The Laboucan family constantly rejoices because of God’s favour and blessings in their lives!

They have a powerful testimony of God’s love, mercy and grace. A message of salvation from alcohol, suicide, death and hell! Leonard’s testimony witnesses to a “Living God”, Who involves Himself in people’s lives today. It is not hard to believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, when you hear him relive his “experience with God”!

Jesus Christ is interested in us. His Gospel is relevant today. He is ready, able and willing to intervene in our situations. He has authority over all the powers of darkness! And He is working miracles in the lives of multitudes where the gospel is preached and practiced!

THE DEVIL LIED, “NO-ONE CARES: SUICIDE IS THE ONLY WAY OUT”!

From his earliest recollections, there was always ‘ booze' in Leonard’s home! His Mom and Dad were alcoholics. They would often leave the children to fend for themselves - for a week or longer - while they were imbibing!

AND SINCE LEONARD WAS THE ELDEST, HE WOULD SOMETIMES HAVE TO STEAL FROM NEIGHBOURS TO GET FOOD FOR HIMSELF AND HIS SIBLINGS!

One day while walking in the woods, he discovered an idol carved out of a tree stump. He noticed that people would worship, pray to and bring expensive gift to this god! Since he had poor clothes and not enough to eat, he began to steal from the tree-stump-god who had eyes, ears and a mouth but could not see, hear nor speak!

It wasn’t long until people realized that their gifts were being pilfered, by Leonard. And they warned him that “something terrible” was about to happen to him!

At about that time, he began to think about ending it all. He reasoned that since he had nothing to live for, he might as well kill himself! SATAN - THAT LYING DEVIL - HAD PULLED THE WOOL OVER LEONARD’S EYES!

Late one moonlit night he took the old shotgun and some shells and headed toward the woods to ‘do himself in’. As he walked into the bush, he looked heavenward and cried, “Is there a real God? Is there a God out there who cares”?

He put the gun barrel under his chin and activated the trigger. Nothing happened. There was only a little click. Leonard looked at the gun in frustration, rested it on his right foot and pulled the trigger!

It went off and an awful fear filled his heart. He realized that Satan almost had him! Blood was oozing out of his shoe as he had blown off his right toe! He threw down the firearm and began walking toward the cut-line, crying out: “Is there a God? Is there a God who cares”?

Suddenly, a bright flash of light illuminated the sky. He looked to the east and saw the most unusual, spectacular and welcome sight he had ever witnessed! The most wonderful man he had ever seen “appeared in the sky” looking directly at him!

A surge of goodness, peace and love flooded his entire being from “head to toe”. Instantly, all the pain left him and the blood stopped pouring out of his foot! For about ten minutes, Leonard’s gaze was fixed on this Awesome Man, Whose eyes were filled with love and compassion and spoke without using words!

He said, “I am the Real God. I am the Way, Truth and Life. Come to Me and I will give you peace”!

He began to fade away and Leonard recounts: “I cried out, ‘No. Don’t leave me’. He smiled, letting me know that He had accepted me. Then, He stretched out His hands and I saw the nail-prints and knew this was the same JESUS I had seen paintings of in the Catholic Church.

"I had wondered why the ‘man on the cross’ had suffered so terribly. Now, I understood that He had suffered and died for me - FOR MY SINS!"

"A radical change took place in the next couple of years as revival came to our family and community. Johnny Okimow and other preachers visited our village and we began to attend Max Solbrekken’s ‘Sandy Lake Bible Camp’ each summer!"

Presently, about 70% of our people are Bible-believing, born-again Christians. Hallelujah!

MY FATHER WAS GIVEN UP TO DIE!

On a crusade tour of Norway, together with myself, Leonard testified: "On Easter Sunday, 1993, my father Moshe (Moses) was miraculously healed while lying on his death-bed in the University Hospital, Edmonton!"

"He had been in a diabetic coma for 2 ½ months, on a life support system. His kidneys had stopped functioning, his liver was white and his blood almost black. One lung had collapsed and the doctors thought that he might be brain dead. They gave us 2 to 5% chance that he would regain consciousness!

"The physicians decided that they would unplug the machines and let him die, as there was no hope. I refused to sign the release unless they granted us an extension of seven days!

"On the fourth day - in the evening - I called Pastor Max telling him of our situation. Even though he was leaving early the next morning for Russia, he and his wife, Donna came immediately! In the middle of his prayer, Pastor Max stopped for a moment and said these words, ‘Within three days, this man will awaken. He will be healed’!"

"I was awakened early Easter Sunday morning and I went to the hospital, thinking, ‘My Dad will die today so I’d better spend extra time with him’".

"When I walked into the ‘intensive care unit’, I felt a wind strike my chest. A supernatural presence was in the room. Even though my father looked like a corpse and I knew he was soon to die, I felt happy and I didn’t know why!"

"Then I heard myself saying, ‘Dad, are you just going to lie there or are you going to get up. It is Easter Sunday morning, you know’!"

"Suddenly, his feet began to move, the bed shook, the instruments started making noises, doctors and nurses came running into the room! A nurse came with a long hypodermic needle, to quieten him down. I said, 'NO, YOU DON’T! HE’S BEEN QUIET TOO LONG!'”

"Then my Dad - with tubes and needles everywhere - grabbed a hold of the sides of his bed and lifted himself up slightly and with a weak voice said, 'Get me out of here. I have much work to do!'"

"WITHIN 7 DAYS MY FATHER WAS RELEASED AND WALKED OUT UNDER HIS OWN STEAM!

"The head doctor showed me Dad’s chart. It stated: Kidneys - not functioning, no hope;
Pancreas - not functioning, no hope;
One Lung collapsed, no hope;
Brain - may be brain damaged, no hope!"
Then he took his pen and marked an X across every category. Finally he wrote across the page - ‘THE MIRACLE MAN’ and we were on our way home!"