Holly Michael's Writing Straight

~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life's Crooked Lines by Author Holly Michael

Holly Michael's Writing Straight

Tag Archives: Miracle

The Devil Marked Him for Death…

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Holly Michael in Books, Christianity, Family, Holly Michael's New Releases, Holy Catholic Church - Anglican Rite, Inspiration

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Anglican, Bishop Leo Michael, dengue fever, Facebook, God, HCCAR, Heaven, Holly Michael, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, India, Jesus Christ, Leo Michael, marked for death, Miracle, nagapattinam, South India, Tsunami, tsunami 2004, Tsunami 2004 Still Wading Through Waves of Hope

I haven’t yet blogged in detail about that one heart-wrenching experience during our return trip to the 2004 tsunami-ravaged villages in Nagapattinam, South India.

My husband and I encountered many difficult situations and joyous ones too, but I’m writing today about the one that still nearly buckles my knees when I continue to hear statements like…

“The devil marked him for death.”

Or when a doctor friend recently said, “It is a true miracle the he survived a multi-organ failure.”

Or the heart tugging statements, said in several different ways:

“I prayed fervently.”

“I shed so many tears.”

“The spirit led me to pray deeply, like I’d never prayed before.”

(statements by even those I hardly know)

It gives me goosebumps, even now, almost three months later, when I think about what happened…in the spiritual sense of it all.

So…going back to late November 2014

…after my husband got bit by an affected mosquito.

…after we finished our mission work in Nagapattinam (my husband growing weak and feverish toward the end.)

…after we rode a bus for 12 hours from the remote villages in Nagapattinam with my beloved nearly lethargic from a spiked fever.

…after we arrived in a Bangalore hospital, my husband dehydrated with 103 fever.

…after the diagnosis of Dengue Fever (my sister-in-law died from dengue fever two years earlier).

…after we were left alone in a room with very little care.

…after I continued my attempts to communicate with the hospital staff that I didn’t think it was normal that my husband had swung from extremely feverish to unresponsive and almost completely cold (and they insisted he was fine).

…after the admitting Hindu doctor woke up in the middle of the night from a dream worried about my husband (one of maybe 200 patients she’d admitted that day) and called the ICU doctor to check on him.

…after he was rushed to the ICU blood pressure dropping and multi-organ failure.

…after I was stopped at the double doors to the ICU by a guard.

….after I sat in the empty hospital room in South India, alone, unable to communicate properly with hospital staff and no phone or means of communicating with anyone but God.

….after I’d finally got onto a hospital computer and asked for prayers through Facebook.

Which leads me to what I believe…

I BELEIVE….

…the heavenly realm, which is all around us always, was busy that night.

…the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of many to pray fervently after hearing my plea on Facebook (as many have testified).

…the Devil had slated my husband (a Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite) for death.

…the prayers of the saints and all of the faithful allow me now to praise God for his full healing.

…Facebook is awesome and faithful friends and family are amazing. (I love you all).

…God is great, all the time, always!

I chronicled this experience and so much more from our trip to South India in my book, TSUNAMI 2004 – Still Wading through Waves of Hope. I share about the people and villages we visited and those we helped after the  2004 Tsunami, and the experiences upon our return, ten years later.

Ten years ago, after a major fundraiser, we went to the most devastated impassable villages in South India. My husband had a fabulous idea of asking the village headmen (hubby speaks the native language) to bring the orphans to the local bank. We established Bank CD’s in their names, so that ten years later, they would have funds to begin their lives–marriage, college.

Given the arranging of marriages and that the value of women is based on their dowry, the idea paid off literally in dividends.

I share these “then and now” stories and our experience in greater detail in TSUNAMI 2004 – Still Wading Through Waves of Hope. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales will go to support our continuing mission work in India. 

Some of our “then and now” pictures (the book also has more picture)

2004 Nagapattinam Harbor

2004 Nagapattinam Harbor

harbor now

harbor now

Nambiar Nagar boatmen discouraged, not wanting to go back to the sea. Boats are all destroyed

We had given funds to a man who owned a boat repair business. He put 50 people to work after the tsunami. Above, then...and now.

We had given funds to the man above on the left of my husband (in the blue shirt/khakis). The man owned a boat repair business, decimated by the tsunami. With funds we gave, he put 50 people to work after the tsunami. Some, (above in boat), after losing loved ones to the sea, did not want to go out and fish again.

Two friends (orphans) we'd helped then, and below now...

Two friends (orphans) we’d helped then, and below now…

IMG_0158

IMG_0498

Some then photos….IMG_0975FH000002Long lines in Nambiar Nagar for foodIMG_0832Some now photos…

IMG_0111IMG_0142

Awestruck Sabeen looking at her picture then

Seeing herself in the photo from ten years ago

IMG_0615IMG_0203IMG_0580

Below, some of the orphans we helped then…Tsunami orphans 2004 who received CD Bank Accounts for approx. $230.And some of those faces now…
Tsunami orphans now

My deepest heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped with fundraising then and all of those who prayed for my husband and to those who also support my writing. Because of you all, we can continue to do the good works that the Lord has prepared for us to do and to go wherever and to whomever He leads us. 

*Special thanks to Roger Pierce, the husband of a Facebook friend, who happened to be in Bangalore, had been praying for my husband, and showed up at the hospital later and prayed with us. 

IMG_0668

To purchase Tsunami 2004 – Still Wading Through Waves of Hope (nonfiction)

Beautiful beach and sea

and

Crooked Lines (fiction), based on some tsunami experiences. (on sale for .99 Cents now)

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Miracle Mom Story

24 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Family, Inspiration

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

family, God, grace, Healing, Hope, Jesus Christ, Love, Mercy, Miracle, mom, mother, Wisconsin, wounds

Packing for a church visit to St. Peter’s Anglican in Albuquerque, New Mexico I was stressing over several chapters and a nonfiction proposal due to an editor in a few days. My husband assured me he’d drive there and back so I could write.

Then the phone rings.

My sister Jane.

Bad news.

Our mom had a A-Fib heart event that landed her in the ER, then the ICU. Jane said she was lucky to have survived because her heart had been pounding like crazy for too long. Here she is in the hospital:

mom

She looks happy and healthy, doesn’t she? Though the condition is chronic and she’ll have to take meds for life, the doctor said it’s a miracle she survived.

Miracle # 1

I spoke to my mom via Facetime. Jane sent the above picture, assured me she was fine and advised me to go ahead with my travels.

A few days after the event, the condition flipped and my mom’s heart went back to normal. No more meds. She’s fine.

Miracle #2

Then, that evening, my mother had a major stroke, was without speech and paralyzed. She was rushed to a larger hospital in Green Bay, given meds that they said could:

1. Kill her.

2. Heal her

2. Do nothing at all.

33% chance any one of those things could happen.

Thank God, the medicine worked.

Miracle #3

Here she is two days after her stroke, about to be released from the hospital:

mom1 Again, doesn’t she look happy?

The baby in her arms?

My youngest brother’s wife had a baby in the hospital the same day my mom was admitted (a hospital an hours drive from her home). Grandmother and grandson were released on the same day. A great-grandchild was born a day later.

Miracle # 4

Can you see God’s grace in all of this?

I phoned my mom yesterday, planning our visit home to Wisconsin. There was something different in her voice. A peacefulness I hadn’t heard in years.

When I asked her how she was feeling, she said, “In a lot of ways, better than before all of this happened. Not only physically, but something has changed in my heart…in ways I can’t even explain. All of this was meant to happen.”

The truth is, there have been family issues, wounds from the past plaguing her and our entire family.

My mother said that from her hospital bed she saw hugs between her children that she never thought she’d see.

My sister says she’s different. “Everything is different, ” Jane said. “You’ll see when you come home.”

Miracle #5

I haven’t been home for a very long time. We’re looking forward to going back.

Miracle #6

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NYT Best Selling Author Don Piper is coming to speak to us! “90 Minutes in Heaven” is an Amazing Story!

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Books, Holy Catholic Church - Anglican Rite, Inspiration

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

90 Minutes in Heaven, Angels, Anglican Church, Author Don Piper, Best Selling Author Don Piper, Christianity, death, Don Piper, Eternal life, Eternity, Gates of Heaven, God, Heaven, Heaven and Hell, Heaven is Real, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, Jesus Christ, Joy and Heaven, Life, Life and Death, Miracle, Miracles, Pastor Don Piper, Saint James Anglican Church - Kansas City, Speaker Don Piper, St James Anglican Church Kansas City

On his way home from a church conference in 1989, Don Piper’s Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. He was killed instantly — pronounced dead by four sets of paramedics.

90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper crushed Car on Bridge insetBut God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body. To date, 34 surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances. During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.

Ninety minutes after dying, Don Piper came back to life where he faced a long and grueling recovery. Don travels across the country and around the world sharing his amazing story of hope and healing. His message is simple … We can have a better life now and an eternal life someday through faith in Jesus Christ! Don has appeared and shared his miraculous story in numerous national media outlets, including Fox News, CBN, “The Today Show” on NBC and Newsweek.

Here’s a video about his experience: 

And guest what? !!! DON PIPER has agreed to come to our little church in Kansas City!

St. James Anglican Church  (Holy Catholic Anglican Church-Anglican Rite) is pleased to announce best selling author and speaker, Don Piper, as its special guest on June 13, 2013 @ 12:00 noon or 7:00 pm.  

DPTo purchase 90 Minutes in Heaven, click here

To Purchase Heaven is Real, click here

To come and hear Don Piper’s talk, come to St. James Anglican church on June 13th. Yay!!!

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The Destination: Update & Thank You!

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Christianity, Inspiration, Prayer Request

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

Blog, Ejection Fraction 5 %, Heart, Miracle, Thank you!, Vicky Sclafani, www.writingstraight.com

If you haven’t, you must read the two previous posts, Part 1: The Destination and Part 2: The Destination, Update and Prayer, to grasp my friend Vicky’s situation. She was on life support. Dying. Doctors and other medical staff reported she could not possibly survive the removal of the ventilator. Massive multi-organ failure. Heart. Lungs. Liver.

Vicky did not die when the tube was pulled out, a little over a week ago. She opened her eyes and said she wanted to live. The ethics committee took over. She was given care to keep her alive, but the word “futile” was repeated often. With the heart damage, it just wasn’t medically possible for her to survive much longer.

The medical staff insisted that the best hope was for Vicky to be transferred to hospice. Her heart would give out soon. She had 5% Ejection Fraction. Non-functioning liver. Lungs had been full of fluid.

Then something happened over the next few days. Improvements in her condition. Not expected. But still, she was labeled as “terminal.” The heart was the main problem. It could not sustain her much longer.

Yesterday, we were in the room with Vicky when the nurse came in with the results of the heart sonogram: “Her heart is normal.”

We were all shocked, elated, in tears!

One doctor declared, “God gave her a heart transplant.” There appears to be no medical reason that this can happen. We are told her heart could not repair itself. A doctor said, “We did nothing medically for her.”

Her liver is also normal. Her lungs are normal.

The medical staff keeps poring over her file. They can’t explain it. I can. A miracle! Vicky is doing well and will be released from the hospital, hopefully in the next few days. Thank you GOD! Thank you Jesus! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all who prayed for Vicky!!!! You have been a part of a MIRACLE! Surely her destination is Heaven; but not yet.

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How Does it All Connect?

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Christianity, Crooked Lines, Football, Inspiration

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Betsy Byrne, Bishop Leo Michael, Blog, Crooked Lines, God, Holly Michael, Inspiration, Jake Byrne, Jesus, Miracle, Miracles, Mother Mary, Nick Byrne, Virgin Mary, Writing, www.writingstraight.com

Writing Straight, Crooked Lines, God, Virgin Mary. How does it all connect?

My husband’s (an Anglican Bishop) favorite maxim is: God writes straight with crooked lines. Crooked Lines became the title of my first novel. All credit goes to God for everything in my life. I’ve posted these photos (taken by me) and am dedicating my first blog to the Blessed Virgin Mary because of this recent experience: Staying with our friend, Father Joseph Matthew (administrator), at a quiet private novitiate in Rosemead, California, I discovered these images on the courtyard sidewalk in front of our room on January 1st, 2012 (feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God). My husband and I were in Rosemead to watch our son, Jake Byrne (Wisconsin Badger now awaiting the NFL draft) play in the 2012 Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena. The rose (notice the rose theme) is a symbol for the Virgin Mary, also called the Mystical Rose. Father Joseph Matthew, whom my husband has known since childhood, had been watering potted plants on the sidewalk and the water stain formed this image. The circular mark in the center bottom (left) was where the pot rested.

Therefore, I begin this blog with a special thanks to God who leads and inspires, to the Blessed Virgin Mary (my mother in Heaven), to my husband Leo (my soulmate), and to our kids, Jake, Betsy, and Nick. I’m very grateful that my life has been filled with miracles, blessings, and travels around the globe. I hope this blog will be a place to be inspired through the sharing of faith and writing as we travel through life’s crooked lines.

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Holly Michael

Holly Michael

Done this: Regular freelance ghostwriter and online editor for Guideposts for Teens/Sweet 16 Magazine, creator/editor of a magazine for Wal-Mart Corp., journalist, newspaper features writer, published in a variety of national magazines and local newspapers, script writing/editing for corporations. Doing this now: author of fiction and nonfiction, blogger, and editor of Koinonia Magazine. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Nick (#81 Rajin Cajuns), Betsy (Super cute professor) and Jake (T1D & NFL player) Also, enjoy my travels extensively across the United States and internationally.

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