Charlie's angel

After my first trip to Moore, Oklahoma with the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN), one of my ministry opportunities was with a couple I'll call Ernie and Autumn (not their real names). They'd lost their home in the tornado and were staying with Autumn's mother, a woman I'll call Charlotte. After returning to Texas for 5 days, I received a text message from an ADRN Chaplain named Machelle asking when I'd be returning. Autumn had returned to the Disaster Relief Center at Westmoore High and had asked if I could come to Charlotte's house and minister healing to her. She was dying of cancer.

When my first day back in Moore had ended, I called Autumn from the high school parking lot, told her I was available and asked her how to get there. She seemed thrilled to hear from me and gave me Charlotte's address, adding I was only 20 minutes away. 

The neighborhood was awesome... large, beautiful old homes with big trees and fine-trimmed lawns. When I arrived, still wearing my yellow ADRN shirt and black cap, Ernie was standing outside and greeted me warmly. Autumn had stepped out with her aunt, sister and a friend and would return soon. He took me inside to meet Charlotte. 

She was lying on the couch, several pillows under her head, eyes half-shut, cheeks drawn, her voice barely a whisper. She had black hair with surprisingly few grey strands and wore a white night gown and nothing on her feet. 

As a nursing home Chaplain, I'd been here before, conversing, praying with and ministering to old folks. For some reason, I asked her if I could call her "Charlie." She smiled and said people used to call her that when she was a girl. So, Charlie it was! Her daughters, sister and a friend snuck in about that time and were either seated or standing behind me. Ernie introduced us to each other. 

Turning back to Charlie, I squatted next to her, I asked, "Charlie, are you ready to die?" She answered very matter-of-factly, "No, not at all." Her daughter interrupted, "And we aren't READY for her to die!" I responded, "Well, that makes all of us... be it unto us according to our faith!"

In an effort to build her faith, I shared a couple of stories of God's miracle-working power that I'd experienced personally, people on their death beds who lived or were healed after receiving this kind of ministry. I even shared my own story of being miraculously healed of an "incurable" spinal disease. I reminded them how Jesus never told us to pray for the sick; He told us to heal them. We discussed the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. They were in agreement with all that. Charlie asked if she could smell the oil I brought and I obliged. "Mmmmm," she responded, "I love that!" Autumn's sister was now seated upon the couch and had Charlie's bare feet in her lap and was rubbing them. I shared with her how the word 'anoint' actually means 'to rub.' 

Before any ministry took place, I turned to the others in the room and told them how, at the risk of offending anyone, I'd prefer they leave the room if they didn't have the faith for healing. I reminded them of the Biblical account where Jesus cleared the room before He ministered to the dead daughter of Jairus. Suddenly, Ernie popped up from his chair, reached for a pack of cigarettes off the cluttered table and said, "I'm gonna to step outside." 

After anointing Charlie's head and declaring words of health and life over her, commanding Death and Cancer to go, in Jesus' Name, she opened her moist, grey eyes, looked up at me and whispered, "Thank you, Michael." As I spoke with the ladies, answering questions, witnessing, Charlie had propped herself up to a sitting position. Then, as I was speaking with the daughter who'd been rubbing her feet, she said, "Excuse me, I gotta go pee!" I gave her my arm, we stood her to her feet and off she walked, quite spryly.

The ladies and I looked at each other as if to say, "Did that really just happen?" As we continued the conversation, Charlie returned and sat back upon the couch, pulling a blanket around her torso. Exhausted from all the ministry of the day, I leaned toward Charlie and said, "You call me when your healing totally manifests itself, OK? I wanna hear from YOU, not Autumn!" She agreed. We embraced, followed by warm hugs of gratitude all around, and off I went, marveling that God would ever use me to minister in this way. 

I was Charlie's angel that evening; the word means "Messenger." That was me! I was privileged to bring her and her family words encouragement, words of life and hope. As Proverbs 18:21 declares, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." That's all I had to bring Charlie that day, my words backed with faith in my God, the Father I've grown to trust and who, apparently, has learned He can trust me, too. 

Get ready... you may be next! Remember this: Divine Healing is only difficult when we start believing we have anything to do with it; this is between Charlie and Jesus now. Frankly, with child-like faith, I can't wait to get that call from Charlie!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work