-It is almost too good to be true, says Gina Sandøy (31) a week after the healing. -Now I feel satisfied after a proper meal. It hasn't always been like this.
It was in my childhood years it started. I was often taunted. When I reached my teens I felt overweight and fat. I started to have an unnatural relationship to myself and I often felt like I had eaten too much. I also struggled with a negative self-image.
Gina was fifteen years old when she stuck her finger down her throat in order to to make herself throw up. This was the beginning of a vicious circle, and for the next seven years she constantly stuck her finger down her throat make herself throw up. -I would do this once or twice a week, Gina tells.
Gina had a difficult time in her teenage years. At worst she weighed 15 kilos below her normal weight. Some days Gina could eat a lot in order to bring it up afterwards, then she could go for days without eating. This unnatural relationship to food continued for years.
Gina eventually set up an excercise program to sculpt the out of shape body she thought she had. These excercises included jogging, bicycling, swimming, aerobics and working out with weights.
-I ran and walked long distances. I overtrained my body. I could work out as often as seven days a week, 3-4 hours a day.
Psychological problems
-Bulimia is first and foremost a sickness that is in the mind, Gina tells. -I always thought of myself as fat. At dinner parties I always compared what I ate with that of the person sitting next to me and all the others. I would never eat more than the others. When one thinks like that, one has an unnatural relationship to food.
-I bought clothes that were too big as a result of how I thought. They later had to be sewn in in order to fit. My sister and her friends thought I was too thin, but I didn't listen to them. In my mind I was too fat, Gina tells.
-When I was in my early twenties, I stopped sticking my finger down my throat. But I still was bothered by bulimia and stressful thoughts. I had the same sickness as before, except that I didn't throw up, but I felt the gagging sensations at times.
I ate a lot, then only half an hour later, I was hungry again. I could also go for days without food. My relationship to food was strenous.
Trondheim
In the spring of 2001 Gina moved from the city of Bergen to the city of Trondheim.
-In retrospect this has been a smart move because God had a plan in my being here, she tells. She did establish some valuable contacts in Trondheim.
In the fall of 2001 Gina, who at the time was 27 years of age, was diagnosed with ADHD by her doctor.
-In the time that followed, I tried 7-8 different medications without it having any effect in particular, Gina tells.
At the same time as she was struggling with gagging sensations. Gina joined a local ADHD organization, and here she was acquainted with someone who would mean a lot to her. Without Gina knowing, he prayed for her.
Peace and Quiet
-All my life I have been searching for something. I have always had an emptiness inside. Every time there had been talk of Christianity I have felt a strong sense of longing, but I never knew what it was all about.
Many years went by. One day Gina felt God's presence in a very special way. It was a text message from her friend in the ADHD organization about God's love that was the escalating factor.
-Suddenly I understood just how much God really loved me. I broke down and cried and sobbed in intervals. God's power came over me and gave me a redemption in areas of my life in which I had struggled. That same day I asked Jesus into my heart and gave my life over to God, Gina tells. -I didn't really know just how wonderful it was to be a Christian. After making this decision, I have a peace in my life, Gina tells. Later on some good friends of hers had helped get her into a Christian fellowship in the church where she was helped in living out her new life.
Healed from bulimia
In the fall of 2005 Gina was invited by a friend of hers to a healing meeting. -When it was my turn to receive prayer, it was almost
1:30 at night. At that time, I had been on the premises for over nine hours, but it was well worth the wait, she says. -I told Svein-Magne that I had for a long time been struggling with eating disorders and gagging sensations.
When Svein-Magne prayed, I felt an electric current go throught go throught me. While I was sitting on the chair, I was shaking lightly, but it was a good feeling. It was almost as if something in my stomach came out. I felt the current of something that came from my stomach and went straight out. The pressure I felt in my stomach started to give little by little until it was all gone. After getting prayed for, I felt a peculiar calmness and rest. It felt as if I was set totally free. I knew that something fantastic had happened, Gina tells happily.
Normal eating habits
The next day which was a Sunday, she looked forward to dinner. -I love good food and that day I made tacos. Usually I could eat five to six tacos before I felt satisfied. Now I was filled up after eating two tacos, Gina tells.
And in the days to come she continued to feel satisfied after meals. This was a new experience to her. -I am just so unbelievably thankful for what has happened. The gagging sensations are also gone. Before I could constantly think about food and easily overeat, or I could stop eating for a long time, says Gina. -But now I have a totally natural and relaxed relationship to food. It is just so wonderful what has happened. I am 100% convinced that God has healed me, Gina tells, beaming with joy.
