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Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202306S
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00:37 [monitor beeping] 00:43 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:44 Canada. 00:44 Thank you for joining us. 00:46 Early Friday morning, May 21st, 00:48 2021 when Guto Grings woke up 00:52 with a stomach ache, he had no 00:54 idea that he was about to die 00:56 that day from a fatal heart 00:58 attack. 00:59 >> His wife, Maria, gave him 01:01 some medicine, but it 01:02 didn't help. 01:04 Two hours later, he said he was 01:06 feeling worse and worse. 01:08 So she thought of her next door 01:10 neighbour, who was a 01:11 cardiologist, but when she 01:13 looked next door, their 01:14 neighbour was not home, 01:16 which ended up being 01:18 a very good thing. 01:20 Today, our special guest is Guto 01:23 Grings himself, who has agreed 01:25 to share his story with us. 01:27 >> Guto, thank you so much 01:29 for joining us on It Is Written 01:31 Canada. 01:32 >> Thanks for having me here, 01:33 René. 01:35 >> So, Guto, you are a 01:37 successful businessman from 01:38 southern Brazil. 01:39 Tell us a little bit about 01:40 yourself. 01:41 >> Pastor, we have a shoe 01:42 company in Brazil and we have 01:47 a kind of open mall in Brazil as 01:49 well in our state. 01:52 And it's a business that my 01:56 grandpa was the founder and we 01:59 are running this business for 66 02:02 years already. 02:03 >> Wow. 02:04 And tell us about your family. 02:07 >> I have a special wife. 02:09 She is Maria. 02:11 We have two kids. 02:13 We have Maria Eduarda, 02:14 she is 17, 02:17 we have Luca, he is 13. 02:20 And they are big blessings that 02:24 God gave us. 02:25 >> Guto, take us back to that 02:27 Friday morning, May 21st, 2021 02:32 when you woke up the morning 02:33 with a terrible stomach cramp 02:36 and your cardiologist neighbour 02:38 was not home. 02:40 What did you do next? 02:42 >> That moment my wife decided 02:45 to call. 02:47 >> So I said, I'll check on 02:49 Dr. João, which is our neighbor, 02:51 a weekend neighbour, he just-- 02:53 they just come for the weekends. 02:55 And I opened the curtains, said, 02:56 "No, they're not here. 02:58 It's a surprise." 03:00 If Dr. João, he was-- if it 03:02 happened that he was there that 03:04 morning, Dr. João said, "If I 03:07 would come in that morning to 03:10 see, to check on Guto, we 03:12 wouldn't have time to arrive at 03:13 the hospital in time. 03:15 We went to the hospital that 03:17 morning because I've spoken to 03:18 Dr. Daniel and he said, "Well, 03:21 I'm finishing my shift here and 03:24 Guto is not feeling good. 03:25 Why don't you bring him? 03:27 Bring him and I will wait for 03:28 him, just to check him out and 03:32 see if there is something really 03:34 wrong," right? 03:36 >> Then he decided to give me 03:38 some medications because in his 03:41 mind I was having really just a 03:44 stomachache. 03:45 Maybe I would have eaten 03:47 something that wasn't good or 03:50 something like that. 03:52 I was there for maybe 30, 40 03:56 minutes. 03:57 I was talking to my manager, I 04:00 was-- my wife was with me. 04:05 She was sending messages with my 04:08 phone, we were taking care of 04:10 some issues. 04:13 And then all of a sudden, I 04:16 started to feel a bit colder. 04:21 Then I asked my wife, "Could you 04:23 bring me some blankets, please? 04:25 I'm feeling cold." 04:28 >> I covered him better because 04:29 it was cold. 04:30 It was winter. 04:31 It was very cold and rainy, 04:34 ugly day. 04:35 And he said, "I'm feeling very 04:38 dizzy right now." 04:40 And he didn't finish the 04:43 sentence. 04:45 >> And all of a sudden, 04:48 I don't remember anything else. 04:52 That moment I had a first 04:56 heart stop. 04:59 And that moment my wife tried to 05:02 help me. 05:04 She didn't know exactly what was 05:06 going on. 05:08 >> But he put himself all 05:10 straight on that bed and I had 05:13 the feeling that he was 05:14 swallowing his tongue. 05:16 And so I yelled two times for 05:20 someone to come and I walked 05:22 towards him to try to open 05:25 his mouth. 05:26 As soon as Dr. Daniel ran in, he 05:28 called and we had maybe four, 05:32 five, six nurses and doctors, 05:35 people coming in, because the 05:37 way he called, everyone knew 05:39 that it was urgent. 05:41 >> It was Friday so me and my 05:43 brother Luca, we were studying 05:46 and my mom was giving us a 05:50 little bit of information, just 05:52 saying that we're still at the 05:53 hospital, but everything's okay. 05:55 She didn't really want to scare 05:56 us, but at the end of the day, 06:00 she did come back home to get 06:03 some clothes for Dad, some 06:04 clothes for herself 'cause she 06:05 was gonna spend the night at 06:07 the hospital. 06:08 She came and sat us both on the 06:10 couch, me and my brother, and 06:14 she just started crying. 06:17 And I just got really worried, 06:19 not only for my dad, but for 06:21 her, too. 06:22 So it sunk in for a moment and I 06:25 was like, something actually did 06:27 happen. 06:28 He's not just at the hospital 06:30 because of the stomachache. 06:32 >> From that moment on, 06:35 during 6 hours, 06:37 I had 13 heart stops 06:41 in sequence. 06:44 The last heart stop, when it 06:48 happened, I had that flatline. 06:52 It was a asystole. 06:57 And everybody thought that... 07:02 ...I was dead. 07:05 They were getting prepared to 07:08 tell my family, to tell my wife 07:13 that I passed away. 07:16 And then all of a sudden, when 07:19 they were around me, they told 07:22 me that I just sitted on the bed 07:26 and I tried to just start to 07:29 talk to them. 07:30 >> So wait, Guto, you-- they'd 07:33 been working on you now 07:34 for 6 hours. 07:36 In that 6-hour period, your 07:38 heart has stopped 13 times and 07:43 up to the 12th time they shocked 07:45 you and they had to shock you 07:48 17 times. 07:50 Now, the 13th time, you're 07:52 saying your heart stopped 07:55 altogether and there was a 07:57 flatline. 07:58 And so you were clinically dead 08:01 and they'd been working on you 08:03 for 6 hours and now they are 08:05 exhausted and they're thinking 08:07 to themselves, "This is it. 08:10 We've lost him." 08:11 And so they're giving in a 08:13 circle around to prepare 08:15 themselves to say goodbye and 08:18 then all of a sudden you sit up? 08:22 >> That's right. 08:23 I don't remember anything, 08:26 what happened. 08:28 I was sleeping 08:29 all this time long. 08:32 I lost my mind, maybe 30 seconds 08:37 before the first heart stop. 08:40 When the 13th heart stop 08:43 happened, they got all 08:46 devastated because some of 08:49 doctors, nurses, they knew me 08:53 already since I was a child, 08:56 some of them. 08:58 And when they were getting 09:00 prepared to let my family know, 09:03 they told me that I sitted on 09:07 the bed and started to, I 09:10 started to try to talk to them. 09:12 I was in the tube, that's why I 09:16 was not able to talk, but they 09:19 mentioned that I was-- I looked 09:21 to them and I was trying to talk 09:23 to them. 09:24 >> That must have been quite 09:26 miraculous. 09:27 They're looking at you, they 09:29 thought you were dead and now 09:30 you're sitting up and you're 09:31 fully conscious. 09:33 Then they continued working on 09:36 you for another two hours. 09:38 >> Yes. 09:38 At that moment, Pastor, as 09:41 soon as I sitted, they put me to 09:46 sleep again because they didn't 09:48 know what was going on, what was 09:50 happening that moment. 09:53 And then after 2 hours, I 09:56 opened my eyes and when some 10:00 doctors and nurses, they saw I 10:03 was waking up, they came to me 10:07 and they could see that I was 10:10 conscious, but I couldn't speak 10:14 because I was in the tube. 10:17 Then I asked them for a sheet 10:20 and a pen, that way I could 10:22 express myself. 10:26 And then they realize that I was 10:28 conscious and they decided to 10:30 take the tube off. 10:33 When they took the tube off, 10:36 they realized that I could speak 10:41 and they were not expecting this 10:43 because I have had so many 10:46 heart stops. 10:48 The first miracle was that I was 10:51 still alive and they were not 10:53 expecting that I could wake up 10:56 with no side effects. 11:00 Then they, at the first moment 11:02 they touch my hand and they ask 11:06 me if I could feel my hand, 11:09 if I could move my fingers. 11:12 Then I said, "Yes, I can." 11:15 Then they touch my other finger, 11:17 they touch my feet. 11:20 And at that moment I didn't 11:22 know why. 11:25 And then when my dad, he came 11:28 in the intensive care, that 11:32 moment, and they asked me, 11:34 "Do you know where you are and 11:37 can you recognize this person?" 11:40 And then they point to my dad. 11:42 I said, "Of course I can. 11:44 He's my dad. 11:45 I am at the hospital. 11:47 I came this morning and I 11:48 realize it's dark outside 11:51 already. 11:52 What happened?" 11:55 Then as I was lying down, 11:58 I couldn't see my chest. 12:01 Then Dr. Daniel told me, 12:04 "Take a look in your chest." 12:06 Then I saw all those... 12:10 ...marks, all those circles... 12:13 >> From where they shocked you. 12:14 >> That's right. 12:15 >> Like the burn-- so there was 12:16 actually burn marks on your 12:17 chest when you looked down. 12:19 [GUTO] That's right. 12:21 Then I could realize what 12:23 had happened. 12:24 They couldn't believe because I 12:27 was speaking, I could remember, 12:30 I could recognize everybody. 12:34 It was very hard for them to 12:35 believe that was no side 12:38 effects, physical and mental 12:42 side effects. 12:44 >> So, Guto, you were 12:46 unconscious from the time that 12:47 you had your first heart attack 12:50 until the end. 12:51 You had all these shocks 12:53 happening, you had flatlined, 12:55 but 8 hours of unconsciousness. 12:58 Was anything going through 12:59 your mind? 13:00 Do you remember anything during 13:01 those 8 hours? 13:03 >> No, Pastor. 13:04 Absolutely nothing. 13:07 As Bible says, that when we are 13:10 dead, we are in a sleep. 13:13 It was exactly what happened 13:14 to me. 13:16 I was not afraid. 13:20 I had no pain 13:22 because I was totally 13:25 unconscious for those 8 hours. 13:29 >> So if you had... 13:32 ...stayed dead, then your next 13:35 conscious moment would be when 13:37 Jesus would come. 13:39 That was your next conscious 13:40 moment. 13:40 But when you woke up, you're 13:42 kind of looking around like, 13:44 "Why is it nighttime?" 13:46 >> That's right. 13:48 I mentioned to my wife already, 13:51 if I would have died that day 13:55 when Jesus would come, I would 13:58 have asked, "When did I passed 14:01 away?" 14:02 You know? 14:04 >> So, Guto, did you need to 14:06 have heart surgery because there 14:09 was trouble with your heart? 14:11 >> Yes. 14:14 The day after, I needed to be 14:17 transferred by helicopter to 14:20 other hospital in our state 14:25 capital, and I needed to do a 14:28 surgery and I needed to put 14:31 one stent... 14:33 >> In your heart, okay. 14:34 >> That's right. 14:35 >> The doctors must have shared 14:36 with you, like, what was their 14:39 thoughts or what did they think 14:42 about everything that happened 14:44 to you? 14:45 >> I am sure, René, that all of 14:48 them increased a lot 14:51 their faith. 14:53 Two months ago I met a nurse and 14:57 I didn't recognize her. 15:00 We were in a birthday party and 15:04 then a friend of hers came and 15:08 he said, "Guto, could you come 15:11 here with me for a while?" 15:14 And he brought me to 15:17 other table with other people. 15:21 Then he said, 15:24 "Do you know this girl?" 15:26 Then I said, "Oh, so sorry, but 15:29 I don't remember her." 15:32 Then she said, "I was the first 15:35 nurse that help you 15:39 on May 21st." 15:42 I started to hug her, I started 15:44 to kiss her. 15:47 Then at the end she said, "Guto, 15:49 I was just graduated, my 15:52 graduation was, I think, two or 15:55 three months before and I can 15:58 tell you, everything that I 16:00 learned in my university, that 16:03 day everything happened in a 16:06 different way." 16:07 >> So this was a miraculous 16:09 experience. 16:10 What part did prayer play in all 16:13 of this? 16:14 I know you're unconscious when 16:15 it was happening, but I know 16:16 there must have been people 16:17 praying for you. 16:19 >> I think my wife took the 16:23 wiser decision she could have 16:26 taken at that moment. 16:28 >> I knew there was nothing for 16:30 me to do there, right? 16:32 And... 16:34 ...so I kneeled in the corner 16:36 that was on a corner, 16:39 that little room, right? 16:41 Sorry... 16:43 And I started to pray because I 16:46 realized that it was really bad. 16:48 >> And then she decided to call 16:50 maybe three, four special 16:53 friends, and she asked them to 16:57 start to pray for me. 16:59 >> Then I text Susanna, a very 17:02 good friend, our Canadian 17:05 family, Susanna Cho. 17:08 I said, "Susanna, please let 17:10 Kathy, Manny, and all of our 17:12 friends here know and ask them 17:14 to pray. 17:15 We need prayers. 17:17 >> Maybe after some minutes, 17:20 I had many and many people 17:24 praying for me. 17:26 And I am sure that those prayers 17:30 were the main reason that I am 17:32 here today. 17:36 Dr. Daniel, he's an Adventist 17:39 doctor... 17:41 ...and he was used by God 17:45 that day. 17:48 And I am sure that... 17:51 ...his faith and his persistence 17:56 were absolutely important 18:00 to save me that day. 18:01 >> So when you talk about his 18:02 persistence, you told me earlier 18:05 that he had just come off a 18:07 whole 24-hour shift, right, and 18:10 then he stayed with you. 18:13 So he had been working a full 18:15 shift, now he worked for another 18:17 8 hours to try and save 18:18 your life. 18:19 What was he like when he 18:21 got home? 18:22 >> Yeah, he was at the hospital 18:24 maybe for 30 hours, 32 hours. 18:27 I know that he was very 18:29 persistent because definitely is 18:32 not common for a doctor to give 18:35 17 shocks in a patient in a way 18:39 to save him, right? 18:42 I know that when Dr. Daniel 18:44 arrived home, his wife was 18:49 praying for me as well. 18:51 When he arrived... 18:54 ...as soon as he parked his car 18:57 and he went into his house, 19:01 his wife came running and she 19:04 asked him, "And what 19:05 about Guto?" 19:08 Then she mentioned that he 19:10 started to cry and cry like a 19:12 small child. 19:16 Then she asked him, 19:18 "Guto didn't survive?" 19:21 Then he said... 19:23 ..."He's alive. 19:25 I don't know how and I was 19:27 talking to him a bit before." 19:30 [MIKE] Wow. Wow. 19:33 Guto, final question, how did 19:36 this miracle change your life? 19:40 >> You know, Pastor, after those 19:44 8 hours... 19:46 ...when I woke up... 19:48 ...I was missing my family. 19:52 But I was missing them in a way 19:56 if I haven't seen them for, 20:00 not for 8 hours, maybe for 20:02 8 months. 20:04 My biggest wish was to 20:07 have them... 20:09 ...around me, hugging me, kissin 20:11 me, and I would like to kiss 20:14 them and to hug them. 20:16 >> It not only affected our 20:18 faith and strengthened our 20:20 faith, but it also affected 20:22 how we... 20:25 ...we see our family time. 20:28 [MARIA] We give much more value 20:31 for the time we are together. 20:33 We spend even more time 20:36 together. 20:38 It connected us to God in a much 20:42 higher level and in a much 20:45 better way than it was before. 20:50 >> And I think the biggest 20:52 change... 20:55 ...is that... 20:57 ...from that moment on... 21:01 ...you start to... 21:04 ...get even more concerned 21:07 with the eternal life. 21:10 We see people all around, 21:13 running and running, trying to 21:16 support their own lives. 21:19 And people need to do it, 21:22 we need to do it. 21:24 But some times or most of 21:27 the times we don't have time to 21:29 think about eternal life. 21:32 We are concerned with the 60, 21:35 70, 80 years that we will live 21:39 in this world and we are not 21:42 taking time to think about 21:44 eternity. 21:46 And... 21:50 ...my main message is that... 21:53 ...we need to stop... 21:55 ...and we need to think about 21:57 the eternal life in Jesus. 22:00 >> I feel like a lot of the 22:01 times we see miracles as 22:04 happening, not only in Bible 22:07 times, but also we see them 22:10 happening today, but only to a 22:12 certain group of people. 22:14 We feel like we're not special 22:16 or deserving enough to have 22:19 these miracles done 22:21 in our lives. 22:22 But when it happens in our lives 22:24 and right in front of us is when 22:27 we see that God truly does love 22:30 us and that we are deserving of 22:33 it, too, and not only others. 22:37 >> Would you say it drew you 22:38 closer to Jesus in your walk 22:40 with Him? 22:42 >> That's right. 22:44 I think sometimes the regular 22:46 routine brings us away from God. 22:51 And we we don't take time to get 22:54 closer to Him. 22:56 I think we need to prioritize... 23:00 ...what's more important in our 23:01 lives, right? 23:05 Sometimes we think that 23:08 everything that's important 23:11 should be our priority. 23:13 And unfortunately, it's not 23:16 exactly like that, right? 23:20 >> Guto, we've come to the end 23:21 of our time together. 23:22 I wonder if you could pray for 23:24 our viewers. 23:25 There may be someone who's... 23:28 ...looking at your story and 23:29 saying, "You know, I never 23:32 thought that God works miracles 23:33 today, He worked them in Bible 23:35 times, but not today." 23:37 And maybe there's someone who 23:39 wants to have an experience with 23:41 God today. 23:42 Maybe not the same as your 23:43 experience, but an experience 23:45 where they know that God is real 23:47 in their life. 23:48 I wonder if you could pray for 23:49 them right now as we close. 23:53 >> Yes, sure. 23:55 Let's pray. 23:58 Heavenly Father, Dear Lord... 24:01 ...thanks for the opportunity 24:03 to be here. 24:05 Thank You, Heavenly Father, for 24:08 so many blessings You are giving 24:10 us every day. 24:13 Thank You because you are such a 24:15 wonderful God. 24:17 Thanks for Your mercy 24:19 and thanks for Your love. 24:21 And, Heavenly Father, please 24:24 give the opportunity to each 24:27 person who would like to get 24:30 closer to You, to have a real 24:33 experience with You, 24:35 Heavenly Father. 24:36 Thanks for everything. 24:38 In Jesus name, amen. 24:40 [MIKE] Amen. 24:42 Guto, thank you very much for 24:44 sharing your story with us today 24:46 on It Is Written Canada. 24:49 >> Thank you, Pastor. 24:50 Thank you, René. 24:55 [gentle orchestral music] 24:58 ♪♪ 25:17 ♪ This is my Father's world 25:23 ♪ And to my listening ears ♪ 25:28 ♪ All nature sings 25:31 ♪ and round me rings 25:34 ♪ The music of the spheres ♪ 25:40 [orchestral music continues] 25:43 ♪♪ 26:04 ♪ This is my Father's world 26:10 ♪ Oh, let me ne'er forget 26:15 ♪ That though the wrong 26:18 ♪ seems oft so strong 26:21 ♪ God is the ruler yet 26:27 ♪ This is my Father's world 26:33 ♪ Why should my heart be sad ♪ 26:39 ♪ The Lord is King 26:42 ♪ let the heavens ring 26:44 ♪ God reigns 26:46 ♪ let the earth be glad 26:51 ♪♪ 27:09 >> From listening to Guto's 27:11 story, you now know 27:13 the power of prayer. 27:15 >> Guto could not wait to share 27:17 his testimony with everyone he 27:20 met because he could personally 27:22 see how God brought him back to 27:25 life when he had died 27:27 in the ICU. 27:29 >> Friends, our free offer is a 27:30 most powerful collection of 27:32 stories entitled The Incredible 27:34 Power of Prayer that will both 27:36 strengthen your faith in God and 27:38 also introduce you to many 27:40 powerful truths found in the 27:42 Bible that can transform your 27:44 prayer life. 27:46 >> Before you go, we would also 27:47 like to invite you to follow us 27:49 on Instagram and Facebook and 27:52 subscribe to our YouTube channel 27:55 and also listen to our podcasts. 27:58 And if you go to our website, 28:00 you can see our latest programs. 28:02 >> You, too, can experience the 28:04 fullness of life that is found 28:05 in the words of Jesus when He 28:07 said, "It is written, 'Man shall 28:10 not live by bread alone, but by 28:12 every word that proceeds out of 28:14 the mouth of God.'" 28:16 [uplifting music playing] 28:18 ♪♪ 28:46 ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-11-02