When I was 4 years old I had rheumatic fever, a very dangerous disease which affects the heart and often damages it to the point that a normal life cannot be led. I had to lie still in bed for a year and not undergo any physical stress. I could not even walk to the bathroom. I had to be carried by Mom or Dad. My parents were told by our family doctor, Eugene Newby, of Sheridan, Indiana that I would probably not be able to go to school the first few years, would never be able to live a normal physical life and would not be able to participate in sports or other rigorous activities. I had to be taken to the Doctor monthly for checkups and evaluations.
My parents became Christians around that time in my life. A minister at a small local country church in Big Springs asked my parents if they would like to have a healing service for me and they did. The minister came to our home, anointed my head with oil and prayed over me for my complete healing.
At my next scheduled monthly doctor’s checkup Dr. Newby apparently examined me and listened to my heart with great surprise and finally said that he had no idea what happened or how it happened but that the disease was dramatically improved. He said that some miracle had happened that was not related to his doctoring and if I remained as I was then I would not need to continue with the monthly checkups for long. As it turned out I was able to attend first grade (and all grades), I participated in basketball and track, went through the rigorous training as an infantryman in the Army, and spent a very physically challenging year in Viet Nam and the next 15 years in the construction trades, all with no issue whatsoever with my heart. A miraculous cure had taken place – there can be no doubt!
Following is the transcript of a tape recording of my father, Dallas W. Viehe, telling the story of my healing on a small local television show in 1971.
“There were some good church people around Big Springs that when my youngster was sick they invited us to come to church and they even offered to stay with the youngster while we went to church or maybe they would tell us one of us could go and one of us stay. And through the preaching of the Word of God we came to realize that we were lost, that we had this need. When Brother Parker brought forth the gospel and proclaimed the gospel or good news to us we realized we had this need and went to the altar and prayed and accepted Jesus……” The moderator said, “You were telling us about your boy being sick. Was this a small boy?” My Dad said, “yes Bob, he was about 3 or 3 ½ years old and had rheumatic fever – very very puny I think would be the way to express it. He had no desire, no ambition, no energy to get off the couch. He just layed on the couch. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the kitchen to eat. He wasn’t allowed to walk upstairs to bed.
Shortly after we were saved our minister asked us if we would like for him to pray for him the prayer of healing. Of course we were young converts hungry for everything God had for us and we didn’t know what he meant even. We said well yes I guess, what do you mean? He said well, it says in the bible if any of you are sick call the elders and have them anoint them with oil and pray for them. And we were eager and anxious to have all that God had for us. So it was in the Bible and we believed it.
So I said what shall we do? Shall we bring him down to the church or have the church up to the house? He suggested that he come by after the service. He said you don’t need a big crowd so long as you believe and we pray the prayer of faith. This is all we need. So, he came by the next Sunday and we knelt there beside the couch and he anointed him with oil and prayed a very very simple prayer. It was very impressive to me. I previously thought you had to have a big show or a lot of this or that but this was a very very simple prayer. We arose and felt that it was done. God said he would do it and we believed it.
The proof of it was two weeks later when Eva carried him to the Doctor’s office. He went to examine the boy and he listened all around all over and then began to frown. And he said there is something that has happened to this boy. And she said yes Doctor, I don’t know what you think about it, but she said definitely some higher power has had a hand in this because the boy is different. He is much better. He said I can’t believe it.
Previously the Doctor had told us when calling at the home and bearing him into the Doctor’s office that he would probably have to have a tutor for the first two or three years of his life (school.) He would probably not live a normal life but after two or three years he would probably be well enough and outgrow it enough that he would be able to go to school. But this was just two weeks later, after the minister had prayed for him, 10 days to two weeks. He definitely said something has happened to him. “There is a higher power here a work has been done that I, uh, just can’t explain. I can only credit it to a higher power.”
So, instead of coming back every month as she had been, he extended the time to two months.And she took him back two months later, he listened,, he smiled and said this boy is on the road to recovery! He said instead of bringing him back in two months, bring him in four. In the meantime he said your job at home is going to get a lot harder. She said it already is because he is putting on weight, getting energy and strength and he wants to get up and play. Now she has to hold him down or hold him back and this was quite a job. For several months in there it was that way. She took him back again after four months and he said well uh, he said well bring him back when he gets sick! So that was the Doctor releasing him in a period of something like seven months and told him to go ahead!
The thing is, the boy got up, he played, he went to school, he had a normal life. We lived on a farm and he helped farm, he swam in the creek,, he rode horses, he rode bicycles, he played basketball in high school. He went clear through his high school life. This never recurred, never came back from that time through today. He just a couple of months ago got out of the Army. He has been in the Army three years and nine months. Has a wife and a beautiful little baby. He is living a normal life. Went through the service basic training and went through a tour in Viet Nam and everything else. There is no doubt but what God laid his hand on the boy. There is no question about God being real or God being able to heal or to save.”