A Matamoros Miracle

Several years ago in Mexico I saw a woman physically healed at a church. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

A youth mission team that I was leading from Ohio was collaborating with another group in an effort to pour a concrete roof for a church in Matamoros Mexico. In the middle of the job the cement mixer behind the church stopped working. One of the leaders from Adventures in Mission, the organization that was hosting us, sent for a repairman. He was supposedly on his way. In the meantime, several of the students and adults tinkered with the mixer to try to fix the problem. They weren’t having much luck.

The church that day was bustling with activity as over 80 children from the neighborhood swarmed the church for the VBS that our group was providing. As children were running around and folks were still focused on getting the concrete mixer back into action I saw a woman walking along a support wall that started midway along the side of the church and gradually inclined up to about four feet high behind the church. The mixer sat on the level ground behind the church in the general direction that she was headed. As I was coming out of the church to see if any progress had been made on the repair I happened to see this woman misstep, her right foot slipping off of the wall. She screamed as she began to fall. I stood there helplessly and watched as her turned ankle hit the ground about two and a half feet below. It eerily resembled the horrifying instant replay from several college and National League Football games that I had seen where players had broken their ankles. She of course then proceeded to body slam the ground onlookers aghast. Everyone who saw this happen was in temporary shock. We knew instantly that this was bad and the woman continued to scream in pain.

Fortunately, one of the men working from the other group was a doctor and he immediately rushed over to check her out. Slowly her screams turned to whimpers but the doctor quickly concluded that she had broken the ankle and that it was swelling quickly. He announced that we needed to get a vehicle to the site immediately that could take her to the hospital. Until then he ordered that she was not to be moved. Due to the woman’s initial screams several more people had gathered at the side of the church keeping their distance – praying for the lady.

Wondering what all the commotion was about the head pastor of the church for whom we were putting the roof on for came out to investigate what was going on. Immediately, he went to the woman to console her. As he did the doctor intersected with him and told him that she needed to get to the hospital soon. The pastor swiftly corrected him and said “No, we need to pray for her now.” The doctor didn’t seem too happy about this and protested, but the pastor insisted and, seeing that there wasn’t a vehicle there yet to move her, the doctor conceded.

The pastor then proceeded to call out in Spanish to several of his congregant to come over to the woman. They then helped her to stand on her one good foot, gathered around her laying hands on her and began to pray. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself but when they finished – the woman was healed. The woman was smiling and hugging everyone who prayed for her. Several onlookers and myself stood in awe. The pastor invited to doctor over to check her out. Sure enough, no swelling – she was good to go.

The doctor later told me that he had never seen anything like it before in his life. Most of us hadn’t. He was convinced that the Holy Spirit had healed this woman completely.

After the majority of the celebration had concluded, the pastor happened to notice that all work on the roof had come to screeching halt and that several people had returned to the mixer frustrated that, after numerous attempts, it still wouldn’t start. The pastor inquired as to what the delay was about and was quickly informed. He simply said “Ye of little faith” and called over his congregants, again in Spanish, who then all proceeded to lay hands on the cement mixer. After they concluded they all stepped back and the pastor flipped the same switch that I had seen flipped a dozen times before. Looking around, the onlookers watch with anticipation. This time the mixer started. “Everyone get back to work!” he said as he smiled and walked back into the church. It was unbelievable but it happened.

A few minutes later the vehicle showed up to take the woman to the hospital. She had already left the church to walk home. The repairman then also arrived only to be informed that he wasn’t needed because a “miracle had occurred.” He was very skeptical. I would have been too if I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes.