It was the day after Thanksgiving in 2006. I was driving my family to a holiday gathering for my extended family 6 hours from home. We were having a wonderful time, singing and laughing as we traveled. Just minutes prior to reaching our designated exit, I suddenly felt a thud, as though something very heavy hit my left leg. I could also feel a tingling in my left arm. I glanced down to see what could have possibly fallen on my leg, and I saw my left arm and hand laying there completely lifeless. I thought, "What could have happened? I know that when a person has a heart attack and/or a stroke, they often have problems with their left arm, but I am only 46 years old, and I am healthy."

I turned to my daughter who was in the front seat with me and told her to begin praying, as I explained that something was very wrong. She turned off the music, alerted the rest of my family, and began praying earnestly.

She put aspirins in my mouth just in case I was having a heart attack. Although I did not understand what was happening as of yet, God was already answering our prayers, as He enabled me to maneuver my vehicle safely to the shoulder of the interstate-in spite of the fact that I was in the left lane, with a lot of traffic, sandwiched between two 18-wheelers.

As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, my husband and son quickly brought me to the passenger side and found a hospital. While my husband filled out the paperwork, I was rushed into a room for tests.   I asked my children to pray. As they quietly prayed, I was still very concerned and anxious. So, I asked them again to pray - louder and more fervently. And wouldn't you know - the nurse who was inserting my IV was a Christian, and she joined right in!

Soon tests confirmed that I had suffered a major stroke. My left arm was paralyzed, and my hand was crippled and twisted inside. My fingers angled towards the inside of my elbow. I was transported by ambulance to another hospital more equipped to care for my needs and was hospitalized 8 days. A team of 6 specialists was assigned to my case.

During this time, the feeling and mobility came back to my arm! The neuro-surgeon used his man-sized hands and formed a circle to depict how large the damage was to my brain. The medical team repeatedly ran tests-completely puzzled as to why I had mobility in my arm and was able to walk. According to the test results and the damage I suffered, I was not supposed to be able to do these things.

We explained that we are Christians who believe in the power of prayer. We believe that Jesus paid the price for our healing and that He still works miracles for His children today. Daily my family prayed over my hand. By the time I left the hospital, my hand had already repositioned itself to normal. I am a living testimony to the miraculous power of Almighty God.

I would like to challenge you today to "Expect the Impossible". Dare to believe that God wants to and will work miracles for you and your family.