Merci SantosMerci Santos was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis more than 20 years ago. At that time Merci suffered from paralysis and vision loss on her left side. As time passed she regained the use of her body, but the unpredictable symptoms of MS, some mild, some debilitating, would come and go. The up and down nature of MS made caring for her young daughter Danielle and managing a job difficult.

Nine years ago, after moving to Florida, Merci's health continued to deteriorate as she fought hard battles with MS. As is symptomatic of the disease, her flare-ups would occur without warning and without obvious cause, and would last for several days at a time.

Merci shows the leftover steroids and intravenous paraphernalia from her in-home healthcare visits.
(Click to enlarge) Approximately every six weeks Merci would be weakened to the point of needing professional healthcare. She would either be admitted to the hospital or undergo in-home care. After four or five days of treatment, which included a steady dose of steroids, Merci would regain her strength and would go home—only to begin the cycle again.

Eventually Merci was forced to give up working. Suffering from the severest of symptoms, her doctor said she was unable to work any longer. At times Merci couldn't walk or use her arms as she suffered with the severe and limiting musculoskeletal and sensational effects of the disease. She had trouble swallowing and speaking, and had cognitive issues as well. During these times Merci relied on her own mother for the care of Danielle.

Merci's daughter, Danielle remembers having to call the ambulance for her mother because the symptoms of MS had gotten so severe. (Click to enlarge) Throughout her struggles Merci would say to anyone who would listen, including herself, "I don't care what you see, I know I am healed. By His stripes I am healed."

There were times when she couldn't walk, and the Lord would give her Scriptures, such as Acts chapter three, to stand on. She would receive strength from the Lord and walk again only to suffer through the cycle of regression a few weeks later.

Frustrated and feeling as though she was doing something wrong, Merci asked the Lord, "Why am I sick again? Do I have to do something different?" That night, after asking those questions of the Lord, she came across Andrew's Gospel Truth television program. As she was about to turn the TV off she heard Andrew say, "What you're doing wrong is that you're not praying right, you need to pray differently." Stunned, Merci received Andrew's words as the answer to her prayer. The Lord spoke to her through Andrew's teaching of his series called A Better Way to Pray.

Merci watches Andrew's teachings daily. (Click to enlarge)Since that time Merci and her husband Ray continued to watch Andrew regularly. As she began to apply the principles she learned from the Word of God through Andrew, her life began to change, and her healing began to manifest.

Looking back, Merci realized that she had accepted a different doctrine and that her beliefs were hindering her from receiving all that Jesus had provided for her. Andrew shared the truth so clearly that Merci was freed from the oppression of the enemy. As she continues to apply the lessons she learns from Andrew, she gains more and more strength. Now Merci stands on the Word of God to face down any attempt by the enemy to steal more from her. Should a symptom of anything contrary to God's Word arise, she takes her authority and speaks to the specific area of concern, and through faith in His promises is able to overcome any health issue.

Watch as Merci and her family share the testimony of her healing in the video below. Merci's story will be featured on the upcoming DVD release, Healing Journeys Volume 2. For more encourgement read these other Healing Testimonies.

Scott Forsyth spent most of his childhood battling illness. (Click to enlarge) Scott Forsyth can remember being sick like it was yesterday. He was chronically ill through most of his childhood. Because of the pain and suffering Scott endured, he was convinced that God was punishing him. The enemy was stealing Scott's youth.

When Scott was twelve years old, he endured as many as four migraines a week. He describes the pain he experienced as being the same as if something was violently squeezing his head. And when the headaches were particularly bad, Scott could not bear to see any light at all. He was forced to lie down in a dark room, in order to manage the pain.

Scott’s pediatrician sent him to a neurologist and he underwent numerous tests. The doctor eventually put him on experimental drugs, but the headaches continued.

Scott received prayer for his migraine headaches. (Click to enlarge)The Forsyth's church had a healing prayer ministry, and Scott was open and receptive to allowing the group to pray for him. The group prayed for Scott on several different occasions, and praise God, his headaches eventually stopped. The Forsyth family was thrilled.

Then, a couple of months later, Scott began to experience stomach problems. He said that his pain felt like someone was stabbing him in the stomach. Scott’s mom, Vicky, noticed that the symptoms seem to be worse when Scott ate foods containing wheat, so she adjusted Scott's diet and made it gluten-free. For months, they experimented with different tactics to make Scott more comfortable. 

Scott underwent many procedures including a two-hour gastro emptying procedure.
(Click to enlarge)Finally, the doctors decided to put an endoscope down Scott’s throat to see what they could find. What the Pediatric Gastroenterologist found resulted in the diagnosis of “Barrett’s Esophagus,” a disease that is unheard of in children. The doctors told the Forsyth's that it was “lucky” that they had made the discovery, because the condition could worsen to esophageal cancer, which is life threatening. The doctors prescribed a very aggressive treatment. Scott's symptoms continued to worsen to the point that his stomach shut down as he suffered from Gastroparesis.

In the meantime, family friend and healing prayer group leader, Evelyn Mealy, had received Andrew’s Healing Journeys DVD in the mail. She was aware that Hannah Terradez’ healing testimony was on the DVD, and hoped that it would be an encouragement to the Forsyth’s. Similar to Scott's circumstances, Hannah had suffered from life threatening stomach issues and had been healed when she was three years old. Evelyn delivered the DVD and that evening the Forsyth family watched it together.

Scott's sister Allison prayed for him after watching the Healing Journeys DVD. (Click to enlarge)As they watched, the Forsyth’s felt encouraged. Scott’s dad, David was praying that Scott would absorb and accept that God wanted him to be well. His son did absorb the message, and Hannah’s testimony really made an impact, and encouraged him. “She could be healed, so I knew, so could I,” Scott explained.

Following the video, Scott’s older sister, Allison felt impressed to pray for him before he went to bed. The following morning, Scott woke up feeling normal for the first time in months. And… he was hungry.

Although Scott’s parents were nervous about what to do next, they decided to leave it up to him. His morning routine had become regimented based on his medications. Scott’s decision was to skip his medicine and eat instead. The family watched and waited nervously as Scott ate, hoping that his symptoms wouldn't reemerge. Praise God they did not!

The Forsyth family“Life is so good now. He is a normal boy. He is able to eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I’m not the food police anymore,” said Vicky.

On July 2, 2009 Scott and his mom traveled to Colorado Springs to attend the Summer Family Bible Conference, and to meet Hannah, the little girl who had impacted the Forsyth family with her testimony of God’s love. It was important to Scott to tell Hannah how much she had encouraged him.

Now both family's healing testimonies will continue to encourage others facing mountains of seemingly insurmountable circumstances.

Watch as the Forsyth family shares their testimony in the video below. Scott's story will be featured on the upcoming DVD release Healing Journeys Volume 2.

Holly TroverSteve and Holly Trover waited excitedly for the results of the ultrasound exam that would reveal the gender of the child they were expecting. Steve was elated to hear the report that they were going to have a baby girl. The Trover's already had two handsome young sons, and in their eyes, the addition of a daughter would complete their family nicely.

As time progressed and their three beautiful children, Joshua, Luke and Chloe grew, Holly chose to capture the joy of motherhood by having a professional portrait taken of the children. She had the portrait framed and with deep satisfaction hung it on the wall in their family room. The Trover family was content.

2 years later, in 2008, Steve like many business owners began to see the economy slow. As a result he turned to the Lord and began to seek His wisdom for their business. As he prayed for God's direction, the Lord began to impress on Steve's heart that they were to have another child. This was not quite the guidance Steve was seeking. Steve resisted sharing the news with his wife for a couple of months until finally, one night while working at his computer, God said it was time to tell her.

Steve TroverAlthough Holly was completely surprised by Steve's news, the two conceived their fourth child almost immediately.

Several months into the pregnancy, when the time came for Holly to have her second ultrasound, the doctor delivered some devastating news. After careful measurement and calculation the doctor said that there were several factors that clearly indicated that the baby would be born with Down syndrome. The doctor went on to show the Trover's in detail what led her to the diagnosis. Before leaving the room, the doctor went as far as to talk about possible termination of the pregnancy through abortion.

Termination of the pregnancy was not an option for Scott and Holly.

The enemy had come to steal from Steve and Holly, but they stood their ground. Drawing on the revelation they had received from Andrew's teaching in their church small group, and knowing that it was God who spoke to them about having another child, they refused to believe that this was God's plan for their baby. In the face of this negative report of a medical reality in the natural, Steve, standing on faith in God's word, took his authority and rejected the diagnosis. "I cancel this diagnosis in the name of Jesus. We don't believe these things that were spoken over our child and we don't accept it..." Steve rebuked.

Several months later the Trover's returned to the doctor's office for another ultrasound. The couple entered the examining room determined to see different results. After a long time passed, the doctor finally spoke and said that if this had been the first time that she had seen this baby, she would have told the Trover's that their baby was perfect in every way. However, in disbelief, the doctor continued to take measurements. Finally, exasperated, the doctor threw up her hands; she couldn't offer any explanation for the transformation she saw in the Trover's baby.

Baby NathanielWhen the time came, Holly was induced and gave birth to a perfect baby boy. Perfect may sound like an exaggeration, but in the medical world newborn babies are rated by their APGAR score. The score is calculated through a series of five tests, and scores range from zero to ten, ten being the best. The Trover's baby, Nathaniel, scored a perfect ten!

Watch the video below for more details in the Trover family testimony. This video will be featured on the upcoming DVD release, Healing Journeys Volume 2.