“I’m good. Doing great,” I told my pastor, Barry Mulock, almost without thinking.
Pastor Barry, senior pastor of Thrive Church (Glendora Foursquare Church) in Glendora, Calif., knew I had gone in for a biopsy, but I wasn’t ready to admit the results.
I saw the look on the doctor’s face when she examined me. I could not imagine what the diagnosis of breast cancer might do to my husband, Jason, and my kids, Zachary (15), Trinity (12) and Imani (9). For a full year, I hid the truth that a grapefruit-size tumor was growing inside me.
As a preschool teacher for 15 years, I expended a lot of energy. Suddenly, I was always tired. Sure, I was in my 40s now, but I knew my lack of focus was a symptom of a bigger issue. My throat began to swell, and my arm hurt all the time.
Finally, Jason and I went to Pastor Barry for prayer. Reluctantly, we all agreed that Jason and I should step down as children’s ministry leaders at our church so that I could take care of myself. We prayed for God’s healing, and I made the necessary appointments with my doctor.
Pastor Barry gathered our church leadership, who declared God’s healing over me in prayer for more than three hours. It was powerful and uplifting.
“Lord, we pray you would cause this tumor to explode,” Casey Lynch prayed as she put her hands me. Casey had experienced a similar situation as mine, and she was now cancer-free. She could identify with what I was facing and prayed with such force that it should have made demons fearful. I was overwhelmed by the power of God. I couldn’t catch my breath and felt as though someone had hit me in the chest with a brick.
The next morning, I was at the clinic for my MRI. Wearing only a robe, I nervously waited in a room with a bunch of other women waiting for results of their own. Jason had to stay in an outer waiting room, not knowing what was happening to me or the results of my test.
Technicians took an image of one side, where the tumor had first been detected. Then, they took a picture of the other side, just to be sure. I could tell they were perplexed.
Surprisingly, I felt supernatural peace. The Lord had given me Proverbs 3:5-6 to stand on: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (NKJV). I assured the Lord that I was fine with whatever outcome He had in store for me. If I lost my breast, I was OK with it. I gave my body completely to the Lord.
Three hours later, my doctor confirmed that the tumor growing inside me for a year was gone—a miracle had occurred. Particles of the tumor were visible throughout my chest area like “shrapnel” that was left behind. The tumor had exploded, just as Casey prayed. I saw the images with my own eyes. The doctor kept the pictures to share with other specialists because my situation was so unusual.
Since my healing, our church has experienced a resurgence of miracles, and I have had the privilege of praying for people who, like me, were hiding life-changing diagnoses. Praise God, He has performed miracles in their lives, too. Now I want to let the whole world know that Jesus Christ heals today just like He has always done, and always will do, when we fully trust in Him.