Pahoa, Hawaii — An auto body repairman, Jason Balken, provided the low bid to do body work on my van.   Meeting him for the first time in the town of Pahoa, Hawaii, he was in a wheelchair, I was shocked. It was a pleasant surprised to find a diligent man who did not have a “pity party” attitude, you know the “woe with me” kind of person. Jason showed me his past work and I gave him the job. Finding him to be an intriguing person, I began to ask questions which led me to a very faithful spirit. Here is their story.

Coos Bay, Oregon – Involved in a horrific motorcycle accident in 2005, a couple of months before Christmas, Jason Balken shatter his skull, broke his back in three places, broke his sternum, and wrist.  As Jason lay on the ground choking in his own blood, he remembers thinking he was going to die. Then he felt his crying daughter grab his hand and say, “don’t leave me”.  It was Jason’s wake up call, he hung on to life until the emergency team arrived at the scene. Jason felt he was dealt “a dealt blow, but with by God’s mighty hand made it through”.  The emergency team later agreed, telling him “you should be dead” and was very close to being a quadriplegic. Jason’s best friend Todd Casey said “it was divine intervention that saved Jason”

At the hospital Jason was induced by the medical team into a comma to cope with immeasurable pain.  While in a comma, Jason remembers clearly being alone on a desolate white sand beach on a tropical island; he felt very happy and at peace, it was like heaven. Fish would swim to him and he would catch them with his hand then cook the fish on an open fire place. Then one day in a storm he saw two big men approaching him, Jason had no fear and experienced a peaceful encounter.  The two men escorted Jason into the ocean and they began walking under water, at this point he woke from his comma, and was back at the hospital.

Jason and his faithful wife Valerie were married for seven years before the accident, they have four children, Geran, Mary, Grace, and Kyah. Before the accident they owned and operated a coffee shop called Kaffe 101, which they converted to a Christian Coffee shop. People said the shop would fail as a Christian coffee shop, instead it did very well.  Eventually, Pastor Matt Fox of  Brandon Christian Fellowship, purchased the coffee shop and the shop successfully continues today.

In the hospital Jason had hundreds of friends and customers visit him, so many that Pastor Fox asked the church to limit their visits, and made the same announcement on a local Christian radio station.

Jason was transferred to the Medford Oregon Rehab Center that had about 10 patients. The professional staff at the rehabilitation center told Jason it would be years before he could drive. Jason had faith in God healing him, although the staff said he was in denial. One month later Jason drove away!  Jason was also informed that the average life expectancy of patients like him who experienced that amount of trauma, was ten years. It’s been now twelve years, and Jason says his medical vital statistics are better today than they were at the time of the accident.

When I asked him if the accident had given him a new purpose in life, he replied he is “being used by God”.  Jason’s favorite scripture is “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” Job 13:15 NIV

Yes, Jacob is most certainly being used by God to give hope and faith to those who have been physically afflicted. Never give up.  “Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible”.  Matthew 19:26 (KJV)

Testimony of Healing by Jason Balken

by Carl Okuyama