Praise Report

August 21, 2002

by James W. Bruggeman

Here is a recent photo of the family.

Tom and Kelly Rolland are good friends of ours. Several years ago, they had hosted some SKM feast gatherings at their home in Dayton, Ohio. They since moved to Louisiana near Kellys parents. We were stunned this past February 10th when Kelly called to let us know that Tom, who had been suffering with severe headaches for some time, had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Tom is only 37 and was the type of guy who had never been sick a day in his life. Never smoked pot, never did drugs, alcohol or tobacco. They have a son, Tommy, who is now 12, and a daughter, Emma, who is 2 years old.

Kelly said Tom was rushed into surgery and a tumor about three by six centimeters was removed. He was now under heavy sedatives, and so she was asking for our prayers. She dreaded having to tell him when he was more clear-headed that according to the surgeon, it looked bad, that they couldn't get it all because of the tendrils of the cancerous tumor extended like an octopus into other areas of Tom's brain. The doctor advised that he should "get his affairs in order" because this kind of cancer (glioblastoma, category IV) normally gives the patient only about 26 weeks at best. Eighteen months to two years was the prognosis if he underwent chemo and radiation "therapy."

However, as soon as Tom got home, he and Kelly began researching alternatives on the internet. They soon decided to decline the chemo and radiation treatments. Instead, they chose, first of all, to seek the Lord for healingwhether it be a flat-out miracle, or by the Lords guidance on which alternative therapies to use/follow, if that might be His method for Toms healing. At the top of their list, then, they said they wanted to come to our SKM fellowship meeting in Atlanta for prayer according to James 5.

• James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
• 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
• 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
• 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

And so they came to our meeting in March, which at that time we were holding in a community meeting room at an Atlanta area hospital. I had told our assembly in Atlanta some months prior, that the Lord must have made the hospital meeting room available to us as a sign that there were going to be some significant healings taking place - healings of body, mind/soul and spirit. Tom is the first (that we are aware of).

We anointed him with the essential oil of frankincense while numerous members of the fellowship laid hands upon him and we prayed for his complete healing.

When I returned Tom's call this morning, he said they had just got back the results of the latest brain scan and the doctor was amazed. Tom said he extended his hand towards him and said Touch me, just touch me; you've had a miracle and I want some of it. (implying that Tom must have some special power).

He does! It is the power of the Holy Spirit working within him. The doctor went on to say that the scan looks even better than the first MRI scan three months ago ago which looked very hopeful to the great surprise of medical staff at that time. This time, the surgeon said, there appeared to be no sign of cancer anywhere.. It appeared to be a complete cure. The doctor was clearly perplexed but very pleased, nonetheless.

He told Tom that without treatment (chemo and radiation), no one lasted beyond 12 months, and that with treatment no one lasted beyond two years. He said that in his 15 years of practice with brain tumor patients, that all had died. You're my first! he told Tom, and you had no treatment.

Ron Oja had told me (JWB) back in February (before he knew of Toms cancer) that he had seen signs which he interpreted to mean that as of then, the Lord was going to be performing great healings more through team efforts, and not through any one individual, as in past great individual healing ministries, where people tended to put faith in (i.e., idolize) an individual.

And so it was with Tom. It was a team effort, so that God gets all the glory and no one man or woman. We, Stone Kingdom Ministries - Atlanta Fellowship, as a group (team), laid hands on, anointed and prayed fervently for Tom's healing. We claim no credit for anything individually or as a group, except that we were obedient to our Father's word in James 5. All credit for the healing goes to our heavenly Father, Yahweh, as Tom and Kelly readily affirm as well.

(Hint: Therefore, any persons who read this wonderful testimony do not need to contact us as though our group has some special magic or special connection with God. Any and all Christian believers have the same right and access to the power of God. It is in Him, not any of us.) After all, even Baptists were praying for Tom's healing! (A joke, friends. We love you Baptists and all our Christian brethren.)

Moreover, Tom and Kelly were led to follow the advice of other individuals (and organizations) who must remain nameless for their own protection regarding various products to help support his body's healing process. Again, part of the team effort.

One aspect of the healing which we and many others have noted in other cases, is that if an individual has a positive outlook and attitude (or call it faith, if you will) that he/she will be healed; that this seems to be an indicator (at least), or a contributing factor to the healing. After struggling through the initial shock of his situation, Tom was given a wonderful attitude (spirit) about his affliction. He fought against the natural tendency to wallow in self-pity and despair. To do so, he spent his time instead in seeking the Lord's guidance for whatever remedies the Lord would direct him to.

Incidentally, none of the medical staff offered any theories of what might have caused a young, healthy and robust individual like Tom to come down with a massive brain tumor. We ourselves are aware that although the jury is still out, much credible evidence suggests that cell phones may be one cause of certain brain tumors. The scientist/engineer at Motorola who invented the cordless phone died of a brain tumor seven years later. Any electrical apparatus which generates a high electromagnetic (EM) field (such as cell phones, walkie-talkies, cordless phones, etc.) fall into the same category. The danger is directly related to the distance from your body and the time spent in proximity to the EM field.

We know that cellphones and cordless phones are now in the hands of millions of us. Our advice: If you feel you must have one of these items, for your health's sake, at least get one of those hands-free headsets, so that the antenna is away from your head. Of course, don't put it near any other organs of your body either. Tom had used a cell phone only incidentally, and so that did not seem a likely cause. However, for 18 months he worked on a railroad where he had a walkie-talkie attached to the front of his jacket near his shoulder with the antenna sticking out the top and therefore transmitting from very near his brain. This may have been a factor.

But Tom was also a daily consumer of diet soda pop, which contains aspartame (NutraSweet). Anyone can search the web and find tons of evidence (albeit, much anecdotal) suggesting that this is perhaps a cause of many major diseases, most notably including brain tumors. It is Tom and Kelly's opinion that this was probably the culprit in his case. (Disclaimer: neither Tom and Kelly nor this writer are stating anything other than their opinions here. The manufacturers of cell phones, NutraSweet and aspartame products probably have different opinions.)

We all praise our Father for Tom's miraculous healing!