9. Tuberculosis

Throughout her life, my mother fell ill many times: I want to share this as well, to give glory to God for all the times He healed her, as she had promised to make Him her Doctor and her medicine.

She had immense faith in the vow she made to the Lord on the day Gino was healed.

One Sunday morning, after the church service held in our home, my mother started to feel unwell; she began to vomit, and we brought her a basin. I was eleven years old. My mother filled that basin with blood. My father quickly called the family doctor, who already knew all about my mother's testimony. He ordered her to bed, told her to avoid getting cold, and instructed her to get x-rays of her chest and shoulder the very next day, as he suspected a serious illness.

The next day, my mother went to get the x-rays, and the diagnosis was clear: tuberculosis. The doctor wanted to hospitalize her, but she replied, “Doctor, you know the vow I made to the Lord.” However, the doctor insisted, knowing well the care that a tuberculosis patient requires. “The Lord is mighty and can heal me, for He is my Doctor and my medicine!” my mother said firmly.

Days went by, and she was bedridden and weak. In that situation, instead of worrying about her health, she prayed to the Lord for the Holy Spirit to descend upon my Aunt Lucia's house, where the brethren gathered to pray. As she prayed, she saw a young man dressed in white, who placed his hand behind her shoulder and on her chest and said, “Arise, go and pray with them!” At that very moment, she felt stronger; she got up, dressed, and went to my aunt's house, where the believers were praying.

She quietly entered the house, trying not to be noticed, when she had another vision: a cloud of blood covered the believers, and a kind of luminous sphere moved within the cloud. She knelt down and, unable to restrain herself, exclaimed, “Brothers and sisters, seek the Lord with all your heart because this morning He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

And indeed, that morning, the Holy Spirit descended among them as on the day of Pentecost: many of the believers began to speak in other tongues and were baptized with the Holy Spirit!

During that time, there was a great revival in the church of Massafra. The news of the great blessings that God was bestowing upon the believers spread to Mottola. There was a great revival throughout the area; the Lord saved, healed, and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Glory to God for the great work He accomplishes!

A few days later, my mother went back to the doctor and said, “Doctor, I want to take x-rays of my lungs again.” The doctor replied that it was too early for another x-ray; so my mother decided to tell him everything that had happened. The doctor, amazed, agreed to her request for another x-ray. My mother then went back to Taranto, bringing the previous x-rays that showed signs of tuberculosis. After taking the new x-rays, the doctor examined her and, with great astonishment, asked: “Ma'am, who told you that you have tuberculosis?” My mother replied, “You did, doctor; you diagnosed me with this disease,” and she showed him the old x-rays. When the doctor saw them, he was even more amazed than before; he looked at her and said, “Madam, you have experienced a great miracle!” To this, my mother said, “Yes, doctor, you are right, it is a great miracle! Yes, this really happened!” She then told the doctor how she had been healed, how the Lord had laid His hand on her chest and behind her shoulder, and about the vow she had made to God and the faith she had placed in Him!

When my mother spoke of these things, she never failed to clearly and simply share the message of salvation in Christ. It is the same for all those who believe in Him; they cannot remain silent. So even that doctor in Taranto learned of the great wonders that God does for all those who trust in the Lord in Spirit and Truth.