Samantha's Story

Some of you know this story, but I felt led to post it here in its entirety.

Thanks and Praise be to God.

When 2007 began, our nine year old daughter Samantha was experiencing multiple health problems. She could barely make it through a day of school because she was so weak. Her bones hurt; she had asthma and bronchitis; we couldn’t touch her without her feeling pain; she couldn’t run and sometimes couldn’t even walk. She was pale and looked sickly. We couldn’t make it through a dinner without her putting her head on the table, exhausted.

The year before, we noticed Samantha had health problems in a variety of seemingly unrelated areas. She was listless, extremely sensitive to heat, she felt nauseous at every meal. She always seemed fatigued, no matter how much she rested.

We saw doctor after doctor over the better part of a year. After test after test, and more blood work than I care to remember, we were told Samantha had everything from irritable bowel syndrome to that she was depressed and needed to see a psychiatrist. It wasn’t until Lauren, my wife, went online for hours at a time comparing Samantha’s symptoms that we came up with the diagnosis of Celiac’s disease. Then we had her tested through an endoscopic exam and our fears were confirmed. Celiac’s is a severe allergy to gluten. Almost everything seems to have gluten in it these days. But at least we had something to focus on.

However, the doctors we saw to treat our daughter for Celiac’s knew less about it than Lauren did. The nutritionist we were assigned to by All Children’s Hospital told Lauren it was okay for Samantha to eat certain foods that we knew contained gluten. The thing about someone with Celiac’s is that it doesn’t matter how much gluten is in the food, it is all or nothing. The smallest crumb produces the same results as a large amount of gluten.

So, that spring we went gluten free, and for awhile Samantha improved. Once she was off gluten, if she ever ate anything with gluten in it, within a matter of hours, she would become ill, with headache and stomach ache, and she would seem exhausted to the point where she would have to pass out for several hours. The symptoms would then persist for up to four days afterward. She seemed much better over the summer with the fatigue after going gluten free, but still had shooting pains in her chest and legs, even when we were sure she had not ingested any gluten.

In the fall, we also took her off milk. This improved her symptoms somewhat, but they persisted sporadically, always causing us to wonder where we had erred in her diet.

In December of 2007, a good friend of mine told me about a “healer” who was coming to speak at a church nearby, on Friday, the 7th. It was, in fact, only about 15 minutes from my house.

That week, my wife and I had reached a desperation point. Not only did Samantha have her health issues, but we noticed that she was having an increasingly more difficult time getting along with her sisters, and she was having emotional breakdowns over minor problems. She had also begun exhibiting a variety of obsessive / compulsive behaviors; repeating things multiple times, ritualistic activities, and difficulty reading. This was particularly disturbing as Samantha had always been an “A” student. She began having other O.C.D. behaviors, such as having to do everything in threes: reading paragraphs, repeating phrases, asking questions, even saying prayers.

So in December, we had seen improvement with Samantha’s physical condition, but the O.C.D. was getting worse than ever. We had radically altered our daughter’s diet, but we knew she still wasn’t right.

The week before the “healer” was to come to town, a friend in my small group asked me if I had ever considered that Samantha might be under demonic influence. It hadn’t occurred to me, but something clicked when he asked me the question. It was like a veil was lifted from my eyes.

I studied the Scriptures, talked with some of my brothers in Christ, and came to the conclusion that that it was a possibility we had to look at.

So on Wednesday night, December 5, my wife and I prayer over Samantha, the best we knew how, and cast out the enemy from her. The next morning, we noticed a peace about her that we hadn’t seen in years. She awoke well rested, got along with everyone in the family, and seemed content. This continued for a couple of days, to the point where we decided we didn’t need to go see the speaker on Friday.

But Samantha had other ideas. She heard that there was a healer coming to town and all she wanted was to eat pizza again, so at the last minute, we (the whole family) headed out to Son Point Church.

We got lost on the way. We had the address, but couldn’t seem to find the street. We were already late and Lauren and I had decided to give up, but for Samantha’s sake we persisted. I decided to take one more turn down a side road (something was telling me to go that way) even though the street name was wrong, and sure enough, we stumbled upon the little church.

The place was packed, and the only seats were up front. We walked in late, and as we climbed through the packed congregation to take our place in the second row, a man I recognized was giving his testimony.

Greg Lee was telling those assembled how Michael Rozell had taken his family through deliverance and the Lord had healed his son of his allergies. In fact, his son could eat pizza again. This was all Samantha and I needed to hear.

The praise and worship, teaching and testimonies lasted over three hours. We left somewhat disappointed as Samantha thought she would be healed that night. It was late, and with a three year old, we had to leave and get the kids to bed. I put our name in to be contacted for an appointment, and we went home.

On the ride home, you would never know we just came from church. All hell broke loose with fighting and crying and yelling between all of us. At the time, we thought it was over tired children and over stressed parents. Now I see it for the spiritual attack it was.

Several months went by with my hoping and praying that we might be contacted by this man who had healed the boy of his allergies. Samantha’s problems persisted; even causing us to doubt the night we had cast the enemy out from her.

I called the numbers I had, and pleaded with my friend that told me about the event in the first place to get us in to see Michael, all to no avail. We just couldn’t seem to get an appointment to see him.

Then in March, I received an email that Michael was coming to town and had an appointment open on Wednesday, April 2. I had literally just given up on seeing him and had finally given it over to the Lord.

So Lauren and I followed the instructions we were given on deliverance, about making our lists of things that we needed to examine in our lives, things such as bitterness or un-forgiveness, un-confessed sin, involvement in the occult, etc.

And on April 2, 2008, Lauren, Samantha and I met with Michael Rozell and he took us through deliverance. And afterwards we went and had pizza; pizza that is full of both gluten and dairy; pizza that should have been like poison to my daughter. But that day it wasn’t any longer.

The Lord had honored His promises from Scripture. We had broken the strongholds and assignments of the enemy and he no longer had any legal right to affect my daughter’s health. So then the Lord could act. And He mercifully, miraculously healed my daughter, and she has been eating pizza and ice cream ever since.

What’s more is on April 2, 2009, we celebrated the one year anniversary of her healing by Jehovah Rapha, as she says it, which means "the Lord that healeth thee"; An anniversary that was punctuated by my daughter playing three sports in the year since her healing: cross country, where, as a fifth grader competing against seventh and eighth graders, she consistently placed in the top five; competitive soccer, as center midfielder for almost 60 minutes every game; and in volleyball, which she had never played before. This from a young lady who the year before had difficulty walking let alone running.

So, as recent as the week before Samantha was healed (after being gluten free for a full year) she had a very small amount of gluten by accident, was out on the couch within the hour for the rest of the day, with symptoms for the following four days. And after she was healed, she is no longer gluten free or dairy free, the O.C.D. behaviors have ceased, and my daughter no longer suffers the pains and problems associated with her former disease. Praise be to God. She now gets up every morning to study her Bible and do her devotions.

We have much to be thankful for. I have studied the Scriptures and know that Michael speaks truth, and that the Word of the Lord dwells within him and speaks through him. I thank God for the ministry of Refuge Ranch, and am so thankful that He has seen fit to bless me, my family, and my daughter in this way.

I pray that He uses my testimony to help others, and to spread the Good News of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is my testimony.

Respectfully Submitted for Your Consideration,

David C. Hunihan

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;” -Revelation 12:10-11