One Foot in Heaven: A Testament to the Power of Prayer

By Janice Reck

One Foot In Heaven is a testament to the power of prayer and how all prayers are heard and often answered. In 2009 Janice was faith-healed by Jesus Christ of diseases that were killing her and she had subsequent visions of meeting the Archangels, her relatives, Jesus, and God the Father in Heaven. It would take years for some of these memories to emerge in the form of visions. She was told she was being healed by Jesus because of her mother's prayers and her best friend Regina's prayers. She had previously been somewhat skeptical of faith-healing because of how it was projected by the media; that is until she was faith-healed herself.

Janice takes you on a journey through her life and writes about the different moments when God has saved her life, kept her safe, or altered her path, like He did prior to 9/11. She talks about how God has even answered the smallest of prayers at times.

Janice feels that this day in age, more than ever before, people need to hear and know that miracles still happen and that God is ever-present. Janice hopes this book will inspire people to pray for others, to seek God's guidance in their everyday lives, and to carry them through the difficult times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512737028

Janice Reck

Janice Reck is an Application Support Specialist with an accounting software company and has studied C-programming at New York University. She had a 20 year career as an Implementation Consultant and Application Support Specialist with a trust accounting software firm and this career took her to Tokyo, Japan and New York City, New York from 1990-2001. She consulted at Fiduciary Trust Company International on the 97th floor of 2 World Trade Center from 1995-1998 and again from 2000-2001. She was supposed to still be there on 9/11/01, but when an illness had suddenly worsened, she left that position and moved back to Pennsylvania in July of 2001. Prior to working in software support positions, Janice worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Janice lives with her husband Tom, daughter Isabella, and their two dogs Dusty and Lola in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She and her husband Tom are part of the Bent Knee praise band at the Conshohocken United Methodist Church in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. This is her first book.

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Copyright © 2016 Janice Reck.

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

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of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3703-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3704-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3702-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016905412

WestBow Press rev. date:  01/22/2021

This book is

dedicated to God and My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You came for me and you healed me. You showed me your

love; a love I have felt all of my life, but didn’t think could

mutually grow stronger, but it has. I don’t want to leave you,

but know you are always with me. You have kept me safe, led

me to my new family, and made it possible for me to write

this book. I will be eternally grateful for your many gifts.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to…

…my parents and grandparents, for their unconditional love, for their unwavering support, and for their constant prayers. I miss them, but know they are watching over me, and I will join them again one day.

…my daughter Isabella, who is such a blessing. She spreads her sunshine to everyone who knows her. I thank her for her patience and understanding while I’ve worked on my book.

…my husband Tom, for his understanding and support, for always listening when I need to express myself, for making me laugh, and most importantly for his love through some trying times.

…my Sister-in-law Wendy, for being my one and only Editor, besides myself, and for her love and emotional support when this experience began.

…my best friend Regina for her friendship, love, and religious in-sight.

Contents

CHAPTER 1    BREAKING THROUGH THE VEIL

CHAPTER 2    SIGNS

CHAPTER 3    GOD IS KEEPING WATCH

CHAPTER 4    CLOSE CALL

CHAPTER 5    THE PHILIPPINES

CHAPTER 6    TOKYO

CHAPTER 7    KARAOKE

CHAPTER 8    TOKYO DOME

CHAPTER 9    EARTHQUAKES

CHAPTER 10    NEW YORK CITY

CHAPTER 11    CONTACT

CHAPTER 12    DREAMS

CHAPTER 13    DANCING & VOLUNTEERING

CHAPTER 14    PEACE

CHAPTER 15    THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

CHAPTER 16    FIDUCIARY TRUST COMPANY INTERNATIONAL

CHAPTER 17    9/11/01

CHAPTER 18    REFLECTION

CHAPTER 19    LOSS & CHANGE

CHAPTER 20    TRIP TO GROUND ZERO & SANSKRIT

CHAPTER 21    THE LORD’S PRAYER

CHAPTER 22    SLEEP

CHAPTER 23    DISEASE

CHAPTER 24    MARGARET

CHAPTER 25    TOMS RIVER

CHAPTER 26    THE REVELATION

CHAPTER 27    THE STARS

CHAPTER 28    SAD NEWS

CHAPTER 29    ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER 30    OUR FIRST MEETING

CHAPTER 31    CHANGES

CHAPTER 32    POCKET FULL OF TWIZZLERS

CHAPTER 33    OVERBOARD

CHAPTER 34    FAMILY

CHAPTER 35    BENT KNEE

CHAPTER 36    THE ANGELS

CHAPTER 37    POWER OF PRAYER

CHAPTER 38    KUMBAYA

CHAPTER 39    THE RED CROSS

CHAPTER 40    MARY’S SONG

CHAPTER 41    THE MOVE

CHAPTER 42    THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

CHAPTER 43    POP ART

CHAPTER 44    CHRISTMAS

CHAPTER 45    PRAYER OR COINCIDENCE

CHAPTER 46    SHADOW

CHAPTER 47    ANIMALS IN HEAVEN

CHAPTER 48    OUR NEW HOME

CHAPTER 49    A GOOD PATH

CHAPTER 50    THOMAS

CHAPTER 51    HEAVEN

CHAPTER 52    MEETING THE FATHER

CHAPTER 53    ALPHA & OMEGA

CHAPTER 54    UNTIL NEXT TIME

Preface

O ne Foot In Heaven recounts my journey of being healed from deadly diseases in 2009 by Jesus Christ, subsequently meeting my husband, and finding an inspiring community in which to worship, all by the grace of God. Memories of meeting Jesus, God the Father, my relatives, and the angels would be forthcoming.

It is January of 2016 and my Husband and I are finally settled into our new home in Chester County, Pennsylvania. I’m putting the finishing touches on this book that I began writing in 2011. At first I wrote a compilation of my adopted daughter Bella’s stories and my own, but wrote it from her four-year-old perspective, so that in any sentence you didn’t know who you were reading about, Bella or me. I had titled it Bella’s Angel. My first Heavenly visual was of an angel and having taken over the role of Bella’s Mom, in the wake of her birth Mother’s death, I feel a bit like her guardian angel. However, my husband convinced me that I should focus on my story of being healed by Jesus Christ, and so I have.

It’s become autobiographical in nature, as I share stories about God and my angels intervening and guiding me at various times in my life.

One Foot In Heaven is meant to be a testament to the power of prayer; how all prayers are heard by God, and often answered. I have always felt God’s love at the center of my being and could hear the messages He sent me. Prayer has strengthened that bond beyond my imagining. I believe now more than ever that people need to know miracles still happen and that God is ever-present. I hope this book will inspire people to pray for others and to seek God’s guidance in their everyday lives.

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (Luke 2:26)

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CHAPTER 1

BREAKING THROUGH THE VEIL

I n early 2009 strange things began happening. For about two weeks as I would lie falling asleep I could feel something brush up against my left leg and the mattress sank in, as if someone or something sat down at the end of my bed. I raised my head off the pillow and looked at the bottom of my bed, but there was nothing there.

I had been sensing a presence around me for a few weeks; mostly at night after I said my prayers. I’ve always felt like someone has watched over me, but this seemed a little different somehow. One night I could sense more than one presence around me and I could feel love and a sense of humor coming from them.

I thought, Maybe these are my guardian angels? I decided to talk out loud to them one night.

I said I know you’re there. You might as well talk to me. Are you my guardian angels?

I didn’t hear anyone answer out loud, but a telepathic voice said "Yes."

I couldn’t get back to sleep and I was lying awake thinking about these spiritual encounters. There was a chill in the air, so I went downstairs and settled into a chair in front of the television and pulled a blanket over me. I started to fall back to sleep again. Suddenly I heard a voice across the room. I rubbed my eyes and looked in that direction, but I didn’t see anyone there. I knew I was awake; I was certain I was awake, but this couldn’t be happening. At that point, I wondered if it was wise that I asked the presences to talk to me.

It was a male voice I heard, and I tried to focus on where it was coming from. It was directly in front of me, to the right of the TV. It was strange because it didn’t remain at the height you would expect someone’s mouth to be, about five to six feet off the ground; it moved around. I noticed the voice had a strange quality to it. It quivered and the words came in waves, like they were breaking through the veil.

He said Do not be afraid. Your Mom has been praying a lot for you to be healed of your illness and he proceeded to list off my diseases and symptoms. Your mother prays for you often and so does your friend Regina. Jesus Christ will heal you now.

I said, I know Jesus used to heal people when he walked on Earth. I’ve asked God to help me be well, but will He really be healing me?

He answered Yes, He will, but you have to believe, you have to have faith that God is healing you. That is the most important part.

I could feel this presence moving closer to me until he was standing right beside me. I could also hear an electrical noise all around me and it closed in on me, and then surrounded me. It was a buzzing sound, like an electrical transformer might make.

He said Please stand up. At that point I felt as though Jesus himself had stepped within me and I felt filled with light. I was also chilly.

I thought, Why am I so cold? I started to shiver. The air smelled fresh too, like it does after a thunderstorm.

We spoke for awhile longer and then I sat back down and fell asleep again.

Upon awakening I thought, What do I do now? Did that really happen? Was that an angel, or the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ? I have to tell my mother about this, but what if she doesn’t believe me? What if people don’t believe me?

My memories of visiting heaven, meeting Jesus, God the Father, and my relatives would be forthcoming.

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (Luke 4:40)

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CHAPTER 2

SIGNS

A t the time of my healing, I had been experiencing vivid sleeping dreams and waking, real-time dreams or visions. When I say visions, I mean I was seeing something more than just my physical world. In some of my dreams or visions I would be telling people I have to go back. Meaning I have to go back to Earth. I would also be kneeling, looking up and speaking to God.

I hadn’t been prone to sleepwalking at all, only talking in my sleep. I distinctly remember being awake when I spoke to the presence in my living room. However, this launched a short period in my life when I would begin sleepwalking.

I moved into a quiet, new townhome development in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, in November of 2004. The development sits on top of a hill overlooking all of Providence Valley, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. When I first moved into my house I befriended my neighbors, Ed and Joy.

A couple of days after being faith-healed—I was sleepwalking early one morning and ended up at my neighbor Joy’s door. Apparently I really scared her because I wasn’t making sense, and I was speaking strangely about angels and demons. She was so concerned about me that she called the police to come and speak to me. I don’t know that I was making much sense to them either. I told them I had been very ill and had a spiritual experience where I was healed by Jesus Christ. I also told them that I was still going through something. The younger of the two officers believed me, and I could tell he was religious, while the older of the two was more skeptical and was asking annoying questions. It wasn’t until I completely woke up that I realized I had been walking around in somewhat of a dream state, and I explained this to the police. After explaining this to them, they left me alone. I was very embarrassed and apologetic to my neighbor, and confused about why I would be walking around half asleep.

I was told that I’d been healed—of diseases that were killing me—and to have faith, and so I did; I didn’t look back. It didn’t happen all at once though. That spring of 2009 I slowly stopped one medication at a time, and I kept the positive attitude that I was free of my diseases.

I could no longer be heard saying I feel like I’m dying or I feel like I can’t breathe.

After a few months, I was suddenly able to do things my body had not allowed me to do for many years. I was visiting with my mother more often in Lancaster County, and I could take longer walks around my development.

When winter of 2010 arrived, I could tolerate the cold and snow without excruciating pain. In addition to that I could sit down in the snow and play with my dog Dusty. I even did some sledding with Joy and the children. Previously, I had avoided the cold, snow, and wind because I would be completely debilitated from the increased pain that these conditions would cause.

Several years later I would reflect on my healing experience and wondered why I was asked to stand when I was being healed by Jesus Christ. Then one day while reading parables by Jesus, I found this one:

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, Stand up in front of everyone. Then Jesus asked them, Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. (Mark 3:1-5)

Back during the Christmas Season of 2009, although I didn’t put up a tree, I set up my nativity scene and placed a small string of white lights around it. One evening while I was watching television, the power in my house completely shut down. This was unusual since we don’t normally lose power in Pennsylvania, except in ice storms and electrical storms—neither of which was occurring that night. I sat there in total darkness and complete quiet, looking around, and allowing my eyes to adjust to the blackness, when I noticed the nativity lights were still on. My eyes stayed glued to those lights. I watched as over the course of five to ten minutes, they dimmed to a gold color and then amber, and then finally went out. I still don’t have an explanation for it. No other lights in my house were behaving this way; it was pitch-black in the house except for the Christmas lights. I suppose someone could come up with some scientific explanation for this, but for me it was a little sign from God. It was one of many wow moments to come in my life and it reminded me of other wow moments from my past—like the summer day in