Divine Mercy Healing Center (DMHC) is my one of my favorite places here in the US. It is the place I run to when I feel there is no hope and I need help. Since my diagnosis in 2020, I have been planning to go to Divine in NJ but it never worked out, there was always some obstacle or the other. Last week, Nitin (Roshan's brother) asked him if kids can have a sleepover in their place on Friday after OVBS(Vacation Bible School). Since kids were going to their house over the weekend, I looked up Divine's website to see if there was any retreat in the weekend...viola...there was a 3 day stay-in retreat on June 23, 24 and 25th. I was super thrilled!! I told Roshan I want to go for it. Roshan was super worried to take me because traveling 1 hour to go to the hospital itself is very difficult for me coz I feel very sick in the car. We have now set up a bed in the back seat, if I have to go somewhere I travel lying down. He was worried how I will travel 5 hours to get to Divine and also, these retreats are very long, to sit the entire day would be another impossible task. I told him that I really, really want to go because I'm so desperate for a healing and this is my only hope. I told him that I will carry a sleeping bag with me, if I can't sit on the chair I'll lie down and listen to the retreat but desperately want to go.
Roshan dropped kids in Nitin's house on Thursday evening. We both started for NJ on Friday morning around 5.45am and reached there by 10.40am, in time for the retreat. They are so strict there if we would have reached late they would have send us home. They don't care even if we travelled from far. Some people reached by 12.00pm. Father told the volunteers to stop the registration and to send them back. He said if people had to go for job interviews they would arrive on time or even half an hour to an hour early but for God people take things for granted. During registration they told us that we need to surrender our mobile phones when they give us our rooms and we will get it back on the last day after the retreat is over. We also had to maintain silence the whole time even during break or even in rooms. They told us not to talk to each other or talk to anyone.
The retreat was in the basement of the church. When I entered the retreat hall I was very happy to see church benches with cushions on them because I was worried about sitting for a long time. During the break after the first session I asked the priest conducting the retreat if I can lie down and attend the retreat. He immediately called a volunteer and asked her to put a screen near one of the benches. They made a special area for me. I could see the altar and front clearly from there. When I registered, I had told them that I am a cancer patient so they were all prepared. They had planned to give us a room in the rectory(house where priests stay) near the church because incase I feel sick and need to rest I can go lie down. I told father that when session is going on unless I'm in a bad state I would like to lie on the bench in the retreat hall so that I don't miss any sessions. Everything seemed as though God was providing and making way for me to attend the retreat comfortably.
Retreat Hall and pictures of my special area
Every day, the retreat started with rosary and after that praise and worship songs and a talk session. We had breaks after each session to grab a snack/coffee or use restrooms. There was plenty of food and fruits (banana, apple and orange) always. For lunch they gave chinese on the first day, pizza on the second day and mexican on the third day. For dinner, they gave italian on the first day, subway on the 2nd day. We had to stay there in divine. They are very strict about that. We asked them if we can stay in a hotel and they said no. When they gave us the rooms we had to surrender our phones as well and we got it only on the last day. We also had to keep silence there all the time even during breaks.
Introductory verse for the retreat was from Acts 17:26-27.
26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
The first session was based on this verse that God made us and he knows all about us, our history and our future...just everything. God made us so that we seek him. The primary purpose of our life is to seek him and know him. God's eyes are always looking and searching for those who are loyal to him.
The next session was about the word of God, as to why we must learn the word of God and that we should not just listen to the word of God but also put it into practice. James 1:22 says
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If we built our faith based on the word of God even when problems comes we will be able to withstand it. Mathew 7:24-27 says
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The next few sessions were about sin, suffering, forgiveness. The session about forgiveness was something that I really, really needed. I struggle to forgive people. There are a few people who hurt me very badly that I couldn't forgive no matter what. Finally, after the session was over I was able to say "Lord, I forgive them". We had session on the ten commandments to prepare for confession so that we can ponder and see if we sinned against any of those commandments. After that session we had to go for confession. Then we had mass and adoration. Last session on day 2 was an inner healing session. It went on till 12.00am in the night. It was very good. On the third day, our sessions were about prayer, family and Holy Spirit. There were sessions for kids separately and kids did mimes, about a story in the bible, for the adults and we had to guess the story.
After all the sessions were over, the last session was testimonies. Father asked people to give testimonies about any special experience they had during the retreat. I went and gave my testimony about the energy I had during the second and third day of the retreat that nobody would say that I'm a stage 4 cancer patient. I felt so normal and I had no clue from where the energy came where as back home I was in a lot of pain and I spent my time only on the bed or the recliner. People were all inspired by my testimony and Father asked every one to raise their hand and pray for me to get cured and also asked them to keep me in their prayer. So I have more people praying for me now. It was very inspiring to hear other people's testimonies. Little kids gave testimonies about their vision during the inner healing session.
On the first day of the retreat, father gave us homework to read Isaiah 43:1,2,4,11,18 and 19. When I read those verses it was as though God was talking to me and was so apt for what I am going through. I am holding on to those verses as promise from God.
Isaiah 43:1,2,4,11,18 and 19 says
1 Israel, the LORD who created you says,
“Do not be afraid — I will save you.
I have called you by name — you are mine.
2 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
4 I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honor.
11 “I alone am the LORD,
the only one who can save you.
18 But the LORD says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already — you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
I could see changes like energy, no pain during the retreat. Was able to attend the whole day retreats. At home, I was taking pain meds every 4 hrs, before we left for the retreat my doctor prescribed me Fentanyl patches. It's 100 times stronger than morphine. I have to change the patch only after 3 days. I didn't have any pain the whole time and I had lots of energy like a normal person. When I went to the retreat I had to travel lying down. After the retreat was over, on the way back I could sit most of the way. I felt so normal when I came back. Kids were very happy to see me like that.
On our way back, a little after we left Divine we saw a full rainbow in the sky. It was so clear and beautiful. Remembered God’s promise to Noah like in Genesis 9:12-16 and it seemed like a promise to us as well.
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:
13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Overall we both had a blessed retreat and so thankful to God for taking us there!!
On June 29th, I had my second chemo. It went well. I was super thrilled to see my CA-125 reduce from 6192 (last time) to 2007(this time value). It's reduced more than half.
Praise the Lord 🙏🏻
Truly believe it's the Lord doing as the promise he gave us in Isaiah 43!!
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