Raising the Dead -- Chapter 4 page 7

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Jerry Witt Video

People from the village surround Witt at the new dental building that Mercy Wings is building.

Chapter 4:
Raising the Dead
Written By: Jeff King
Photos By: Ron Storer

None of the Mercy Wings pilots could have dreamed when they began this mom-and-pop aviation ministry that they would see the book of Acts come to life in this poverty-stricken region. They have witnessed God heal the sick, raise the dead and set the captives free.

But the pilots know that nothing happens here unless it is birthed in prayer.

Every flight plan is prayed over because the pilots know that one bad decision can result in disaster. Although Witt says he doesn’t fear flying in these dangerous locations, he approaches his work prayerfully and cautiously each day.

“We have to rely on these machines to operate correctly,” he says. “We can’t fly in wind or heat. It has to be cool early in the morning. Sometimes the Lord will warn us off stuff. One time we had a bad situation develop on a ridge and we backed away. A down draft almost put us into the side of the mountain. We spent another 20 minutes meditating and praying. We bypassed the area.”

“During one medical outreach in central Mexico, a 5-year-old girl was raised from the dead and a boy was healed of a poisonous snake bite.”

On another flight, wind prevented Witt from reaching a mountain airstrip. So he prayed and asked Jesus for a miracle. The wind, which had gusted all night and morning, stopped suddenly and the plane landed safely. Thirty minutes later the wind returned and continued for another 24 hours.

On the ground, prayer also is their most valuable resource.

During a medical outreach, a mother entered the Christian camp carrying her limp, 5-year-old daughter, who had collapsed earlier in the day and showed no signs of life. The doctors in town had pronounced the girl dead, then pointed to the Christians and said mockingly, “Maybe those hallelujahs can help you.”

A Christian doctor took the little girl in his arms and cried out to Jesus to heal her. Within five minutes, the girl opened her eyes and a half hour later walked out of the camp with her mother.

A little girl stops to smile.

The doctors also prayed over a boy who had been bitten by a poisonous snake. The child, who was struggling for life when he reached the camp, was healed instantly. He could not be found an hour later because he was playing with friends.

Prayer also has protected the lives of doctors and pilots as they serve in the outback. Once, a Mexican pastor was preaching outdoors when a scorpion fell from a tree into his shirt. He was stung several times on the stomach, but Witt and others immediately prayed over him. The pastor continued to minister without any symptoms.

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