Jesus Appeared to Me When I was a Toddler

I would like you to take a moment to read this amazing testimony from a sister in Christ I know in Albania. 

Testimony of Sofia Rubati

Sofia writes:

"My testimony is that when I was around a year and a half old, my mom had put me for a midday nap, and as I was sleeping, something shook me, and I woke up. Suddenly there was blinding light in the room and a very big energy came around me. I could not see anything, but I heard a voice speaking to me, 'I love you. Do you accept me in your life?' And I nodded my head for yes, smiling. The reason I said, 'Yes' is because I felt a very big Love that covered me. 

"A prophetic preacher told me the age, because I was not sure. I had asked the Lord many times, and He sent me his answer through the preacher. 

"And then when I was eleven years old, Jesus appeared to me face to face. I could see a shape, and there was a blinding light coming from the head. He spoke to me through the Holy Spirit, and He told me 'One day you will have to give justice.' 

"Those are two of the most powerful moments of my life with Jesus.

Yours in Christ.

Sofia Rubati"

END OF SOFIA'S TESTIMONY

------------------------

Video Testimony

When I was in Albania, preaching in the church that Sofia attends, I invited people to come forward for prayer if they wanted to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. Sofia was one of several people who came forward, and she was completely set free. She testified that after receiving the impartation of the Holy Spirit's fire (Mt 3:11; Lk 3:16), she felt completely free, and light like a bird, as well as the mighty power of the Holy Spirit flowing through her from head to toe; she felt love, peace, and joy unspeakable, which she said was the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced. In fact, she said it was so wonderful that she felt like she was floating. Her testimony of that experience is recorded on video, so you can hear her say it in her own words.

Closing Words

I trust that Sofia's testimony has touched your life in a powerful way. 

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1Jn 1:5)

Jesus is real. He loves you, too. In fact, He loves you so much that it is as if He loves you more than anyone else, although He loves everyone that way. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to know the Father, and to know Him, which is eternal life (Jn 17:3). His love is the only thing that can fill the God-sized hole inside your heart. 

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1Jn 4:8)

Nothing and no one else will ever be able to fill that hole, only Him. He wants you to be with Him forever in heaven. Yes, heaven is real, and it's an amazingly wonderful place for those who truly know Him and have repented of their sins (Rev 21-22). 

Hell is real, too. It was created for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41), but all who do not believe in Jesus will be condemned to that place also (Mk 16:16). That is the default destination for everyone on earth, since we are all sinners who have fallen short of God's glory and perfection. That's why God sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world to die on the cross for us to take our place and pay the penalty for our sins, so that everyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. You don't have to go to hell. But the choice is yours. God has given you a free will to decide for yourself whether to repent of your sin, accept His love, to accept Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior and be saved, or to reject the Son and perish. Which will you choose? I urge you to choose life!

"The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.." (1Jn 2:4)

Attribution Notice: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read How I Came to Know Jesus, The Truth Set Me Free, and My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my adult children, who came to the Lord when they were little. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God

This past weekend I was exchanging emails with Catherine, one of the first-year students in our Doulos Training School (DTS), regarding my article called Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, which I wrote several years ago. She was expressing her appreciation for the article, which was a new teaching for her, since she had never heard it taught in any of the churches in the UK where she lives. She initially said, "I have always believed and lived a relationship with our Lord, but not by striving before."

However, a couple days later, she remembered a supernatural experience she once had while striving to be closer to the Lord, when she was just a teen. It's such a remarkable experience, and such a great example of biblical striving, that I felt I should post it here, so that everyone could benefit from it. Here is the testimony in her words:

Catherine's Testimony

The Lord brought back to remembrance, the true short story of what happened when I was fourteen, I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you.

I was at a Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, UK, with my foster parents and they went to their son's wedding, they didn't want me with them so after breakfast she gave me a green, 1-pound (£1) British banknote for lunch, I felt more rejection.

There is a big hill nearby so I made my way to this hill and walked up to the top, determined to strive and seek and find God. I had nothing to eat or drink all day (after only a light breakfast), as I was determined to meet with God. I spent all day at the top of this hill and found God and His love and peace. I felt so loved and happy, and no more pain of rejection. But as I came down to the bottom of the hill, I realised that I was lost, and I couldn't remember the Chalet number at the holiday camp either.

I asked Jesus for His help, then I met a man called Paul (he had a beard, and he looked Jewish, like I had seen in books at school). He Said, "You are lost aren't you?" 

I said, "Yes," 

He had a green jeep, so I accepted a lift from him. He told me about my foster parents and about my vision that I had received from the Lord a month earlier, which I thought I had only told my school friend Sandra about. I wondered, "How does Paul know so much about me?" He took me to the right chalet, and I turned to say thank you and wave goodbye, but Paul and his jeep had just disappeared.

My foster mother said, "Where have you been, it's 7:00 pm?" 

I said, "I got lost, and your friend Paul found me and brought me home." 

She said, "We don't have a friend called Paul, You must have been with a stranger, and what have  I told you about not talking with strangers."

I went to bed and read in the Bible, the Scripture that says, "You will entertain angels and not know it." (paraphrase from Hebrews 13:2). So I knew God had sent His angel to save me.

So our Lord told me, "This is what I am teaching you to do every day to diligently seek Me and strive to come closer all the time and I will bless you."

So thank you so much for your amazing article, it has been such a revelation and a blessing to me, and I feel closer to the Lord already.

I only wish I could teach others, I will pray about other people joining the (DTS) studies as it is so important for the church.

Praying for you all.

Bless you all.

Sister Catherine

[END OF TESTIMONY]

-----------------

Closing Words

What an amazing testimony! Let me just comment regarding the Jewish man named Paul, who met Catherine at the bottom of the hill, told her all about her life, and then disappeared after he dropped her off at the chalet where her parents were staying--even though she didn't know which chalet it was. She told me that the picture to the left most closely resembles him. While it could have been an angel, since the Bible clearly tells us we may encounter angels without being aware of it, it is my belief that this was the apostle Paul. It is just as easy for God to have one of the living saints in glory appear and help us in some way, as it is for Him to send an angel or another earth-dwelling human being. 

When I told Catherine that I and my family all believe it was the apostle Paul, she replied, "Yes I agree with you, I do believe it was St Paul that was sent to me. He had so much love and compassion just as he does in his letters to the churches in the New Testament, and his love and passion for Jesus our Lord is awesome. When I read his letters in the New Testament, it's like I know him in Spirit and I remember my encounter with him."

She continued, "As our Lord has shown me, this is such an important teaching. I have had so much joy being closer to our Lord since I learned this teaching and remembering my encounter with St Paul. Striving to be closer to our Lord brings a stronger faith and blessings."

Why should any of you consider it incredible that God could do this? He is the Sovereign Lord and nothing is too difficult for Him. Just as Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36), so the Lord can permit anyone He so wishes to have this sort of experience. 

This is all part of the communion of the saints that is spoken of in Scripture and in the Apostles' Creed. We believe in the communion of the saints. According to the apostle John, "...if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." (1Jn 1:7). Those who walk in the light in this way not only have fellowship with the Lord, but with the saints here on earth. And if God chooses to allow it, they also have fellowship with the saints in glory. 

However, we are not to seek to initiate direct contact with them. Such encounters come to those who diligently seek the Lord Himself, like John did on the Isle of Patmos. While he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, he had an amazing revelation from God that he wrote down in the book of Revelation. Not only did he see the Lord Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father, he also saw angels and saints in glory, including the twenty-four elders. In fact, he spoke with one of the twenty-four elders (Rev 7:13). And many believe that the particular angel who spoke with him and showed him things in heaven was actually the prophet Daniel. John wrote:

"At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.'" (Rev 19:10)

The reason many believe this was the prophet Daniel is that he told John that he is a fellow servant with him and his brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. A fellow servant (Gr. sumdoulos) of John and other disciples of Christ signifies being one of them and coequal with them. And the reason he is believed to be the prophet Daniel is that God gave Daniel an apocalyptic revelation of the end times, too, as written in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The books of Daniel and Revelation fit together like a lock and a key. How fitting it would be for Daniel to speak with John during his heavenly encounter and show him the things he showed him.

Dear friend, I hope this brief testimony from Catherine has encouraged you to diligently seek the Lord and strive to draw closer to Him all the time. Press in to know Him more. Ask Him to draw you close to Himself. And may the Lord give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him more.

Epilogue

After I posted this article with Catherine's testimony, we exchanged more emails about it, and she explained that a month before this trip to the holiday camp with her foster parents, she had received a vision from the Lord, in which he sent Mary to her. She wrote:

Jesus gave me vision, in which He sent His mother, to say to me, "You are a child of God, " Then I heard Jesus' voice saying, "Do not fear for I am always with you." 

Mary had dark hair and brown eyes, and looked like a young Jewish girl (closely resembling woman in photo to left). The Catholic Church portrays her as English with fair hair and blue eyes. She doesn't look like they portray; they have her wrong. She spoke with great authority, and a strong voice. She spoke the same English as I do, with the South London accent, as I was brought up in South London. 

Then a month later, when I sat in Paul's Jeep with him, he said, "Jesus sent you a vision of his mother to tell you that you are a child of God and Jesus told you not to be afraid, as He is with you always." 

And I said, "Yes, you are right." It was then I thought he must be an angel, as he knew everything about me and I had only told my school friend Sandra about the vision, no one else knew about it. 

The Holy Spirit later told me that Jesus sent his mother to me, to help heal the trauma of having an abusive foster mother, and never having a loving mother. 

When I tell people about this vision, I always point out that Jesus sent his mother to me so that I would know who I belong to -- 'Jesus' -- and not to become a Catholic as some people have said. For although I didn't see Jesus that night, He was still there, because I heard his voice loud and clear, which is a witness to Catholics that Jesus is our Saviour, and they must not pray to or worship Mary. 

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read The Communion of the Saints, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, The Truth About the Roman Catholic Church, The Night the Lord Came into My Hut, The Truth Set Me Free, My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus, and Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the Home page of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

The Joy I've Come to Know

Dennis Nederveen

I would like to share the amazing testimony of my friend from Luxembourg, Dennis L. Nederveen.  Please read what he has to say about his experience coming to know Jesus in Holland, as a young, university student.  He writes: 

I was adopted at one year old and raised in a home of Dutch reformed parents. My mother read the bible and taught me to pray and sometimes she also spoke about Israel. However we did not attend church and when I grew up I stopped praying and quickly fell in a life of self-gratification. 

When I went to a university in the 1980's, far away from my parents I lived a rather wild life on campus with many others. Still I was feeling very alone amidst all my friends. I remember I once cried out to the sky. I was not even sure if there was a God listening.

But God answered, not flashing a light but bringing friends and people in my life that were somewhere special. They knew about Him. First a police inspector who handled a ‘lost’ case I had claimed. He radiated kindness and great calm but did not even mention Him. Later I learned he was a real Christian. Then I also met some new friends at university who knew about God. One was a particular favorite of mine. His father borrowing him many fast luxury cars and he lived a wild life I found rather fascinating. But his wild life was different from mine. His life often seemed to be directed.

We became friends and one day I asked what he was doing on Sunday. He said: “I am going to church”. What? I had never thought of this and was curious enough to go with him. We went to a Pentecostal Church, and from the moment I came in, I knew these people had a joy I didn’t have. During the meeting, the Pastor Evangelist warned all sinners with great conviction to run to the cross fast. I was deeply convicted, but full of intellectual reserves I decided to check this out a little bit more.

Back at home I prayed a special prayer: “Lord, God if you do exist, and all these happy people are something more than just a happy group of believers, then I ask two things:"

1. "I will start studying this Book, from which they say it is directly from you, called the Bible. I will study it seriously under the condition that you give me all the time for my research."

2. "Furthermore, I will attend this church to check it out. However, the first time anyone tries to convert me or make me a member, this research will stop immediately. I will then conclude that You do not exist, or are not at all powerful as they claim, and that this is just another group of happy people together.”

At 21 years of age, and after twelve months of reading the Bible, I had written two diaries full of questions. I finally concluded that God had been kindly listening and answering ALL my questions, and that I had no way to deny his existence at all, nor the deep truths of His Bible. I then came to a final question:

"Who are you?"
By this, I wanted to know, "Do you have emotions? Do you like people? Do you really understand us?"

After this question I noticed that something like a window of Heaven above my head was opened. During not less than 6 months I received every request I made from God.

Just to mention some of these, as you can probably imagine me as a young student: A wonderful girlfriend, visiting special places, passing a very difficult exam, visiting special and far countries, having real friends and on and on. In short I was showered with blessings and heart desires before I could even mention them. And that happened every single day.

During this shower of love I came to my personal conclusion: “Father, You have been so very kind and patient to me, You allowed this entire research of mine while nobody tried to make me a church member. Now after 18 months I decide with all my heart you are the most lovely and most glorious God and Father and I want to serve You, Your Son and the Holy Spirit for the rest of my days to the best of my ability.”  I asked Jesus publicly in my heart by going forward at the next church call for repentance and was later baptized in water. 

That was the beginning of my journey with the Lord, which brought great peace and joy to my life, like I had never experienced before.  All my problems didn’t go away immediately. 

In fact, in His holy presence, I now became aware of my deep struggles with sin that had gripped me all my life.  Through many victories and setbacks, as well as painful heartaches and sickness, the Lord has patiently brought me to where I am today. 

I am amazed by His loving kindness, His quiet but so awesome power, His nearness. I must say that I am much more in love with Him than ever before.

Grace,
Dennis L. Nederveen

[end of testimony]

If you have just read what God did for my friend, Dennis, and you do not yet know Jesus personally, I want to encourage you today.  Just as God revealed Himself to Dennis in a very complete way, He will do the same for you, and make your life all that it was meant to be.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Author's note: You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

My Mother's Going Home to Be With Jesus

Well, I got the phone call today that my mother passed on into eternity to be with Jesus. Naturally, it's difficult, especially living overseas and having just lost my father seven months ago. Of course, we love her and will miss her. But her suffering is all over now, and that relieves us. She had been suffering so much in recent days.

I had visited with her in June for almost two weeks, and the Lord had temporarily restored her health in answer to prayer, which enabled me to enjoy the time together with her. We talked and prayed together and I read Scriptures to her, including Revelation 21, where heaven is described. This really encouraged her. Some of the verses we read included the following:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' " (Rev 21:1-5)

We talked about the fact that she had committed her life to Jesus and was trusting in Him alone for her salvation, and she was ready to meet Him. She was not trusting in her own good works or in her religion to save her, but in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She believed the Word of God where it is written, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Eph 2:8). I asked her, "Mom, what do you want the Lord to do for you." She said, "Whatever He wants. If He wants to keep me here longer, I'm ok with that. And if He wants to take me, that's fine, too. I'm ready."

About ten days ago, I spoke with her on the phone and read Psalm 23 and Revelation 21 to her once again. She was especially encouraged at the thought of her eternal home in heaven. It was during one such call with her this month that I told her I released her to the Lord. I wanted her to know that I was not holding her back from going to be with Him.

Last night we had the chance to do a video phone call with her. Unfortunately she had become unresponsive for the past couple days, and was languishing between life and death in her bed at home. She was unable to eat food or drink water any more and could not open her eyes or speak. But we encouraged her, prayed for her, and the children sang some worship songs during the call to lift her spirit.

Later on after the video call, I called a dear elderly friend of mine named Mel, who has been used mightily by God over the course of his life. He has traveled around the world, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and setting captives free. He's got a great sense of humor and always tells me how many years he has left until he turns 114. When I told him about my mother, he remembered visiting her and my father a few years ago and praying with them both. So he agreed to pay her a visit.

At my mother's home last evening, Mel anointed her with oil and prayed. His prayer was that as the anointing oil ran down Aaron’s beard and over his shoulders, that the healing power of the Holy Spirit would run from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. He then asked for the Lord to bless her with a foretaste of heaven by letting her experience the Shekinah glory of the Lord in her body at that very moment. He said he felt the presence of the Lord so powerfully as he prayed for her.

This morning, she was in her home laying in bed with her family around her. The last time she had opened her eyes a few days ago, they were all jaundiced and could not focus on anyone, but would just roll back and look at the wall while people spoke to her. Her eye lids would only open partially and her eyes looked like they were just swimming in pools of water. My family members were all praying for her this morning, reading Scriptures to her, and releasing her to the Lord. Each one told her they loved her, assured her that she was free to go be with Jesus now, and that they would be all right.

At one point while they were encircled around her bed on their knees praying, Mom opened her eyes for the first time in days and looked right at my sister who was praying. But now she had crystal clear, blue eyes with no signs of sickness in them, and her gaze was focused right on my sister’s face. She was looking right at my sister with healthy, sparkling eyes that were wide open, and a beautiful, peaceful look on her face. The look on her face was one of immense thankfulness that she was ready to meet the Lord and was now going to be with him. This moment lasted about a minute or two. Then she released her grip on my sister’s hand and her eyes closed as she left her body and went to be with Jesus.

We know that at that moment, her spirit came up out of her body and was escorted by God's holy angels into His presence in heaven. What a glorious homecoming she is having now! "To be absent from the body" is to be "present with the Lord." (2 Cor 5:8)

I'm reminded of a dream my daughter had three months ago. In her dream she saw my mother and father in heaven. Their hair was brown and they did not look old. They were wearing white robes and silver belts. And we know that the beautiful, healthy blue eyes my family saw this morning were a glimpse of the complete health she is now enjoying in heaven. For her, there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2Co 5:1)

You're invited to read her online obituary, where you will have the opportunity to sign the guest book. Your comments here on this blog post are also welcome.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Letting Go of Someone You Love

I went to the funeral for a dear man named Janos (pronounced YA-nosh) today. This was the usher at our church who was so full of joy and who died of a terrible cancer a couple weeks ago.

When we first came to this church, Janos was the usher who greeted us at the entrance with his great big smile and hugged us. He made us feel welcome there, even though we knew nobody. He escorted us to the seats in front that were reserved for English-speaking people who need translators. And he made sure we each got a headset to hear the translator during the service, so we could understand everything that was going on. Whenever there was a technical problem with the headsets, he would come right over without delay to help correct it, so we would not miss anything that was being said. Even though he didn’t speak English, Jennifer and I felt his love and joy, and it seemed like we got to know him in spite of our inability to communicate with him very well.

I had talked with one of the pastors about Janos right after he died a couple weeks ago. He told me that when Janos first discovered he was ill, he did not yet know how serious it was. He went to the weekly prayer meeting and he told the people there that he was ill. But he said that even if he were to die that very day, he felt like he had served the purposes of God for his life on earth and had fulfilled his mission. I recall that he also got up in church one Sunday, which was the last Sunday he was able to attend church. He went up front and with joy he testified for the Lord. He said that he had been given the opportunity to be a witness for Jesus during his lifetime. At work, he would smile and say hello to people, asking how they were doing. He said they would stop and tell him about the things that were bothering them. He would do this each time he saw them. After this happened two or three times, people would inevitably ask him why it was that they felt they could talk to him so freely when they were unable to do this with anyone else. He would explain to them that he is no different from them. They too could have this joy and peace in their hearts if they would give their life to Jesus as he had done. He said that through him the Lord had brought many members of his family to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

At the funeral, I talked with Ibolya (pronounced EE-bo-ya) about him at length. She told me the story from her perspective. In March when Janos became ill, he did not yet know how serious it was. He did not know what was wrong with him. He was only 45 years old and there was no reason to believe this illness was terminal. But Ibolya, who is a cardiologist, said she has been trained in the university to spot signs on a person’s face when they are close to dying. One day soon after he first became ill, she was standing by him while he was doing something and she noticed these signs on his face. She said she was thinking to herself that Janos was close to dying, but she didn’t say a word. Yet he turned to her and said, “Why do you think that I will die soon?” She was amazed that he knew exactly what she was pondering in her heart and they discussed it. She said, I am not saying that you will die right away, and she tried to encourage him.

He went to the doctor in March and a lump was discovered inside his abdomen. She said the doctor was negligent and scheduled the next appointment for Janos two months out in May! She had to get involved herself and helped to get him into chemotherapy, but it was too late. The disease was too far progressed and the medical professionals sent him home with no treatment plan or hope of living.

The church prayed earnestly for him over the past five months. There were many different prayer meetings at the church and in the homes, as well as people visiting Janos at his home to pray for him.

One Sunday evening very recently, Ibolya and her husband Laci (pronounced LOT-see) had been away on holiday about 200 km from Budapest, when Janos' mother called them on their mobile. The mother who is an old Christian said that she finally came to the point where she had released her son to the Lord and that he was very close to death. She was very concerned that Laci as his pastor and his wife, Ibolya should go to see him right away to pray and release him to the Lord.

So she and Laci made the trip into Budapest and visited Janos two days later on Tuesday evening in his home and talked with him. One of the questions they asked him was whether he was ready to go. He said he had been battling with terrible nightmares at night that he would go to hell. So they encouraged him that he knows Jesus and when he dies he will go to Jesus in heaven, not to the devil in hell.

After this they told him out loud from their hearts that they release him to the Lord. This is not something they did lightly, as they have known and loved Janos for many years and he was very dear to their hearts. After they released him, he said with complete peace and assurance, “I go. Hallelujiah!” And he smiled. Then they took communion together with Janos. The next morning he died and went to be with the Lord.

It is essential that we release our loved ones when it is their time to go and they are ready to meet the Lord, in order to help them die. Often times when one or more family members cannot seem to let go of their terminally ill or dying loved one, they prolong the person’s death needlessly. By not letting go of them, they can keep the person around languishing in a state of suffering, and it is so much harder on everyone. Ibolya has seen this time and again and she says it is necessary for the loved ones to say out loud from their heart to the dying person, “I release you (to the Lord Jesus).”

I told Ibolya about a lady named Merle at the nursing home across the hall from my mother, who was laying unconscious in her bed, languishing near death. I knew of her situation, but had not had the opportunity to visit her. My mother had also told me that the family of this woman had given orders to the nursing facility that nobody was allowed to visit with this lady except for family members. They did not want anyone seeing her in this terrible condition.

One day when I went to see my mother, she was not there, as they had taken her down for x-rays. So seeing that Merle across the hall was alone in her room, I asked the nurse at the nurse’s station if I could pay her a visit. They told me to go ahead right in. I went in and saw that she was laying there unresponsive, unable to communicate, her lungs making a terrible gurgling sound that showed they were filled with fluid. But knowing that she could still hear me, I spoke to her like I would speak to any person who is able to communicate.

I greeted her by name and introduced myself. Then I went on to share Jesus with her in a very loving way. Afterward, I led her in a prayer of repentance to ask forgiveness for her sins and invite Jesus into her heart. Although she couldn’t pray out loud, I encouraged her to simply repeat the prayer after me to God sincerely in her heart. As I shared and as we prayed together, I felt the sweet presence of the Lord in such a powerful and tangible way. It was awesome! Once we finished praying, I congratulated her and told her she was now ready to meet the Lord. I said, “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. You are ready to meet your Maker. When you die, you will go straight to heaven to be with Jesus forever.” I then told her she could release herself and let go, because it was going to be truly wonderful in heaven.

The next day, when I returned to the nursing home to visit my mother, the nurse on duty stopped me and thanked me sincerely for visiting Merle the previous day. She said, “Less than ten minutes after you left yesterday, she expired.” Once again, I felt the sweet presence of the Lord upon me at that moment. I knew in my heart that God had been keeping this woman alive on earth for that very short visit which I had with her. In His mercy, He wanted to give her the opportunity to get her heart right with him and establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ His Son. God allowed circumstances to be such that my mother was not there and this woman was available with no family members visiting. It was a divine appointment, and once she released herself to the Lord, she passed from this life into eternity.

After Janos' funeral today, I went to the luncheon reception at the church. I spent time talking with David, the son of the deceased man. David, who is about 18 years old, told me about the days just before Janos died. His father’s disease had progressed rapidly, and his belly swelled to a great size, making it very difficult for him to breath or to speak.

David said he has some bad memories from this period. I don’t know why. Perhaps because of the terrible pain and suffering Janos was in and because of the nightmares of hell his father had. But David said he had many good memories as well. He spent time digging out old pictures of his Dad when he was younger and still healthy.

On the night before Janos died, David heard him praying in different languages, which Janos had never learned, such as Japanese, Italian, etc. He was praying in other different languages, as well, which David couldn't understand. Sometimes Janos would stop praying. Then he would wait, and answer in his native Hungarian "Yes, Lord. You're right. I'm sorry. Hallelujiah." David said this was the first time he had ever heard anyone do this, and it was one of the greatest things he had ever witnessed in his life.

On that same night, as David lay on his own bed, he had a dream, which was not a dream at all. It was so real that it was actually a vision. In the vision, his father lay on David’s bed and said, “Tomorrow I go to be with Jesus.” In the vision, his father Janos was perfectly healthy. His body was whole, not all swollen with cancer in his belly like he really was in the next room. And the next day his father died.

He said he loves his father very much. And when his father died, the first thing David did was get his guitar and worship the Lord. He sobbed and wept of course, but he worshiped the Lord, and the presence of the Lord was very real. He said he loves to worship with his guitar and whenever he does, the Lord always meets with him. He leads worship for the church youth group.

What a wonderful disciple of Jesus Janos was during his earthly life, and now he is with Jesus in heaven! He has left so much good fruit behind him here on earth. His son David is evidence of that. I'm sure he will hear the Lord say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.