My Appointment with the Drugged Man in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro
Founder and President of Thread of Hope
During the past few days, I have been on the same topic. God orders our paths, and as an example, one of my trips to Europe. As I shared, I didn’t want to go to the Netherlands, but God said to go there. So, I went.
The Netherlands is a beautiful country. I loved the windmills, the canals, the flowers everywhere, and the warm and caring people. I visited the charming sea town and watched a craftsman make wooden shoes. My favorite cheese is produced there. Yes, you know it. I went there, too, and took a tour on how to make it. My hotel was on the water, and every morning I woke up to a spectacular sunrise. If you follow me, you know I love sunrises and sunsets. This hotel showcased God’s glorious sunrises.
God absolutely, without a doubt, not only led me to this country but also to my wonderful private car driver, and to this specific hotel. Let me explain why I was really brought to the Netherlands. This is what happened. I got to my hotel, and I didn’t like the location of the hotel. My amazing driver, who’s now a friend on Facebook, made a phone call and was able to get me to this hotel that I ended up staying at. Finally, I get to the hotel. My colleague and I went on a dinner tour of the Canals. It was an incredible evening of watching the sunset on the water. Amsterdam is beautiful.
When we got back to the hotel, I planned on taking a shower, and spending time in Bible reading and prayer. I knew that I was there on a mission, but I didn’t know what that was there. I wanted God to show me why I was brought there. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I heard banging on my door and yelling in the hall. I’m standing there thinking, “Oh God, please tell me there’s no fire.” I quickly threw my clothes on as the banging on my door went on louder and louder. I opened the door with a towel still in my hands. There stood this young woman, crying and hysterical, along with my colleague who was across from my room.
The woman grabbed my arm, screaming “Please help me. I need help.” As I saw a door across from me open, a tall man collapsed on his face. I sent my colleague to go get help, and I ran into the room with the woman. The man was pale and not moving. I was praying “God, please don’t let him be dead.“ At first, I thought he had a heart attack. I was getting ready to administer CPR. Just as I went to check his pulse, he moved. Now his body was shaking violently, but I knew it wasn’t a seizure. I immediately asked him “What did you take?” He grabbed my hand, “Please, please don’t let me die. My heart is beating very fast. I can’t stop my body from shaking.”
His wife and I helped him up onto the bed. He fell on the bed. His wife was screaming. I knew he needed a miracle. I began to quote scripture over his life. This was a young couple, late 20s, early 30s. He opened his eyes again. “Please, I beg you, don’t let me die.” I said “I can’t do anything for you, but I’ll give you what I do have. Through the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, I declare you healed,” (Acts 3:6).
He looked at me, tears coming down his face. I asked him again, “What did you take?” I knew he was having a reaction to a drug, but, since I wasn’t entirely sure, I wanted to be sure that I knew what was going on. His wife answered, “We went to dinner. After dinner, they offered a joint. We ordered a joint. We had never used drugs before. We had marijuana.” Now the hotel people arrived. I went to leave.
As I went to leave, the man started screaming. “No, please. Don’t leave me. Please don’t let me die.” The hotel people were looking at me. I didn’t know this man. His wife came next to me. “Please, don’t leave. Please stay.” At that moment, I heard another still small voice. This time, it was the Holy Spirit. “Go over to that man, lay your hand on his forehead and pray for him. Pray with all authority over him.”
The man was not allowing anyone to go near him. The hotel people were trying to go over with their medical bag. He was screaming “Don’t touch me. Don’t come near me.” To tell you the truth, I was intimidated. The man was staring at me. His eyes were locked onto mine. I started to walk towards him. He allowed me to go right next to him. He was laying on the bed, shaking like crazy. His hands were on his heart. He was talking to me, “Please don’t leave me. Promise you will stay with me. Don’t let me die. Please don’t let me die.”
I said to him, “Sir, I come to you with this mandate given to me by the Lord Jesus Christ. God says, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give,” (Matthew 10:8). I have nothing to give to you from myself, but God says that I have freely received His power and it’s His power that can heal you. May I place my hand on your head and pray for you? I have to pray over you.”
The man immediately said “Yes!” He closed his eyes, and I began to speak in tongues and pray over him. His shaking stopped. His color began to come back to his face. The hotel people were looking at me. The ambulance arrived with a body bag. The EMT guy said, “How can you still be alive? We came here to pick up your body. You see what this is? It’s a body bag.”
Then they turned to me, “What did you give him?” What did you do? I said, “What do you mean? I gave him nothing. I just prayed for him. God healed him.” You can imagine how well that went over.
“No! It’s impossible. You gave him something. Are you a doctor? I need to know what you gave him.” I got scared. I’m in another country. I didn’t know anyone there, and I’m being questioned. I said “The hotel people were here. They saw everything.” The hotel people of course said “She gave nothing in our presence, but she was here when we got here.”
The EMT took my name and asked the questions again. Then the EMT said “This man should be dead because we are sure by the reaction he had that it was not marijuana. It was most likely bad hash. You should have suffered a heart attack and died. You are one lucky man to be alive. Whatever this lady did is the reason your alive.”
I couldn’t keep quiet. I spoke right up. I said, “If your country didn’t offer these drugs to purchase, this wouldn’t have happened. However, a miracle took place tonight. God says, 'Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them,' (Mark 11:24). Tonight, God heard our prayer. Your life was spared. It was spared because God has a great purpose for your life. I’d like to ask you if you want to surrender your life to Jesus Christ.”
Right there, both husband and wife prayed the sinner’s prayer with me while the EMTs and hotel staff watched. Then the man gave me a hug and thanked me, and so did his wife. The EMTs said “Well, whatever you did, you saved this man’s life. We thank you. We don’t have to remove a body tonight.” Then, they gave him a lecture. The hotel staff thanked me. My colleague and I left the room, and I went back to my room. The next morning the General Manager, along with the hotel manager and other staff people thanked me for being there and helping that man. I kept explaining I didn’t do anything. That was a God miracle.
As I lay in my bed that night, I was overwhelmed with what had just happened. I was thanking God that I didn’t have to apply CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), but most importantly, I was thanking him for that man’s life.
You see, the truth is that wherever we go we carry the presence of God. The power of the risen Christ is on us. We are not just ordinary people. We carry the anointing of God. It’s His, not ours. We go where He leads. We do that which He places in our path to do. I didn’t want to go to the Netherlands, but there was a man that God was about to have an encounter with. He needed a person to showcase His power and might. For that purpose and reason He took me from Boston, Massachusetts, to Amsterdam, Netherlands. And when I was at the wrong hotel, He moved me to that specific hotel on the third floor across from that man’s room, and as I stepped out of the shower, the man collapsed, giving me two seconds to get dressed and pray for that man.
Listen, please. The apostle Peter quoted that first verse that I used to the paralyzed man. The man walked. The other verses were given by Jesus Himself. We are to take God’s Word and apply it. It’s clear who we are in this world.
Peter pointed to Jesus. It was Jesus through him that healed that paralyzed man. It was the same Jesus that healed the drugged man. Should this surprise anyone who believes in the power of the resurrected Christ? No!
Let me tell you how Peter and I were used. It was only by Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that gave them complete healing. It was only the great power of God that was demonstrated in these miracles. God is a God of love.
I believe that the church is about to march forth with greater power than what the church of Acts spoke about. God told me to go over to that man and place my hand on his head. We see this in Acts 4:30, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” The miracles that were performed by the apostles and the miracles that are still being performed today by us His apostles are the demonstrations of the Lord’s power, love, and mercy towards mankind. It affirms and reaffirms who Jesus Christ is. He is the Savior of the World. Signs and wonders accompany His people. We are His people. Church, rise up. The time has come.
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