HEALED OF CANCER!

29 MAY 2000

Sister Cielie Jacobs:

My testimony began about three weeks ago, on 29 May 2000. The day began like every other Monday, laundry and all the usual things. I did my planning for the week, little did I know how my life would change that night.

That night I got into bed (I have to tell it because that's where the miracles all began). I sat in bed, and I had an itch at my collarbone. I put my hand under my pyjamas to scratch, and my little finger stopped against a lump in my breast, it felt so big. When I tried to feel it again, it was so small I had to look for it. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Eventually, I fell asleep that night. I only went to my GP on Wednesday, and she said that with the history of my mother, who had breast cancer, then lung cancer that spread to her liver, who passed away in February 2000, I had to go for a scan and mammogram immediately (I had my yearly routine check-up in February 2000, and there was nothing wrong). I went again, and on the sonar, not on the Mammogram, they saw a 13mm nodule (lump). Doctor Veldman recommended that I had it surgically examined.  Doctor Mellet, the surgeon, did a biopsy and told me to call him the next day for the results. Before I could make the call, his receptionist called me. When I heard her voice, I knew this could only be bad news. I have been busy here at the church cleaning, and immediately packed up and went home. It was a big shock to hear such a thing. I saw what my mother went through, so I knew what lay ahead of me.

Nickey and I went to Doctor Mellet on Friday, where he informed us that it is malignant and that the cells are very different from normal cells, it is very serious and a mastectomy needs to be done a.s.a.p.

I came home, and tears flowed. I had to tell my three sons, 14, 16 and 17. After I told them, a sense of peace came over me. A desire was laid upon me to tell people this. I called Francois Ferreira, but ended up, talking to his mother. She knew about cancer! Francois also had cancer as a young man. Then  I phoned Brother Fanus and Sister Mathilda Botha, very good friends of ours.

Sunday we went to church...

Now, I want Brother Fanus himself, to tell you of the experience he had with the Lord. This is how wonderful Jesus, my Lord and saviour is …. Before you ask, He already has the answer.

Brother Fanus Botha:

“I never thought that, in my lifetime, I would stand here and talk. Please allow me a moment or two. You know, I was raised as an extremely hard man. You may ask: ‘why am I saying this to you’. But one thing I want to say to you this morning, when the Lord works with you, then He take that hard heart of stone, and He puts it aside, and replace it with a heart of flesh and blood.

What I experienced is very difficult to convey in words to you this morning. But I stand here and I give God all the praise and honour and thanks for that! As Paul said: "I glory in the Lord, not in myself!" You feel like you're not even worthy of something like this when it happens to you, but I thank God for this.

When Cielie contacted us, I answered and heard something was wrong with her. She told me what the Doctor said. I said to her: "Cielie, as a family, we will pray for you, very seriously. "The Word of God is wonderful, especially where it says: "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." That night we prayed for Cielie and we went to bed. I am a man who can fall sleep easily. If my head touches the pillow, I am gone! I woke up in the morning hours, I do not know exactly what time. The first thing that came to my mind was: "Fanus, pray for Cielie!" And I immediately went into prayer for Cielie. I'm going to tell you in short what happened.

I'm near sighted. If I remove my glasses, I can see you but it is very blurry. I was born this way. Now, we live on a farm. When it is dark, it is pitch-dark. I prayed and I became aware that this room of mine in which I prayed, was brightly lit, it's something I can’t describe in words. But I realized something unfamiliar is happening! I looked at the light and I wondered to myself; “Hey, are you awake?

Are you sure what you are seeing is reality?”

I woke my wife and asked her: "What light is in the room?" She replied: "But it's pitch-dark in the room!" I said to her: "It's impossible! The room is filled with bright light!" And she said: “It's pitch-dark!" In order to prove to her and myself that I was not dreaming, I looked at my wife in that dark night, and told her: "I can take your hair one by one!" I looked up and I saw the ceiling, it's an old wooden ceiling. I could see every little line of that ceiling. Then I realized, here's something mighty happening. It's not only a coincidence. And it was as if I suddenly understood what was going on. I could not even move. I only lifted my left hand and said: "Lord, if you are here, touch me please" In the meantime, I knew I was praying for Cielie at the same time. The Lord gave me a word;  "Fanus our bodies - Cielie's body is a temple for Me, and I will clean my own temple!"

It was the first time that such a thing happened to me in my life, and I thanked God that I could understand it. At one point I looked at my clock and it was a quarter past two in the morning. I kept on talking to the Lord, it's hard to explain to you, this conversation went on and on. I do not know how long it went on. At one point I opened my eyes and the room was still filled with light. I could identify everything in the room. I looked towards my closet where a square rug lay, and it was as if that rug was glowing with light and where much brighter than the rest of the room. So I kept talking to the Lord and He showed me in my spirit… “You will pray for Cielie this coming Sunday.”  I told no one, not even Mathilda, what I have experienced.  

‘I saw Cielie, here in church, kneeling at the altar of the Lord. Pastor Kidwell prayed for her. I saw the brothers present, lay their hands upon Cielie. While they were busy praying, about three or four times I felt departed of myself.  Like I said, you can’t describe it to anyone. At one point the Lord gave me a word: "Fanus, in My light, you will see the light!" I could not understand it.’

I asked the Lord that He should make it clear to me. I did not receive an answer yet, but I felt I had to share this with Cielie.

While the room was filled with this Light and I was talking to the Lord, I looked to my left and it seemed as if the light came into motion. It was a bright Light. It was not a side flashlight, the whole place was lit! I sat and watched as the light moved out of my room. As I looked at the door, I thought... "Yes, our God is great!" As I called Him that night, He gave me an answer. And I believed, there is not even a concern for Cielie. The Lord told me she was going to be completely healed!

Praise the Lord!

Sister Cielie Jacobs:

Brothers and Sisters, it is such a wonderful testimony we received this morning!

I had the most wonderful peace from the Lord. Truly, deep within my being, I had no fear. I no longer had the burden on me about what is going to happen to me. I knew that I know,  God is in control.

Monday morning, a friend from Hospice came to see me and asked: "Cielie, how do you feel this morning?" I answered: "You know Lynette, I'm so excited, I can’t wait for tomorrow's operation." She looked puzzled. I said to her: "Well, the Lord touched me! What He has done – I do not know, and I do not know what will happen, but that God did something, that's for sure." She was at my mother‘s deathbed, and also experienced the wonderful peace, our Saviour gives, that prevailed there. She saw how God provided for us during my mother’s illness. She stepped over from this world into heavenly places! Hallelujah.

Tuesday morning I was submitted to the hospital, and the operation was done at 10:00. I had three caesareans and a hysterectomy; and I am a little shaky when going to the theatre. But I was not shaky at all - I was so calm. It was really nice. Now what happened in the theatre, I can’t tell you, but, here is someone who can tell you. Sister Karin Ferreira , brother Francois Ferreira’s wife,  assisted doctor Melette. I'll ask Sister Karin to tell you, what she had experienced in the theatre. My testimony is one miracle in another, I can’t leave one part out.

Sister Karin:

I'm a theatre sister for 12 years, and there is much downside to a theatre sister's work. Especially if you find someone who is close to you, that you see in these circumstances. I spoke to the doctor ahead of the operation, and his words were: "This is bad news. It's only bad news, there is no good news." And I knew what it meant. I could not say that to Sister Cielie in so many words. What it really meant is: “It is a death sentence. That's all it is.” I talked to the doctor before the operation and he told me, with a family history like that, he took the option in his consulting room, that it was absolutely necessary for a mastectomy.

We then started the operation, and as we expected, we removed the nodule. I could see with my own eyes, that it was very abnormal and it did not look like normal breast tissue at all!. There was a pathologist in the theatre, to determine whether the samples are malignant. He took it with him, and was away for a long time. He came back and said to the doctor, it is exactly like they saw in the previous biopsy - it is malignant, and it had to be removed. During the mastectomy, they noticed that there were glands under the left arm that was pretty big. This was the next negative aspect… Bad news one should give to the patient. 13 Glands were removed and the general feeling in the theatre was that Sister Cielie, would not do very well after surgery. Her prognosis was not good. I was very surprised when I received a phone call the next night, and the results of the biopsy indicated that it was not malignant. I can assure you that the tissue I saw in the theatre, and the results we received a day later, was two different things. I really think we can give all the glory to God for this miracle.

Sister Cielie:

Do you know what else was great? The Tuesday after the surgery, I felt no pain or discomfort. I felt really good. Yes, I was a bit nauseous, but that was all. The next morning I felt so good, and the doctor came to me (that was before he received the results of the biopsy of the glands that were removed), and he told me that it's just bad news. It did not even upset me, it really did not matter to me that it was bad news. I said to God: “Whatever Lord, here I am…” and I really meant it. Whether I live or die, I belong to God! I felt so good on Tuesday, the people looked at me, and could not believe that I had such a major surgery the previous day. Sisters continued to tell me: “You must remember this is a major operation!” as if to say … “You ought to feel miserable, you know..”  But I felt good. As Sister Karen said, 12 of the glands were removed. They were all enlarged. Why were they enlarged? Because there were cancer in my body! Thursday evening the doctor called to the sisters’ desk. They came running to me, and said the doctor wants to talk to me. And I thought, it never happens that the doctor call you and want to talk to you at the sisters’ desk!  Specially at 8 in the evening! I went to the phone, and could hear his voice touched by emotion,  "Mrs. Jacobs, at first I just had bad news for you, but now I have good news. There is no cancer found in one of the 12 glands removed. So strictly speaking, you're healthy." And I said: "Doctor, really?" "Yes, there is no cancer." And I replied: “I knew God did something.”  I might have been rude but I just put the phone down. The sisters at the desk looked at me wide-eyed. And I said to them: "Can you believe it? The Lord healed me of this cancer." The one who stood on the left side, simply said: "Praise the Lord". And the other still looked at me with big eyes.

I went to my husband, Nickey, and I was so thankful that I could tell him - nothing is wrong. We went back to my hospital room, and I told the children that the Lord had healed me and that they are stuck with Mamma for the time being. It's been over 13 years now!  When you hear the word ‘cancer’ then you only think of ‘death, you are going to the grave’, that's all. But when you put God in the situation, all things change. Hallelujah!

While thinking about it, it came to me; it is like Paul said…whether you live or die, it's the same, because you know you are going to our Lord God Almighty when you die. It is sad for those left behind, that is why the Holy Spirit is there to comfort them, but if it is the Lord's will to die, it is my will too.

People came up to me and asked: "But why did you have the mastectomy, as the Lord has healed you? Why did you still have to go through with it?" I prayed and asked God: "Lord, you died on the cross for me. Your blood flowed for me, to heal me, and You did! Why the mastectomy Lord?” Then the answer came: “People are always looking for evidence. You now have evidence to your body that you definitely had cancer, but not anymore. Otherwise, people could easily have said: “They have made ​​a mistake.”  So now I know, I can show them if they want to see.

My Jesus hung on the cross, to cure me and you too. It's wonderful to think that I stand here this morning as evidence that Jesus healed me. Nothing but the name of Jesus… I am so grateful that the Lord walked this road with me. Because if I would have had a drop of chemo or radiation, the people would have said that the chemo made ​​me whole.  God healed me. And I'm so grateful for that.

I just want to read to you from Acts 3:16 (about the man who was born cripple) –“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."

Verse 6, then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk".  Nothing else. If we are true Children of God, then Jesus Christ should live in us. It is not an ideology or philosophy or influence. No, it is the Jesus who preached and healed people2000 years ago. It is the living son of God, who is the same - yesterday, today and forever. With the same hand that was nailed to the cross, He healed people. With the same hand, He raised Uncle Ben, 50 years ago, from the dead. He has cured Francois, 28 years ago, of cancer and he is still alive today - with two children, which according to doctors, he was not supposed to have. Three weeks ago with that same hand, Jesus touched me and healed me of the death sentence that was pronounced over me, that I did not have a 1% chance to live. Is it not a great God we serve? We really need to spread this message, that Jesus is alive, and He does miracles today. If you came this morning for healing, I want to say to you; "Just believe... You can’t believe a little or a lot, believe that Jesus can do for you, what He did for me."

I want us to this sing this chorus altogether: "All the praise and glory to you." That's what I want to convey, this evidence is not about me, but my Jesus who is so wonderful and who healed me, and that I am a living witness unto Him.

Praise His wonderful Name!!