Brain Surgery

A few weeks ago my roommate Ingrid's younger brother, Marvin, was having bad headaches and was having a hard time seeing in his peripheral vision. All he was seeing was spots. So his parents took him to the hopsital. At the hospital they told him to go to Guatemala City. So they went and had some tests done. On Wednesday they were told the results of the tests: He had to have brain surgery the next day. There was a mass that needed to be removed and it could not wait.

So Ingrid, her two brothers, and her parents drove to Guatemala City that night. Her parents live about 5 hours out of Tactic, and it takes about 4 hours to get to the capital from Tactic. So they left Tactic around 7pm Wednesday night and arrived in the capital late that night. Thursday morning Marvin, who is 21, went in for surgery.

Meanwhile, all the staff and students of Impact Ministries are praying for healing for him, for wisdom for the doctors, and for peace for the family etc. There are about 1300 students and about 100 staff. Plus Marvin's church, of which his father is the pastor. Needless to say, there were a lot of people praying.

When Marvin got to the hospital, the doctors said they weren't 100% sure where the mass was, so they were going to do another x-ray or brain scan to be completely confident going into the operation. They did, and the results showed no mass in his brain. The doctors could not explain it. If there's no mass, there's nothing to operate on. So they left, without having had surgery. Later Marvin told his family that earlier he had felt all the pain leave him and that he was filled with peace that he was healed. On June 27, Marvin has to go back to the capital to make sure there still is no mass.

Marvin and his family are calling it a miracle. So are those who were praying. They were praying in faith and trusting that God hears and answers their prayers. In the past couple months I, personally, have really been asking God to increase my faith. I find having grown up in North American society, I am very skeptical of things that are of the supernatural. Having studied science in university, I like to have proof and I like to consider all options before making a decision. I have faith that God exists. I trust that He has done miraculous things and can do miraculous things. But I am often skeptical that He actually will. Talking with Ingrid and Marvin's family before and after the "brain surgery" has given me a boost of confidence. How about you? Does reading Marvin's story give you more confidence to pray in faith? Or do you, as I so often do, revert to skepticism and unbelief? All Jesus asks of us is that we have faith.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
"Jesus turned and saw her. 'Take heart, daughter,' he said, 'your faith has healed you.' And the woman was healed at that moment" (Matthew 9:22).

Marvin and Ingrid