THE GIFT OF HEALING

I was talking to my wife last night at the end of a long day - and we were pretty much in unanimous agreement that we had probably the best Sunday ever.

One where you not only feast on the physical - but the spiritual and just lay there basking at the end of the day.

In our old ward, we had many special people that were hard to leave behind, but many that we still have somewhat regular discourse with.  Cardston is not that big of a place and we are still in the same Stake after we changed wards.

So, in our new ward, we found this older fellow and his wife that I knew right off the bat that he and I would hit it off in a big way.  They invited us over to their New Year's party.  We talked til about 3am that night and we have enjoyed other long chats.  We just thoroughly love he and his wife.  They were directed to Cardston decades ago from Montreal.  He has lost 2 of the 3 sons they have.  He is the first in his line to join the Church.  I told him I was not surprised by his losses.  This is pretty standard protocol when there is much work to be done on the other side.  Remember, we are gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.

He yet has a great work to do - and will be instrumental in bringing those of the Blackfeet Tribe into the Church on the other side.

He has some great stories of following the Spirit and of it leading him aright throughout his seven decades.  So, he speaks French and so do our friends from the old ward.  The friends from the old ward were led here by vision of the wife.  They are both converts and were led to the Church in a remarkable way.  She has seen Christ in Cardston ministering to those who will come here in the great hour of darkness and calamity.

After a potluck feast, we retired to the living room and enjoyed some desserts and further talk.  Eventually, it led to the opportunity to receive much-needed blessings.  Our French friend did not have much experience in the Priesthood, as he only has a few years in the Church, so my older friend was able to tutor him as he anointed and many blessings were pronounced.

I have the gift of healing - to heal and to be healed.  I have nearly died several times from freakish things - but was healed each time.  I have, on several occasions, had minstrants from the other side place hands on my head and pronounce a blessing on my head.  I was asked to sit quietly and reverently as this was going on; and I have no idea what I was receiving the blessing for.  Some unseen malady or spiritual need?  I do not know even to this day.

One healing was as a child, and I was drinking water from the Love Canal mess in Buffalo NY.  My neck swelled up and a yellow, crusty boil erupted.  My folks thought I was going to die several times.  I was given several blessings and was allowed to live and my parents were given knowledge to finally figure out it was the water.  My mother threw that place to the curb and got us out and back on the farm in the PNW.

In the course of my life, I have witnessed one or two healings that were miraculous.  Cancer that disappeared on the cusp of an amputation.  In that case, my friend had the faith to be healed and the blessing was easy.  All that was needed was to command the foot to be whole - and it was done.  I have never witnessed one on myself that I am aware of that was instantaneous like that one was for my friend.  Until last night my chronic old construction injury from last fall just disappeared.

My sage old friend obviously has power in his Priesthood.  Because within minutes after the end of the blessing, I was healed of my malady.  After the blessing was over, I was kneeling behind the couch my wife was sitting in and a strange sensation came over me (that I do not want to forget while in this life) the pain and swelling in my knee immediately began to melt away.  I got up and it was all gone.  Four months of suffering - with no relief, and it just melted away like that.  Like butter on hot toast.  Gone.

Normally, with the knee pain, my drive to Calgary on Monday mornings is exceptionally painful.  I can barely move my knee when getting out of the car.  Today however, I popped out of the car with no problems.  Amazing.  Glory be to God!

For once, I have found someone with the gift.  Someone who can declare with boldness so that I can be healed when I need to be.

Enough to wake up in the night like I did last night, and after getting out of bed, whispering to myself, "And he was healed in that self-same hour...."

Truly miraculous!

Praise be to God.