Miracle at Morningstar
Moreno Valley, California
1999-2000

Linda and I barely knew each other when we started co-teaching an 11 to 13 year old class at our church. During one of our weekly phone calls, I remember Linda telling me about the visions her husband Craig had received from angels telling many details of their future. At the time I thought it quite unusual that God would give a man such knowledge of his future. But within weeks God would reveal the reasons for such a disclosure. And this revelation has become a very integral part of the miracle I feel compelled to review for you.

Now God in His goodness really had two miracles unfolding at once. Another family in our church, the Hardy's, were new to MorningStar and did not know the Stingley's at all.  About the time Linda Stingley and I were just getting to know each other, the Hardy's 4 year old daughter had an accident that required chest x-rays.  It was determined that Cynthia was all right from the accident, but they discovered she had a hole in her heart that had been there since birth.   Heart surgery was necessary for this little girl to have a chance to live a good, long life.  So surgery was scheduled at Loma Linda Hospital for Friday, November 19, 1999.  As the weeks went by, the stories of these two families began to intertwine.

Nearly four thousand years ago as Moses led his people to freedom through the desert wilderness, they encountered hardships of all kinds. But when poisonous snakes overran their camp, God told Moses to erect a bronze serpent on a pole. Those who kept their eyes on the bronze serpent were spared death. Like those obedient ones, Craig, when faced with cancer, took his eyes off his disease and fixed them on Jesus Christ and the power of God. Though doubt and fear would steal in with the intent to take over and break down Craig’s will to live, these twin enemies could gain no foothold. Craig, with Linda’s deep faith and support, would raise his eyes again to the Lord and believe the promises God had given him for his future.

Craig had already battled skin cancer, which had started on his back. Two tumors were removed from his lungs and chemotherapy treatments were administered to the two tumors remaining that the doctors were unable to remove. Treatments finalized in February 1999, just a few months after his own father had passed away from cancer. Unlike his father, though, Craig chose to put all his faith in God with the determination to never give up.

It was eight months later, a few weeks after Linda first shared Craig’s visions with me, that I got the call. Craig’s employer called Linda to say that Craig may have had a stroke. Paralysis was setting in on his left side and because of his history with cancer, the doctors decided to do a catscan and a MRI. So on Sunday, October 24, Linda called to tell me they found a brain tumor. A couple of hours later, she called again, with the horrible prognosis. As she told me the tumor was the size of a walnut, and that it was inoperable, waves of warm strength washed over my body. As she gave more details, the waves came on stronger and stronger. All three doctors said there was no hope. Another wave. No point to operate. Another wave. He had five to six months to live at best. Another stronger wave. Rapid deterioration, excruciating pain. More waves. Finally, I told Linda of this physical manifestation of what I believed to be the Holy Spirit, telling me in this fashion that God was healing Craig as we spoke. Was this from God and would He heal Craig?

Craig stayed in the hospital about four days. By the fourth day, he had lost much use of his left side and his left leg was finally starting to weaken. His face was paralyzed causing drooling, he couldn’t lift a can of soda much less his two-year-old daughter, and he was starting to stagger. His condition, predicted by the doctors to worsen rapidly, was already declining.

On Friday morning, October 29, Linda found Craig crying for two hours before he was able to compose himself and tell her of the new vision he had received from God. He was shown that he would have the operation and he was not to be afraid. The doctors would say he would die and there would be no hope, but that he was not to worry because he would survive and be restored to 95% of his former self. He was also told that he would not wake up after surgery and that he would be in a coma for three days. And with the vision, strength returned to Craig’s left hand – a physical sign to show God’s intent.

And God's intent also included the Hardy family.   It was during this time that the Stingley's and the Hardy's became aware of each other's struggles and God forged a friendship between the two families that brought strength and comfort to both.

It was to be nearly two weeks when Craig was scheduled to see the doctor again and plan surgery, which the doctors reluctantly agreed to do. On Thursday, November 11, Craig shocked the doctors when he arrived fit and strong. Due to the nature of his rapidly growing tumor, they expected him to be unable to walk and to be in debilitating pain. They did not expect nor could they explain how Craig was functioning so well. However, they did explain that the tumor could hemorrhage at any moment and should that occur, Craig would die within moments. Against the doctors’ advice, Craig chose not to have surgery that night and it was not until the following Tuesday that the Stingley’s called to schedule the long-awaited surgery. Much to everyone’s surprise, the doctors did not get back to the Stingley’s that day, and all those who were prepared for child care and support waited and waited.

During this waiting time, I received a call from Lucinda, a friend from church. She explained to me that she had received a vision from God, that she had been given specific prayers to say aloud over Craig and that it was truly a matter of urgency. She had been struggling with God about this, as she knew neither Craig nor Linda, but in obedience to the Holy Spirit she knew she had to ignore her inner conflicts and see Craig before he went in for surgery. As it happened, he did not go to the hospital as expected that day, and so Lucinda and I drove up through the dark and rural hills to the Stingley home that Tuesday night of November 16.

Our visit was a mission and both Lucinda and I knew it. She expressed her discomfort with the instructions she received from the Holy Spirit, but we found the Stingley’s to be receptive and obedient as well. So again I was to be a witness to what would become another incredible part of this miracle that God performed by His intent. Over the course of two hours, Lucinda prayed over him for the gathering of cells and for the separation of the tumor from the brain. She washed Craig’s feet as she had been shown to do by the Lord, as well as anointing his feet and his head with oil.  Driving down the hill that night, both Lucinda and I felt convicted of the reality of Craig’s healing. We knew he would not die, but that he would live. And both of us had experienced the loss of loved ones to cancer, knowing full well only a miracle from God could save him now.

Two nights later on November 18, a few of us gathered at the hospital to await the surgery, including Doug Hardy whose own daughter was scheduled for heart surgery the next morning.  I found Craig in good spirits, but that had not been true through the course of the day. The doctors had detailed every risk to the Stingley’s, including the 80% chance that Craig would never wake up from surgery, that if he woke up, he would probably suffer impairments of all kinds, including paralysis and blindness, or that he could wake up in a completely vegetative state. Rather upset, and understandably so, Craig fought the temptation to go home to die. After all, the doctors told him surgery, even if somewhat successful, could only prolong his life a month or two because a tumor this size would be deep in his brain and its tentacles wrapped around all the crevices of the brain. In short, they said it would be impossible to remove the whole tumor that had now grown from the size of a walnut to the size of a tangerine in less than one month.

As she had done on so many occasions and to so many people, Linda once more stated the fact that God had shown them Craig would be healed. The surgeon was concerned that perhaps Linda was in some state of denial and she had to confirm for the doctor that she fully understood the facts and risks as outlined by the doctor. But once again she stated her faith in God’s promise to heal Craig.

After a day of spiritual battle, Craig was finally ready to go in. He told me he had received another vision that day and had been shown a change in plans. He told me he would wake up after surgery, and not after the three day coma as he had previously been told by his angels. He also shared this with Linda before I arrived at the hospital.

What was to follow is truly miraculous. At 1:00 in the morning, the doctor came to the waiting room to update us on Craig’s condition. The doctor was beaming as he explained that the surgery, anticipated to take four hours or more, had been a success. In three hours, they had removed the entire tumor which had collected and separated from the brain, and Craig had already awoken from surgery! What the doctors said was impossible had happened. They got the whole tumor! We all went home happy that night ready to face the next surgery on little Cynthia just a few hours later.

The miracle did not stop here, however. The next morning, Friday, November 19, Craig was alert and talking. By Friday night he was walking and on Saturday demonstrated by walking for the doctors. Again, they were amazed and by Monday decided to release him from the hospital. So after three days, Craig was on his way home to spend Thanksgiving with his wife and two small daughters.  And little Cynthia was healing well from her surgery on Friday and was sent home on Sunday.

As God has done with me repeatedly over the years, He gives signs two and sometimes three times so that we know it really is from Him.  He had given Craig the number three when he was told he would be in a coma for three days after surgery.  As it happened, he awoke in his room the night of surgery at 3:00 a.m.  And he was in the hospital but three days.  Because Craig's battle was so intense the day of surgery, and at moments his faith waned and he nearly succumbed to hopelessness, he turned to God and repented of his lapses in faith.  The angels told him it was for his repentance that God spared him the coma and brought him through such a speedy recovery.

Linda stood by Craig through this entire ordeal with an unshakeable faith the likes of which I have never seen before.  And her strength, supplied her by God, could only be matched by Craig's own.  I have been so enriched to spend time with them both over these many months as a witness of the blessings God has bestowed upon them despite their difficult circumstances.

This past Thanksgiving the Stingley’s had much to be thankful for, as they had planned for an extended hospital stay of many weeks and a longshot chance that Craig would be home by Christmas. God exceeded everybody’s expectations! Home in three days, on his feet, no impairments, healing daily, and with his family for the holidays.

Yes, we witnessed a miracle and it is ongoing today, January 26, 2000. Cynthia is healed with a heart as good as new.  Craig is continuing to heal and God has revealed that He is not finished yet!   Stay tuned and continue to pray for this courageous man, his loyal and faithful wife and his dear little daughters.