It
was 1970, I was 17 year's old and it was a warm summer's night when
a friend and I decided to take a bike-ride from the house where I was
living to a friends house across the park in the sunset district of
San Francisco. It was about 9:00 p.m. when we hopped on my friends 10
speed bicycle we then made our way down toward Golden Gate Park and
ended up on Fulton street. As we approached 43rd Ave. we moved over
into the fast lane in order to turn left so that we could make our way
through the park. My friend had asked me to look behind us to see if
there were any cars, so I turned around and there were none. No sooner
did I open my mouth to tell him it was all clear, that we were hit from
behind by a speeding car and then sent sailing into the air.
At
that point, all I remember after having landed back on the ground was
that there were a number of people around me asking me how I was. I
was not able to collect my thoughts, let alone stand on my own two feet.
I looked down at my leg and noticed that the heal of my foot was bent
backwards touching the calf of my leg and the two tibia bones were sticking
out the front of my leg. It was then that I discovered my leg had been
broken upon impact as the car hit us from behind. I do remember one
of my older brother's friends who had seen the accident, coming up to
me saying that he would go up to my house and tell my Grandfather about
what had happened. It wasn't long before an ambulance came and we were
on our way to Park Emergency. That same night, I was taken to Children's
Hospital on California street, where I would stay approximately two
weeks.
Well,
it would be a new way of life for the next year as I now had a full
length cast on my right leg, which didn't seem to stop me as I got right
back on my bike and off I went. I was not very restricted in my activities
due to the fact that I had a lot of energy and will power to keep going.
I excelled in my music due to the fact that I now had more time to practice
my guitar. A year had passed and my cast was removed, man did it itch!
I got right in the shower and gave my leg a good scrub, got ready and
went out that night. Talking about always being on the go...
13
years had passed... in between now and the time of the accident, I was
experiencing a great deal of back pain due to the fact that my right
leg was shorter than the left and as a result, my back was constantly
going out on me. Originally, when the doctor had set the broken bones,
he put them next to each other therefore making the leg shorter. There
was nothing I could do at the time and found that all I could do, was
just live with the pain. Even the slightest little movement would sometimes
throw my back out. It was especially difficult because I owned my own
business and the kind of work I did (Landscape Construction) was very
demanding and it would constantly put a strain on my back but I kept
on going. Some nights I would come home hunched over remembering how
my wife would have to help me to get into a hot bath so I could soak
away all the pain, only to get up the next morning and do it all over
again.
It
would be June 26, 1983 that my wife, myself and my daughter who was
only a baby at the time, would go up to visit one of my brother's and
his family up in Sacramento. We would frequently visit them and would
also love attending their church in Citrus Heights. The weekend went
fast and Sunday was upon us as all of us made our way out the door to
go to church. We had a great time, then returned home to get something
to eat and then we sat around the kitchen table and talked for a while.
Even though we attended their church whenever we visited, my brother
never expressed his heart in the way he had been wanting to regarding
the things of the Lord. As we were sitting around the kitchen table,
my brother asked... "would you and Martha like to receive Jesus
Christ into your hearts?" We said yes! He said that he had been
wanting to share the Lord with us for some time but was afraid that
we would shy away from him. Then I stated that I had been wanting him
to but the moment had not presented itself until now. Afterwards, he
got his bible and proceeded to teach us about tithing.
A
couple hours had passed and my brother mentioned to me that there would
be a men's meeting at church that night and would I like to go? I said
yes and we were on our way. No sooner did we climb the stairs that I
was greeted by my brother's father-in-law who was standing at the very
top outside the entry of the church. My brother explained to him that
my wife and I had just received the Lord. At that, his father-in-law
looks me straight in the eye and says... "your leg is a bit shorter
than the other one, sit down and we'll fix you up!" I thought...
"what's going on here, I never told anyone my leg was shorter."
Well, I had no choice other than to go for it! So I sat down as he had
suggested, he told me to put my feet in his hands so that it would take
the tension off of my back and he proceeded to pray. All this time I'm
wondering... "how did he know?" At that point, what had seemed
like swarms of people, had flocked around me and started praying in
this weird language which I later found out was called tongues.
I
remember having feelings of doubt in my mind but still, I had a peace
that transcended all understanding. I then was asked by my brother's
father-in-law... "are you sure you repented all your sins?"
and then I replied... "what, name them?" I was all set to
run down to him everything I had ever done to the best of my recollection.
He then put my feet in his father's hands, then went over and knelt
down against the wall and started praying in tongues. I thought... "man,
it's me, I'm doubting here!" So I focused on only one thing and
that was the name of Jesus and as soon as I did, something happened
that had never happened to me before. I couldn't see a thing in front
of me and everything was pitch black. I found myself traveling through
what seemed to be a tunnel. Then, all of a sudden this light appeared
(just a glimpse mind you) and I found myself waiting to see what would
happen next, almost as if one had been watching a movie.
The
process was gradual but fast! I was now traveling inside this tunnel-like
atmosphere while noticing the light was getting brighter. I wondered
how much brighter it would get and if I could withstand it. I was traveling
around a bend and the light kept getting brighter and brighter but it
was soft and not at all blinding. In fact, I could see into the light
almost as if it had some sort of depth to it. As soon as the light reached
it's brightest peak, that's when it happened... my leg stretched out,
pushing the man's hand who had been holding it and it was accompanied
by a tearing-twisting feeling but strangely enough, I noticed that it
was tickling. My leg had stretched out and pushed the man's hand, he
then replied... "did you see that, did you feel that?" As
I stood up looking down at my feet, I was at a loss for words thinking...
"what just happened!" Definitely a miracle had taken place
and God had been gracious and compassionate enough to free me from what
I had been going through for so many years. This was only the start
of a series of events and miracles that would take place in the years
to come.
"
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among
the peoples." Psalm 77:14