In August of 1982, I was living in Tucson, Arizona. (Tucson, Arizona was 1000 miles from Tulsa, Oklahoma). I was ready to make my trip to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, and I needed some miracles...and God was very faithful in giving them to me. At that time I had no car, and practically no money. (I left Tucson with 40 dollars). I was accepted at ORU, but I still didn't even know if my student loans would cover my tuition.

A week before I had to be at ORU, I called a place in town called "AAA-Drive Away". This was a company that had cars that needed to be driven to some of the major cities in the country. I called and asked, "Do you have any cars in your lot that need to be driven from Tucson to Tulsa, Oklahoma next weekend?" The man on the other end of the line laughed. He said, "We don't have many cars, and the cars we do get in, need to be driven to the major cities like L. A. or New York. We never have cars go to small towns like Tulsa." I paused, and then said, "If you do get a car in that needs to go to Tulsa by next week, please call me." I gave him my phone number, and he made it sound like the biggest waste of time. A few days later, something amazing happened...The phone rang, and it was the AAA-Drive-Away Company. The man on the other end of the phone said, "You are not going to believe this, but someone just stole a car from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and they found it here in Tucson. We need someone to drive it back to Tulsa this weekend!" I could have screamed!!! I went down and picked up the car and off I went to Tulsa......

But this is not the end of the story.....I drove 1,000 miles from Tucson to Tulsa, and as I was driving up the driveway of Oral Roberts University, the car broke down...The car died right at the entrance of ORU...It wouldn't go 1 inch further or shorter. I ended up having a tow truck come and tow it back to it's owners in Tulsa. I suddenly became aware that this was one of God's Training Centers, ("God's University", as Oral would put it) and that I was His Child...This is where I was to stay put......and I did for two whole years !

STORY # 2  :  ANGELS ON ASSIGNMENT 

One experience I will never forget took place back in 1984. I was juggling financial tuition at 2 schools (Oral Roberts University and Rhema Bible Training Center), and during the first week of March, I received a letter from both schools, saying I would be dropped from both of them by March 12th, if I did not come up with $500. ($250 a piece). I barely had money to live on, and it looked absolutely impossible. I had only 2 days to come up with the money. I immediately went to my prayer closet and did something. I want to say I "prayed', but that's not exactly what happened. I screamed out a scripture from the book of Hebrews. It was a scripture that talked about angels being helpers to those who do God's work. There is also a scripture that says that we will judge the angels one day . I basically yelled out and I mean yelled out to the angels of heaven. I told them that they were called to help me do God's work. I told them that if they don't help me at this crucial point in time, I would judge them one day. I commanded the angels to go to the north, the south, the east , the west, and get the money I needed to graduate from these Bible Schools.

The next day, something incredible happened...something I will never forget to this day. It was a Sunday and I went to church at Victory Christian Center at the Maybe Center. The church at that time was very large (apx 6-8 thousand people). I went expecting to be all "fired" up by some dynamic message, but instead, I felt nothing. I returned home, and as the hours progressed, I began to realize that I was going to be kicked out of both schools. Suddenly a large cloud of depression came over me. I wasn't bitter, but I realized that this really was the end of a dream. It meant I wouldn't graduate from either schools. I became very quiet.

As the hours ticked by, I decided I may as well go to the evening service at the church. I walked over (I didn't have a car) and attended the service. It was a nice sermon, but nothing seemed to move the depression that was over me. As the service ended, I began to walk down the stairs. It was raining outside, and it was also very cold. As I was walking out of the building, a woman came up to me. Her name was Pat Williams. I had met her at a Bible Study a number of months before, but she was just an acquaintance. She turned to me and said, "Can I give you a ride home, it's beginning to rain" I told her "no, that's ok." I began to keep walking, but she approached me again. "Are you sure you don't want a ride?" This time, because of the sudden down-pour outside, I said "Yes". We got in her car, and she began to drive me to my apartment. We talked about Bible things, but I made no mention of my current crisis. When we arrived, she turned to me and said, "Michael, do you need any money?" I looked at her , shocked at her question, and point blank said, "No". (Like I was really going to tell her that I needed $500 within 12 hours). I began to get out of the car, and she said, "Wait!" I leaned back into the car and this is what she said: "Michael, while we were in the service tonight, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said:

"Give Michael Hastings $500 dollars".

My eye balls just about popped out of my head! "You've got to be kidding!", I said. I then told her the whole story about the $500 I needed to stay in the 2 schools. She opened up her purse, wrote the check, and handed it to me. Not only was my prayer answered, but I was able to finish and graduate from both schools. (As it turns out, Pat's mother accepted the Lord one week later, after she gave me the $500. Pat's mother ended up giving Pat $8,000 two weeks later!) What was so amazing about this incident, is that Pat was practically a stranger to me. She knew nothing about me or my life, or my finances. To top it off, the Lord told her exactly how much to give, and exactly who to give it too...ME! It truly is an amazing story. Not only does God personally know us by name, but he also knows how much is in our pocketbooks .... and the most important point, is that he wants to be INVOLVED in the events of our lives especially in our hours of crisis. Amen !

(Note: I am still good friends with Pat Williams and am still in contact with her to this day...25 years later!)

STORY # 3 : MIKE MEETS THE PRESIDENT

The summer of 1984 was the pinnacle point of my life. I had just graduated from Oral Roberts University and was appointed to be a Missions Director in Kenya, East Africa. Our team flew across the world and landed in Kenya, East Africa and our amazing journey began....We traveled all over the country, preaching to thousands of people throughout the entire summer. Hundreds were saved, dozens healed, and many filled with the Holy Spirit. Along with our missionary work, we were able to enjoy our stay in Kenya by going on Safari at Tsavo National Park, and a tour through Lake Nakuru. We also were able to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Mombosa by swimming and snorkeling in the Indian Ocean. During our summer we traveled to many cities: Nairobi, Limuru, Muranga, Thika, Kisumu, Busia, Nakuru, Machakos, Tala, Malindi, Taveta, Kajiado. 

On top of all of this, I was invited to have lunch with the President of Kenya (President Moi) at his home (Kenya State House). After our team finished lunch, we were invited into the backyard where we sat in the Presidents honored seats, to watch a 3-hour televised African Dance Ceremony. The ceremony consisted of various tribes singing and dancing before the President. (National Geographic move over!)

By the end of the summer, we had preached to over 6,000 people (6,075), 650 were saved, 250 instructed in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and over 50 claimed supernatural healing when our team prayed for them. Most of the healings took place in Busia ( a brush-area located by the Uganda Border, and in Nakuru (a city located by the Great Rift Valley. (T.L. Osborn had many outstanding healings take place when he ministered in Nakuru a few years prior to our visit.) Most of the healings were of minor ailments, but significant enough to shock and convince the ones who were healed that God had truly done something supernatural to their physical bodies.Many were healed of chronic and long term pains…chest pains, back pains, headaches, etc.. One young man was slightly paralyzed in the neck and shoulder area and was unable to turn his head forward. When I prayed for him, he said electricity went through his spinal chord and his head snapped forward in place. The crowd of boys around him, who knew him, were amazed and shocked at what happened. These healings were truly amazing and have been etched deeply into my memory, even now, 25 years later. Those moments were real, powerful, spiritually potent, and vivid. Today, I reflect back and sometimes question the validity of all those healings. Were those who claimed healing over-reacting ? Did they really get healed ? Did the healing last ? Was is mere emotionalism ? Were the children who were crying with joy that the pain had left thier bodies making it up ? Did the students who claimed they were healed saying it so they could gain a friendship with an American or someone who they percieved had money or position ? I know when I prayed for them, there was a powerful healing force that came out of me and into them. I know that many times the presense of the Lord was so strong that I felt directed in every word I spoke as I prayed. Today I am convinced that many of the healings were real and legitimate. Let me share one of the stories: 

One healing that was quite substantial was that of a little Hindu girl in the town of Nakuru. I had been praying for the sick all summer, and people began to get healed, as mentioned above. When we came to Nakuru, a man named Jeremiah Lanoi, (Cousin of President Moi) heard about what was happening and wanted to watch me preach and pray for the sick. He stood right next to me as I preached and prayed for healing. After the prayer, 7 children got up and said they were healed. One in particular was a little Hindu girl who was in tears of unbelief that the pain in her chest was gone. It was a powerful moment in time. But the real testimony is what happened later....A month later, our team traveled through Nakuru and found out that not only was the little girl still healed from her ailment, but her parents and grandparents accepted the Lord, and the whole family left the Hindu Faith, because of the girl's healing. Jeremiah, the cousin of the President, was amazed by the whole ordeal and confirmed the healing of the child and the conversion of the little girl's parents and grandparents. How amazing is that ?

 

BELOW IS THE DECEMBER 1984 ISSUE OF
THE ORAL ROBERTS MAGAZINE, ENTITLED, "ABUNDANT LIFE"

MY AFRICA STORY APPEARED ON PAGE 20 - BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER

( To read the article below, select "Ctrl" and "+" on your keyboard to enlarge text.
Select "Ctrl" and "-" to reduce text to normal size )

 

 

STORY # 4 : "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT LEAVING"

This story took place a couple of years ago in Los Angeles. I had been in L.A. for about 4 years, and my finances were at an all time low...It was so bad that it seemed I had no choice but to leave and go back East to recoop physically, emotionally, financially, etc....It would mean leaving my job at the local health food store and my small, part time position on "West Wing". It didn't seem like it was going anywhere anyway, so I decided to leave. 

It was sometime around Easter Time of 2004, and I decided to make my "grand finale" from L.A...I had sold my large belongings and packed my car to head east. It was a Saturday and I began to drive out of Los Angeles...There was only one problem...A huge 12 hour rainstorm poured down upon the city, stopping traffic everywhere. After 2 hours on the road, I decided to turn around and leave the next day.....

The next day (Sunday), the rain had stopped and the sky was crystal blue. I thought to myself, "How wonderful!...Nothing can stop me now !"...I began to drive (once again) out of the city...but then something happened. As I was driving down the road past one of the churches I used to attend (Jack Hayford's Church - "Church on the Way") , I felt a strong tug on my heart to turn around and attend the church service. I ignored this "tug" and kept driving. A few miles down the road, the "tug" got bigger...and even more bigger....I kept ignoring it and kept driving.....I began to argue with Lord and said, "I'll go to any church, but not that one !" (I had some bad experiences there)...I kept driving...

Since it was Sunday, I had already planned on stopping at Robert Schuller's church, "The Crystal Cathedral" in Garden Grove which was located about and hour south of Los Angeles. As I kept driving, the "tugging" just wouldn't go away, so I finally pulled over and agreed to this "insanity". I turned around and drove back to "Church on the Way". In my heart I said, "OK Lord...you've got 2 hours and then I'm out a here !" (sounds real spiritual huh ?)...Well, the service began, and out came the pastor Scott Bauer to preach his sermon.

Oddly enough, his sermon was on the book of Proverbs, so it grasped my attention. The Pastor wanted the whole church to spend a month in the book of Proverbs... (I had just spent the year working with a famous artist creating a children's book from the book of Proverbs, but the project was left hanging, due to financial problemes and a lack of interest about "Proverbs" from everyone).....At this point, I was torn...Here was a Pastor trying to get 10,000 people interested in Proverbs, and I was leaving town in a couple of hours....I sat there thinking..."Aren't you a bit late Lord? I'm not interested in this project anymore and I'm leaving in 2 hours anyway"...As the sermon continued, I just sat there, tapping my feet, waiting for the sermon to end...

When the service finally ended, I decided "out of guilt" or something...to go up to Pastor Bauer and tell him about my little project. I had attended this church off and on for about 4 years, but never met the Pastor face-to-face or talked to him face-to- face. When I walked to the front to talk to him, there was a small line of people, so I waited patiently. When the crowd dwindled, the Pastor turned to me and grabbed my hand. As he was shaking my hand, something very, very unussual happened. I could feel power going out of his arm and into my arm, like an electrical current. I kept ignoring it, but it was very real and powerful. It went on for at least 20 seconds or more.... I have had many, many people pray for me over the years, but I've never felt a powerful electrical current like that flow out of anyone into me. (Little did I know that Pastor Buaer would be dead a few months later after this incident)....As he was shaking my hand, I told him about my Proverbs project and he told me he could help. He gave me a contact at the church who would help me in the next step of my "Proverbs Project". I seemed somewhat encouraged, but not really...I just wanted to leave. After our conversation, I turned around and marched down the church aisle toward the door. I was happy it was all over and I wanted to get on the road and out of L.A....

BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED......

Before I could reach the church exit doors, an elderly couple in their 80's ( Max and Virginia Wolf ) stepped out of their chairs and blocked my way from exiting. They came up to me and said...

WE DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT WHATEVER YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO,
YOU NEED TO STOP AND HAVE LUNCH WITH US.

I couldn't believe it ! How could this be happening ! At first I didn't know what to think...I was just bewildered, upset, and somewhat confused. As I stood there about to tell them "NO" to their offer, the woman insisted that the Lord had spoken to her to take me out to lunch that day.....Well, I was angry....I was upset...How could this be happening...Why is this happening ? I just want to leave !!!! After a few minutes, I calmed myself, and agreed that another hour delay would not be the end of the world...So off we went to lunch...

As we sat and had our meal, the couple began to share some things about God providing in difficult times. I didn't want to hear it, but it seemed obvious at this point, that God wanted me stay at least a little longer in L.A.......I decided not to fight everything and to give God a little more time for whatever purpose....By the end of the meal, I decided I would stay another week or maybe two.....(In reality, I would end up staying 3 more years !) Little did I know at that time , that something amazing was just around the corner...A week later, I received an email from Lynne Mattallanna, the editor of "FMAWARE" magazine. She was interested in doing a featured 'West Wing' article about my life with fibromylagia with a photo shoot on one of the WW2 ships docked in the Pacific Ocean.

This article would end up setting into motion a series of events that would help hundreds, if not thousands of people across the country.....

As a result of the article:

1) A nutritional company (Enzymatic Therapy) hired me to promote fibro awareness and give out hundreds of free vitamin samples in health stores all across Los Angeles....This tour lasted 6 months. Another nutritional company (Source Naturals) became interested, and ran my fibro story in their nutritional newsletter which reached thousands nationwide.

2) I developed a web page to post things that would help people with fibromyalgia (www.captainhastings.com)

3) A Clinic in the East offered to work on me free of charge in hopes of curing me of fibromyalgia..I took them up on it. They would later put me on the cover of their winter medical newsletter which would reach thousands. Below is the article:

4) The Clinic then offered to work at a very discounted price for any of the staff and crew of "West Wing" at Warner Brothers. I made up flyers adverstising the offer and had them passed out on the set of the "West Wing". A week later, someone from "West Wing" called for an appointment....The clinic was "ecstatic" ! As a result of the flyer being passed out, I suddenly went from being somewhat of a "nobody" to a "somebody" on the set of the West Wing. It was all very, very exciting......

5) Korean Television decided to film my fibro story in their documentary which was broadcasted to 20 million viewers in South Korea.

6) I decided to create a DVD on fibromyalgia that would help educate people on fibro. Doors began to open and generous donations came in to help with the film equipment needed for the DVD :

• A $750 grant was given to me by Dr Teitelbaum, author of "From Fatigue to Fantastic" to develop the DVD
  
  
• Another sponsor gave me a brand new computer with film editing capabilities for the DVD project.
  
  
• In May of 2006, I met Shirley Boone, wife of Pat Boone, at a church service at Jack Hayford's Church in Los Angeles. She read my fibro story in the fibro magazine and was touched by my story. I asked her if she would be in my fibro movie and she said yes ! She's shared her story on "Larry King Live" and she wanted to share her story of fibromyalgia in my film too. (Unfortunately, a year later, after much preparation for the interview for my film, she had to decline from the film interview because of unforseen events. The good news, however, is that Pat and Shirley both gave their blessing on my fibro film project).
  
  

CAPTAIN MIKE'S FIBRO STORY	SHIRLEY BOONE'S FIBRO STORY

• A couple weeks later, in June of 2006, Tom Dresen (famed comedian and right hand man of Frank Sinatra) offered me the use of his home for filming part of the fibro film to help create publicity for the film project.

TOM DREESEN

• In 2008, I was contacted by an author in Europe who was writing a book on fibromyalgia. She decided to include my fibro story in her book, since "West Wing" re-runs were still playing daily in Europe with a big following...

• In 2010, I was listed in a Hollywood Tabloid which featured Celebrities with Chronic Pain. Below is the link, and I'm listed as number 9, next to George Clooney. (Just click on the red triangles in the article to view everyone's story).

• http://www.thirdage.com/pain-management/celebrities-chronic-pain

I could go on and on about all the things that have happened since the day God stopped me from leaving L.A.,

but I think all of you got the idea !

May God's blessings be on you this day as you reach out to help the fibro people in your community

Blessings, Captain Mike