My testimony of the living God began in 1993 when I heard the full gospel as stated in the Bible. Until then, I considered the story of Jesus Christ to be a fictional tale that believers take comfort in, in order to survive and live their unhappy lives.
But I had to admit that everything in my life was not as comforting as I wanted; that was why I didn’t reject the gospel. I had never even opened the Bible before, so I didn't know how closely the book was connected to my life.
In September 1993, I was baptized by full immersion in water, and three months later I received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, exactly as described in the Bible. Since then, I have lived a completely different life, filled with God's blessings and miracles, in which God is constantly glorified.
One of these many miracles is my recovery from the incurable Hepatitis C virus.
In December 2004, my doctor told me that I had a maximum of 1 year left to live; cirrhosis of the liver begun. I was aware of my weak faith, and so I agreed with the doctor's proposal to undergo antiviral therapy (AT). The chance of eliminating the virus that caused cirrhosis was 50%. The AT should have lasted 42 weeks. The AT has many side effects (on the psyche and stomach, significant reduction in blood clotting, etc.).
I kept praying, but my faith in healing was weak, so I agreed to start antiviral therapy in October 2005.
Physically, I tolerated the therapy unusually well - I had no side effects. But starting the therapy had a negative effect on my psyche, and when I prayed, I felt like I was blundering in the fog. I called out for God’s help and asked Him to show me what I was doing wrong.
A short time later, in the 6th week of AT, I had to have knee surgery. The medical staff knew about my reduced blood clotting caused by the AT and thus about the risk of possible bleeding.
After the operation I was placed on a bed, but no-one noticed that the plug of the infusion portal had come loose. The blood could thus flow "unhindered". When I woke up from anesthesia after 3 hours, I saw the loose cap on the sheet next to the needle and a 10cm ring of dried blood on the bed sheet from the needle. That evening, I understood that God had supported my faith through this 1st miracle.
The very next day, I took all the medicine back to my doctor and ended the therapy with the words, "God will heal me." In a month’s time, I went for a blood test and God performed the 2nd miracle - the virus completely disappeared after six weeks (according to doctors, this is impossible)! A month later, I was able to thank God again for His 3rd miracle, when the results of my liver test showed that the medically impossible had happened; my liver was completely healed!
I thank God every day for my life and for showing me the meaning of life.