Gunnar is now 78 years of age and can enjoy a healthy back. He could not do this before, because for many years he struggled with pain in the back. It all started when Johnsen was in his twenties and worked at the iron plant in the city of Mo i Rana. The work was hard and very stressful for the body. Eventually he got severe pain in the back and down the legs.
-The symptoms came and went and it hurt very much.I went to see a doctor, a physiotherapist and a chiropractor. They managed to fix the ailments temorarily, but then they returned, he tells.
The doctors confirmed a slipped disc and sciatica. For periods of time Johnsen used pain killers, but it did not help very much. He defied the pain and continued to work.
-I remember a time when I was in so much pain that I had to crawl across the floor to get to the toilet at home. When I reached the toilet, I hoisted myself up by hanging on to the door handle. It was a horrible time.
The wife called Svein-Magne
Nevertheless, there is one day Johnsen remembers best. That day started in the worst possible way, but turned out to be a happy day in his life.
-I woke up one morning and could not get out of bed. My back had acted up very badly, and it hurt very much.
His wife said she would call Svein-Magne, which she did. Pedersen prayed over the telephone, and fifteen minuttes later Johnsen was up and walking around. The pain started to go away.
-I did not feel anything in particular when Pedersen prayed, but in a matter of hours, all the pain had left. Ever since that day I have not had back pain, and it has now been 17 years since I was prayed for.
Johnsen says that today he is very active, and uses his body for both nature walks and physical work.
-I have gone for several walks in the woods. Last summer I put a new tin roof on the cabin. It was a demanding job, but my back is still just as sturdy as before. I am so grateful to God for what has taken place, Gunnar Johnsen concludes.
X-ray proof
About twelve years ago, he got a proof that his back really had been healed. He was in a dramatic tractor accident, and afterwards an x-ray of his body was performed at the hospital in Tromso.
-The X-ray pictures showed that nothing was wrong with my back, says Gunnar.
After this accident Gunnar found his Bible, and his childhood faith was brought to life again for him.
-My mother and father were Christians, and I went to Sunday school and meetings when I was a child, but so many temptations came in the way. It was first when I ended up in the hospital after the tractor accident, that I began reading the Bible, and now I have read it every day for the past twelve years. My mother prayed a lot for us kids, and that is probably reason for all of this, says Gunnar Johnsen.
