Robert is in serious agony. He can’t lift his arm or move it properly. The pain is so strong that he can’t sleep at night.
 
Ana and her husband are seriously stressed. They have huge debts that they have no means of paying because a business project didn’t work out.
 
Lucy can’t walk because of severe pain in her kidneys. The doctors she has seen are unable to help her.
 
What do these people have in common? God has miraculously worked in all of their lives thanks to the ongoing prayer of BMS mission workers Claire-Lise and David Judkins.
 
The first miracle happened to Robert (pictured). Robert, aged 82, is neighbours with the Judkins in Calvisson, France, and has become like a granddad to their two boys. Claire-Lise saw Robert the day after he lost movement in his arm. When he told her about the pain he was experiencing, with no hesitation she offered to pray for him.
 
At first nothing happened, so Claire-Lise tried again. “I tried to remember what God did for our friend suffering from deafness the week before, encouraging myself to trust in God,” says Claire-Lise. Robert was very keen and eager to be prayed for. After Claire-Lise had prayed a second time, Robert felt better but was still in pain.
 
Claire-Lise felt spurred to keep going until the pain left and continued to pray. Her Godly instinct paid off. After she had prayed five times, Robert could lift his arm, move it properly and felt no pain. Robert was amazed at what was happening, as was Claire-Lise!
 
The next day Claire-Lise heard of another miracle. She was dropping her boys off at school when she saw Ana* from the Alpha course which she and David had been running. Ana’s eyes were sparkling and she had a huge smile on her face. “God has provided a miracle for me and I am so excited,” she said.
 
David had prayed a lot for the dire financial situation of Ana and her husband and his prayers had been answered. The couple’s electricity bill of 800 euros was paid for miraculously, and then when they checked their bank account to see how overdrawn they were, they found out they were 4,000 euros in credit. It is not clear where the money has come from and how the bill was paid – both remain unexplained. The money allowed Ana and her husband to clear out some of their more urgent debts and provided significant breathing space. They felt relief from intense pressure.
 
Even better, thanks to this tangible sign of God’s love, Ana said she wants to surrender to God in all areas of her life. She previously had been hurt by a traumatic church experience but now feels closer to God and reassured in trusting him. Her husband, who has been coming to the Judkins’ church in Salinelles and meeting weekly with David, is so encouraged.
 
A week later, Claire-Lise went to see Lucy from her Alpha course after hearing about her chronic kidney problems. Lucy had given her life to God a few months earlier but was still unsure of her faith. Encouraged by what happened to Robert and others, Claire-Lise prayed for healing. The pain disappeared! Lucy felt heat and something moving in her back. “God was giving her a sign to encourage her faith and my faith!” says Claire-Lise. Lucy now feels ready to take the step of being baptised and will do so in September.
 
David and Claire-Lise are overjoyed that their prayers for Robert, Ana and Lucy were answered. “After months of praying and feeling like we were walking in the desert, it seems like we have stumbled upon on oasis,” says Claire-Lise.
 
“We can only be in awe of our God. He is who he says he is. Miracles are here to glorify him and help us draw closer to him, not to put on a show. We hope that when others hear these stories they will be strengthened in their faith and prayer life.
 
“At the same time, we still have so much more to learn from God,” Claire-Lise adds. “We still have people around us who haven’t experienced ‘their’ miracle. Two of our friends are desperate to get pregnant but until now we didn’t see any breakthrough for them. So please could you pray for Anaelle and Mélissa that God would touch them.”
 
* Name changed

 
David and Claire-Lise will be leaving Calvisson in July to start a church plant in Brive-La Gaillarde. Pray for them as they settle in a new community and pray that those from the Alpha course in Calvisson will continue their faith journey.