Do miracles happen? Well you either you believe or you don't but either way the stories of miraculous healings make good fodder for conversations or even folklore.
And why not, because after all who can resist inspiring albeit unbelievable stories of the blind suddenly being able to see or cancer patients in remission after being 'healed'? It is always a great story and Lorna and Thom Lisk have hundreds of stories of people who they claimed to have healed. The couple brought their healing and Evangelization Ministry to Belize to show miracles can happen through prayer.
The healers shared their message with Keith Swift yesterday and only on 7NEWS will you see the miracle of healing before your very eyes. But is it really healing? That's what Keith Swift tried to find out.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Lorna Lisk and her husband Thom are devout Catholics who claim that over the past 14 years they have been making the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk. And get this: in just the past two days since they arrived in Belize, they claim to have already healed over 30 Belizeans. These true believers stress that they are spiritual healers and not miracle workers.
Lorna Lisk, Spiritual Healer
"The Lord, the Lord Jesus gave me the gift of healing as he said in 1st Corinthian 12. There is the gift of healing and I got that in 1989 so since then I have been extending his healing love to many parts and many countries in Europe, Asia and now in Latin America. The Lord actually heals people and performs miracles."
Keith Swift,
"So you are saying that its not you guys that are healing people, it is the Lord?"
Lorna Lisk,
"Yes. I would like to stress that Jesus is the healer. We cannot heal anybody and all the credit goes to Jesus."
Keith Swift,
"You are saying that you guys are mere mercenaries of God, he operates through you guys so how does that work?"
Lorna Lisk,
"How the healing works? Okay for instance today I prayed with a high school student who had back pain. I just laid my hands on her back and did a short prayer. She had pain also all along her legs and so I laid my hands on her legs because the scripture says that those who believe...those who believe if you lay your hands on the spot they will recover. So about 5 students got healed instantly."
Five students at Palotti High and hundreds maybe even thousands of true believers have allegedly been healed, some immediately with just the touch of a hand by Lorna and Thom. In doubt? Well here is where this story gets better because Lorna and Thom are willing to disprove any doubt about their power of healing.
Keith Swift,
"Can you show me the power of healing?"
Thom Lisk, Spiritual Healer
"Bring your TV cameras on Saturday and then you can air it on Saturday night the healings that take place. I would recommend that to you because we are not prepared right now, we don't have a crowd of people right here...and a lot of times it takes some special you know anointing of the Holy Spirit that comes at these meetings..."
Lorna Lisk
"...Not necessarily...I'm sorry...even down the street sometimes I can pray for people and the Lord heals..."
Thom Lisk,
"...Yeah Lorna's got that gift of healing and she will pray for people and their healed."
Keith Swift,
"So Lorna would you walk with me down the street to see if we can find someone you can heal? I know that you have a tight schedule but..."
Lorna Lisk,
"...Sure."
So this renowned international spiritual healer agreed to go with me on the streets of Belize City to find someone in need of healing. We didn't look far to find Teodora Toledano who is an arthritis patient willing to be healed.
Teodora Toledano, Suffers from Arthritis
"I suffer from arthritis."
Lorna Lisk,
"Yes but where is the pain?"
Teodora Toledano,
[Pointing at left wrist] "In the joints."
Lorna Lisk,
"What kind of pain do you have right now?"
Teodora Toledano,
"Pain of the joints."
Lorna Lisk,
[Holding Patient's Wrist] "Right now pain? Okay. We pray Lord right now in the mighty name of Jesus, we just ask for your miraculous healing of our beloved sister..."
Tightly squeezing the patient's hands, Lorna prayed for about two minutes and then.
Lorna Lisk,
"Where is the pain now? How is the pain now?"
Teodora Toledano,
[Moving Wrist] "Well, a little."
Lorna Lisk,
"Better? Much Better? The pain is much better now?"
Teodora Toledano,
"I feel it. I have arthritis so it's on the joints."
Lorna Lisk,
"So it feels better now? Where is the pain? Is the pain better?"
Teodora Toledano,
"Well a little..."
That didn't quite work so spiritual healer Lorna Lisk prayed some more.
Lorna Lisk,
"Let me pray one more time. Heal Lord right now in the mighty name of Jesus heal this pain. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Where is the pain now?"
Teodora Toledano,
"I feel like numb."
It still didn't work, but undeterred the true believer Lorna Lisk remained faithful and tried again.
Lorna Lisk,
"Lord heal Lord and in numbness right now...numbness right now in the mighty name of Jesus. Thank you Lord for your healing and we give you glory in Jesus name we pray Amen. Where is the pain, where is the numbness now?"
Teodora Toledano,
[Twitching wrist] "No I don't feel it no more."
So was it a miracle? Was Teodora Toledano healed of her arthritis? These faith healers will be the first to admit that miracles don't happen overnight or in plain sight. And if you come out to their spiritual rally this Saturday they warn to have cautious optimism and unflinching faith in your expectations.
Keith Swift,
"Somebody watching this home tonight. If they are blind, have a migraine, any sort of problems needing healing they can come and be healed?"
Thom Lisk,
"Oh no we don't guarantee that..."
Lorna Lisk,
"Jesus is the healer and in many many cases he does heal them..."
Thom Lisk,
"...Sometimes instantly and sometimes it takes a few days."
Lorna and Thom will tell you it is all about faith. They will tell you that if Teodora believes she was healed of her arthritis then she was healed. And they will tell you that if you believe you too can be healed through the power of prayer. So at the end it comes down as always to that single question of faith: do you believe?
If you are a believer, you can be healed or see the miracles happen in person tomorrow at the all day Catholic Charismatic Renewal Rally which will be held at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall beginning at 8 AM. Admission is free but they ask for a $5 donation. Thom and Lorna Lisk return to Columbus, Ohio on Sunday.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for the internet by Keith Swift