My wife and I had been visiting with our son (then in his twenties) and the young woman who is now his wife. During our visit, she told us of the plight of the neice of her best friend. The neice was a two-year-old girl who had a brain tumor and just six months to live.

As we left to go home, I experienced a trembling in my body. I said to my wife, "I have to pray for this little girl." (This was just an instinctive knowing; I'd received no word of the Lord or other prompting.) I went back inside and asked for the name of the girl. "Anita," came the reply.

I began to pray for Anita every day. I had no special plan or set prayer. I would simply ask God to heal her as this seemed surely to be His purpose.

One day I would curse the tumor and command it to shrivel up and go. Another day I would simply ask God to remember Anita in His mercy and give her life.

Several months later, I rang my son and their friend happened to be there and answered their phone.

"Aren't you Anita's Aunty?" I asked.

"Yes," she responded.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Oh, she's fine," she replied.

I thought she was just making a polite, noncommittal response. "But what about the brain tumour?" I asked.

"Oh, that" she said. "You know, that was amazing. They took her to the specialist last week and the specialist couldn't find any trace of the tumour. It has just vanished!"

What a great and merciful God we serve. That family are not Christians (yet) and do not understand the difference between prayer and "thinking good positive thoughts towards Anita," which she said they had all been doing.

I could not express the excitement and gratitude I felt towards God.

Harvey R.

Auckland, New Zealand