Tell the child that I am still alive

...
A nurse came to me in great physical need. Her faith had sunk to almost zero. Then I received a very short message.
"Tell the child that I am still alive!"
What else could I have added to that? What a pity that the Lord himself did not speak more often in this way. He certainly has something to say to us! But his goodness is so great that he sometimes descends (personally) to his children to convince them directly.
Praise be to his holy name!
Did you have any contact with priests?
Sometimes priests came to me to ask for advice on personal matters; often the advice was to pray. One priest occasionally asked me to lay my hands on his wife, who was suffering from severe depression. When he saw me, he always said:
"They lay their hands on the sick, and they are healed."
May I ask how you felt about the church in this country?
During my career as an officer {in the Salvation Army} I didn't have much time to attend church services. After I retired, I had more opportunities to do so. Then one day I was invited to listen to a pastor's sermon. I went. Among other things, the pastor spoke about illness and stated that it is a "cross" that a Christian must bear.
I couldn't accept that. After the service, I asked the pastor if I could talk to him. He agreed, and so I was able to tell him what the Lord had done for so many sick and depressed people.
- How did the pastor respond to your message?
- It seems that this was his case, because when he met me shortly thereafter, around Christmas, he greeted me with:
- Mr. Nigg, do you know who you are?
I replied in surprise: "No, Reverend!" To which he replied:
"My Christmas present!"
After a while, he asked me to talk about my life and experiences to his youth group. At first I was reluctant, but later I agreed. I spoke for about two hours. The pastor wrote down the various questions asked by the young people and sent me the transcript. I was most pleased by the recognition that what happened in Palestine two thousand years ago can still be experienced today.
Later, the pastor invited me to another conversation, this time with the adults. It became clear to some of the younger and older members of the congregation that Jesus had endowed his apostles with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that God still wants to proclaim the Gospel today through “signs of power” or, in the words of the Bible, “accompanying signs.” Where there are open hearts and hands, as well as complete childlike trust, the Lord willingly gives His gifts.
- Are you saying that a new spiritual life has been born in that particular community?
- Yes, we can safely say that. There were faithful worshippers in that particular community, so now it is possible to work together for a new life.
...

Emil Nigg interviews, articles