Spirit
Daily
__________________________________________
At The Spot Where Two
Hurricanes Made Land, A Woman Testifies To Intercession
Ah,
those hurricanes. We still hear about them, the destruction, yes, but also
remarkable accounts of how prayer works, how strong it is, how it indeed can
affect the way a storm strikes (or rather doesn't strike) a home or a
neighborhood or even an entire community.
Christ did say that we could
quiet the wind and seas (He said we could do what He did), and also that faith
can move a mountain (which makes us begin to contemplate Mount St. Helens).
But back to storms: we also get
many notes from those who feel they have been graced by signs at the behest of
recently deceased mystic Maria Esperanza of Venezuela, who died on August 7,
just before the recent run of natural disasters, which she had long predicted.
Ironically, those disasters have focused on Florida, which was always a special
state to her. Esperanza was associated with the Church-approved apparition site
of Betania near Caracas, which was flooded two years ago by a storm she also had
foreseen.
Now, after
her death, some report the odor of sanctity when they invoke her help
while others have seen a strange blue butterfly known to be a sign at Betania,
which the Bishop has declared as officially "sacred ground."
And then there is the protection.
We post the following, from a reader named Tess Rohmann, who lives right where
two huge hurricanes made landfall. A powerful testimony it appears to be -- but
we'll leave that for your discernment.
"I
would like to share the following with you, with your readers, if you so
choose; however the main reason for writing is to ask if you know who I can
submit this account to towards a Cause for Maria Esperanza" writes Tess. "In
the mid- 1980s, I learned of Maria Esperanza and the apparitions that were
taking place in Betania, Venezuela.
"At the time I remember
reading that she said that any home marked with the sign of the Christian
Fish and the words, 'As for me and my House we will serve the Lord,' would
be spared from the disaster of hurricane. The two times that we have had to
evacuate for the threat of a hurricane, I made a sign and placed it at my
from door. My original plaque I took to Orlando during hurricane Andrew and
placed it at the front door of the hotel. It was lost!
"Our home is on the barrier
islands of Brevard County, Indian Harbour Beach to be exact, on Florida's
East Coast. Our home was built in 1987, prior to Andrew, so its construction
is wood frame with sprayed stucco. Our windows are the older single glass
[far under current building codes].
"As we
prepared to evacuate for Hurricane Frances, I looked around my home
and made to decision to walk out with my Bibles, prayer books, a couple of
my favorite statues, insurance papers, family photos and a couple of very
special keep sakes. Everything else I turned my back on.
"For me it was a powerful
spiritual exercise. I made the sign of the Fish with the words from Joshua
and placed it at our front door taped to the inside of the glass.
"This
was the only thing put up on our home. My husband and I did not place
a single piece of plywood on the house. He told me that if we took a hit
with winds of up 100 miles per hour that due to poor construction, our house
could not withstand it. So we left our home not expecting to see it again
upon our return.
"I interceded to Maria and
asked her to pray for the safely of all and to keep my home safe, then
turned the key in the door and left.
Frances
battered our coast line for over 24 hours due to its stalling of the
coast -- then it hit just south of us. We returned home to find our home
not only standing but with NO damage at all. Not even a torn screen! My
family was amazed!
"A week later we got ready to
leave for Jeanne. While others had left their plywood in place, I had left
my hand-made 'fish sign' taped to the front door, where it remains.
"Again
I interceded to Maria and we departed for Orlando.
"In the hotel that night my
boys asked me to make a sign for our window which I did and we prayed.
Jeanne hit with such force, there was so much destruction in our area, that
we watched the news updates in horror and prayed all night...
"We returned home on Monday
and as we crossed the causeway, on the way into town, the devastation was
very evident.
"We turned onto our street
and saw our neighbor's home with the sides torn off. Then we pulled up to
our home, there it stood with a small crudely hand made sign taped to the
glass at the front door!
"We had
absolutely no damage at all, not even a drop of water inside, not
even a tear in our screen, although there were many tree branches piled
against the screens. No damage at all.... nothing, and we had power! I
believe this is gift through the intercession of Maria Esperanza."
Yes, Tess; interesting; hard
not to agree.
October 2004
[resources:
The Bridge to Heaven]
Return to Spiritdaily.com