How a Vision and a Prayer Saved My Mother-in-Law from the Nazis

If you have the gift of dreams, you know that your spiritual insight is not limited to just receiving dreams. About two years after I began to have regular dreams, I began to recognize that, in much smaller amounts, I received messages in other formats. This is common; I have heard the same testimony from others. Those who have open visions sometimes receive closed visions or dreams, or words of prophecy. Those who prophecy sometimes have dreams or visions. And, with the gift of dreaming, you will sometimes receive open visions, closed visions, and / or prophetic words.

My wife’s mother, Viera, was almost killed when she was “five or six years old.” Her mother, Nadiya, had the gift of open visions. An open vision is when a person simultaneously sees a spiritual sight and the present, physical environment. An open vision is a little like standing on one side of a plate glass window. You are able to see the streetscape beyond the window. And, a reflection of what is behind you also appears as a reflection in the glass. The vision component is stronger than a reflection in glass, however. And, you will be much more aware of the vision than of the actual physical environment. The physical does not disappear, however. If the connection with the physical is completely lost and only the vision remains, it is a closed vision.

One afternoon, during World War II, as the German Nazi army was bombing, Nadiya had a vision. She shared it with her husband, “Afanasi, I see a plume of fire beside the bed where Viera is sleeping. Go and bring her into our bed.” Every husband initially disregards the prodding of his wife. If he did not, he would forever be performing unnecessary tasks. It is the test to see if the requested work is important enough for a second mention. Afanasi asked Nadiya, “Are you hot?” He put his hand on her forehead.

The open vision persisted. Nadiya prayed silently in her mind. And, after a few moments, the Holy Spirit moved Afanasi, who said, “Come, let us take Viera and go.” Afanasi went into his daughter’s room, scooped her up, and delivered her to her mother without waking her. Together, they went outside of the home. Some of the other town’s people, who were not Christian, saw them walking out of town.

“Those are the people that mumble, and hear from God,” they said, referencing the couple’s praying in tongues. “If they are leaving, then we should leave, too,” they began to say. As Afanasi and Nadiya walked out of the town, others began to follow them. Less than ten minutes later, bombs began to drop on the town. They watched as the Germans rained bombs down upon their homes.

The Holy Spirit moved the hearts of the people in the town to follow Afanasi, Nadiya, and Viera out of the town. Through one small family that prayed, many lives were saved.

When everyone returned to the town, they entered and inspected their homes.

A German bomb had zipped through the roof like paper, plunged through Viera’s pillow, hit the ground, exploded, tore holes in all four walls of the room, and deposited a major portion of the shell casing into the place where Viera’s pillow had been. The pillow itself had been completely destroyed.

Viera lived through German occupation, and then Russian occupation. Then she survived the Ukrainian holocaust: the Russians feigned a food shortage and starved millions of Ukrainians to death. She ate leaves to survive. Then, she also survived communism.

Viera’s 8^th and final child is my wife. Viera has the gift of prophetic dreams, as does my wife.