Quetzaltenango, Guatemala — A deaf 9-year-old girl stunned her family and missionaries when she began responding to sound after a visiting pastor laid hands on her and prayed during a small village service.
Maria, born deaf and mute, had never spoken a word. Her mother carried her on her back through hills and streams to reach the medical mission camp. Pastor Paul Reyes offered to pray over her while the team examined her for ear infections.
“She shook a little,” he said. “And then she looked up at her mother… and smiled. When her mother called her name, she turned.”
Witnesses recall the moment vividly. “She screamed and laughed at the same time,” said one volunteer. “And then she whispered ‘Mama.’ We all cried.”
Doctors examined her minutes later and found no medical explanation. Her eardrums were previously scarred and unresponsive. Yet somehow, they now registered a full range of sound.
Maria now sings with the church choir. Her mother has become a full-time worker for the mission, telling every visitor: “Jesus is still touching ears.”
