At her birth as a 7-month baby, Silvana was almost drowned. Following a difficult youth, her life became a living hell: she was permanently ill. Her bones became like glass, so brittle that they would break as she pulled on jeans or lifted a glass of water. She dislocated her kneecap so frequently that it soon was not worth going to the doctor. She put a cloth between her teeth, went into the bathroom and relocated it painfully herself. Then she was diagnosed as suffering from leukemia, and liver cancer not long after. Finally it went so far that bile started issuing from her eyes, nose and ears, following which she coughed up parts of her liver and other organs. The situation was unimaginable; doctors described it as “like a cancer patient 5 days after their death”. Her skin began to shed, so that she could not even take a shower. During that time, she bore 4 children. She and her husband spent all their money on doctors, hospital bills and occult healers.
She had never heard of the Gospel, she says, until a friend invited her to an evangelical church. The pastor and church members were shocked; they had never seen such misery. “The only part of me, which did not hurt,” she remembers, “was my hair.” The whole church prayed for her. Five days later, she woke up to the surprising discovery that she was no longer in pain. Not only was her skin completely healthy, but doctors discovered that she literally had a new stomach, liver, bones and blood. As a result, Silvana decided to give her newly received life completely to Jesus. She and her father, a doctor, realised that only Jesus could have healed her.
Soon after her conversion, she began to experience astonishing phenomena. She wanted so much to give what she had received from Jesus to others. She discovered that oil flowed from her hands following hours of prayer, sometimes up to 18 bottles a day. Today, a prayer team of which she is part uses this oil to anoint the sick.
Some time ago, Silvana, who grew up in a poor family, wanted very much to eat a particular marmalade, which she could not afford on her husband’s labourers’ wage. She prayed for it. One morning, a small boy rang her door bell and gave her a jar of exactly the marmalade she wanted, saying, “Here, this is for you!” Touched, she thanked her husband for fulfilling her desire. He, though, was very surprised, because he had not ordered any marmalade. It was simply too expensive. Silvana believes that it was an angel who gave her the jar.
When Silvana is asked why she thinks these things happen to her, she smiles and says, “I am a complete nobody. When a pastor saw me, he did not even dream that God could use me. But God makes somebodies out of nobodies! That is the message of my life. Today, I just want to pass on that which God has given me. Maybe God will anoint my head with oil.”
Source: Centre for Mission Direction
[Conversion testimony, healing, miracles, answered prayer]