle for every inch of the territory. It's a real wrestling in the Spirit. If you want me to stay alive, you're going to have to hold on for me. I'm dependent on your prayers, & if I know you're praying, I know the Lord is going to do it. Maybe when you sit down to eat, you could remember that I can't eat & you could pray for me when you pray over your food, that the Lord will help me at least to get down enough nourishment to keep me alive. That food's got to go down or I'm not going to be here much longer, so please pray."

Message number five, a few days later:

Dad's "Resurrection" Victory!

(From Mama: ) The Lord has done a wonderful miracle for Dad! He's had it really rough ever since the "walk on the milk" revelation & healing miracle. The Devil has been trying so hard to steal away the victory & the healing, & things went downhill pretty much until the night before last, when Dad was so down & discouraged he really thought he was "a goner," as he expressed it. That afternoon, he had been so weak that he didn't know if he could even walk up a couple of the steps, & on top of all that, he had an attack of the runs & he was so weak that he actually had to have one of the girls wipe him & help him up off the toilet! And on top of all that, he had a slight headache as well as an eye pattern, very frequent coughing as he was drinking his milk, as well as waking up chilled a couple of times from nap & during the night. And if that wasn't enough, that night he had two nightmares which were very fear-inspiring & left him very shaken up & weak!

He was just so down & discouraged & finally got so desperate he said, "Lord, You've got to do something!"—And he finally went back to sleep & slept until 10 in the morning, at which time he woke up with a beautiful dream with real directional instruction about our children's education. PTL! (See "`Teaching the Children' Dream" in this GN.) That dream seemed to so invigorate him & inspire him & bring him back to life.—He said it gave him incentive & motivation to know that the Lord was still using him.

Not only that‚ but shortly after having the dream, he got the words "I will heal thee!" Ever since then, it's been almost like he's been resurrected! The same morning he had the dream‚ he got back much of his strength & decided to go out. He was out for about four hours, & he continued to get stronger as time went on! When he got back, he seemed even stronger than when he had left, & certainly much stronger than he had been for days! It's such a wonderful miracle!—A real transformation from death to life! It was sure a terrible battle, however, & he even saw the Devil a couple of times in those last few days, & endured the horrors of Hell with the Enemy trying to kill him. But praise the Lord, it's a wonderful‚ wonderful victory! Thank You Jesus! And yesterday he drank five bottles of liquid, which is more than he's had for several weeks! Praise the Lord! Thanks so much for helping to save Dad's life through your prayers. I love you!

—Love, Mama.

Message number six, to All Homes:

Pray for Dad When You Eat!

Dear Family,

God bless you & greetings in Jesus' name. Dad & Mama want to thank you for your prayers for them during the recent three–day Fast. The Lord has given Dad some wonderful victories in His healing process, but he daily faces a battle with getting down enough nourishment to keep up his strength, & each swallow needs to be desperately prayed over. Therefore, every time you pray before you eat, could you please pray that Dad will be able to eat, & that the Lord will continue his healing. Thanks so much!

We love you & are praying for you.

—Love, Peter, for Dad & Mama.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family