10
“I Can Hear!”
For Noelle Abbott, a generational affliction of silence was vanquished in an instant.
Noelle Abbott grew up on a farm near the small town of Eldridge, Iowa. Even while enjoying her otherwise carefree childhood, though, Noelle knew what was coming. Her family had been afflicted for generations, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Noelle’s mother was virtually deaf. Her grandmother was deaf. Her great-grandfather had been deaf. In fact, while working for a railroad, he’d been killed by a train because he couldn’t hear it roaring down the tracks. Because her mother’s hearing aids worked so poorly, Noelle and her family mostly had to pass notes to communicate with her.
That silent world awaited Noelle too. She was certain of it.
Sure enough, at the age of twenty, Noelle found herself saying more and more often, “What was that? What did you say?” She had to turn up the volume on her TV and radio. She couldn’t understand what was going on at parties because all the sounds jumbled together.
It was a miserable adjustment for this young woman who loved music. After acquiring hearing aids for both ears, she often still couldn’t make out what people were trying to tell her. The impairment complicated her interactions with clients in her position as a jobs coach for the disabled. It caused her to miss the poignant exchange of vows at her brother’s wedding.
By August 2008, at the age of fifty, Noelle had been hearing impaired for thirty years. Despite the hardships she endured each day, she considered herself blessed: She had loving relationships with her husband and daughter, and her faith in God was a constant source of strength.
When Noelle’s friend Sandi invited her to a weeknight “prayer summit” at her church in Ames, she agreed to go. She thought it would be a good chance to pray, revitalize her faith, and see if God would do something amazing for anyone there.
It never occurred to her that something amazing could happen to her.
On the Wednesday of the service, Noelle waffled about keeping her commitment to Sandi. Wouldn’t you rather just go to the store and get your grocery shopping out of the way? she asked herself. Later, she thought, You don’t feel very good. Better stay home tonight.
By the time Noelle got home from work, she was exhausted. You’re too tired, she told herself. You should stay home, go to bed early, and rest up.
That’s when Noelle realized the pattern of her thoughts that day. Was something trying to keep her from going to the service? If I stay home, she thought, I’ll miss out on a blessing. I need to be there.
Noelle, Sandi, and Sandi’s family arrived a few minutes late. Hundreds filled the church. The group found the last empty seats in the back row.
The band played worship songs. As Noelle joined in, a strange feeling washed over her. A warm sensation spread throughout her body, and her hands grew hot. Soon, a pastor stood at the front, asking people with specific afflictions to come forward for prayer and healing. Because the band was still playing, however, Noelle couldn’t decipher the pastor’s words. Her hearing aids amplified every sound, blending them into a cacophony of noise.
So Noelle focused on her own prayers. Dear God, I pray for total healing from my head to toe. Let me feel your healing touch. I want to be the whole person you want me to be.
Suddenly, Noelle felt an elbow nudge her in the ribs.
“You need to go up there,” Sandi said. “He’s calling for the person who has the hearing loss to come up front. He said God told them someone in the congregation has hearing loss.”
As the music continued to play, Noelle stood and made her way to the altar, where several church leaders were praying for people on their knees. One pastor looked at Noelle and said, “Do you have hearing loss?”
She nodded.
“You’re the one God’s been speaking to me about,” said Pastor Evan Matheson. “God wants to heal you right now, tonight. Not only your hearing, but your heart also. God wants to make you whole.”
The pastor took both of Noelle’s hands. “Do you believe God can restore your hearing?”
During all the years of disappointment and frustration, Noelle had never sought healing for her condition. It seemed like the kind of thing that happened to others, if at all. Now, however, she sensed God’s powerful presence. Suddenly, anything seemed possible. “Absolutely!” she answered.
Evan put his hands on Noelle’s ears and began to pray. With the music playing and others also praying, however, Noelle again couldn’t make sense of the noise. She stopped the pastor and removed her hearing aids.
Now she was ready. For the second time, Evan stretched out his hands to Noelle’s ears and began praying. She closed her eyes and listened intently. She heard nothing.
Seconds passed.
“. . . and Lord, we ask you to heal every part of her ears, from the inner ear out.”
Oh! Tears filled Noelle’s eyes. Then she began to sob. I can hear him! I can hear him!
Evan concluded his prayer, noticed Noelle’s tears, and smiled.
“I can hear you!” she said. She thought the pastor looked as excited as she felt.
Evan led Noelle to a quieter corner of the church. He turned his back to her and began to slowly walk away while saying simple words like door. She was able to hear and repeat each one.
Next, Evan returned to the front of the church and spoke to the other leaders. The music stopped. Noelle was called to the altar and positioned with her back to the congregation. In the now-silent church, Evan began snapping his fingers.
“Can you hear me?” he asked.
“Yes, I can hear you!” Noelle answered.
They repeated the exchange a few times, the snapping fainter each time, yet clear in Noelle’s ears.
Finally, Evan stopped. “Noelle, turn around.”
She faced the congregation again and was shocked to see the pastor in the back of the sanctuary, seventy-five feet away. Normally, even with her hearing aids, there was no way she’d have heard him from that distance.
The condition Noelle had lived with for more than thirty years had changed in an instant. She was amazed at the power of God. Who am I, she thought, that he’s so mindful of me?
Only one word could describe what had happened: miracle.
A couple weeks after the service, Noelle visited her audiologist and told her she’d noted “improvement” in her hearing.
“Oh?” The audiologist arched an eyebrow. “What makes you think you’re improving?”
Noelle told her story. The audiologist couldn’t hide her skepticism. “Well,” she said, “let’s do the test.”
A few minutes later, Noelle was being hurried out of a sound booth. “I can’t believe it!” the audiologist shouted. “You don’t need hearing aids. You have perfect hearing. Tell me again how it happened!”
The generational “curse” of deafness did not end with Noelle. Her thirty-four-year-old daughter, Mallory, was also severely impaired, wore hearing aids, and often relied on lip reading and written notes. When Noelle related the story of her healing, Mallory’s response was direct: “The next time they have one of those prayer summits, I want to go.”
The following March, Noelle and Mallory walked into the same Ames church, their emotions a mixture of apprehension, excitement, and hope. Would God bless their family with a second miracle?
It wasn’t long before a pastor led everyone in a prayer for healing. Noelle placed her hands on Mallory’s head and added her own heartfelt petition. The pastor finished his prayer and said to the congregation, “If you have received a miracle, a healing, I want you to come up front.”
Noelle and Mallory looked at each other.
“Well?” Noelle said.
Mallory’s eyes were opened wide. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Well,” Noelle said, “take your hearing aids out.”
Mallory gently removed both hearing aids and then paused a few seconds to listen. Suddenly she gasped and began to cry.
“Oh, I can hear!”
This time both Noelle and Mallory walked to the front to share the good news. The tears flowed as they basked in cheers and applause.
Today, Noelle continues to work as a jobs coach and enjoys listening to Christian music. There’s no more need to pass notes to communicate. Her hearing, and that of her daughter, remains completely normal. The chain of affliction is broken.
“God is so good,” Noelle said. “I love telling people my story. God still does signs, wonders, and miracles. We are living proof.”