{"id":5973,"date":"2021-11-18T11:50:23","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=5973"},"modified":"2021-11-18T11:50:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:50:23","slug":"8-year-old-cincinnati-boy-survives-horrific-shooting-mother-credits-the-power-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2021\/11\/8-year-old-cincinnati-boy-survives-horrific-shooting-mother-credits-the-power-of-god.html","title":{"rendered":"8-Year-Old Cincinnati Boy Survives Horrific Shooting, Mother Credits the Power of God"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>God is indeed a healer and a miracle worker. When you think everything is going wrong, God has a way of stepping in and making everything right. If you seek God\u2019s presence and ask Him to intervene in your situation, He will make everything okay. God has power over all creation and can work miracles. Jeremiah 32:27 reminds us that the Lord is God of all humanity, is anything too hard for him? When a Cincinnati family endured a horrible tragedy, they put their faith in God, knowing that He would make a way out of no way and heal their child.<\/p>\n<p>8-year-old MJ Whitehead and his brother were walking home from a convenience store in June. Tragically, MJ was shot in the head and the leg by a stray bullet. MJ was one of four other victims. Doctors told his family that they didn\u2019t expect him to live. MJ\u2019s father described the day his son got shot as horrific. He says his heart stopped when it happened, and it was unbelievable.<\/p>\n<p>However, his mother, Marcella Thompson, maintained her faith that her son would live. Five months after being shot, MJ returned home, and his mother gave all the glory to God. She went on to say that she was glad to have all of her children back under the same roof again. MJ experienced a traumatic brain injury, five surgeries, months in the hospital, and some time in rehab, but he defied all expectations.<\/p>\n<p>He still has an uphill battle to endure, as he\u2019s in a wheelchair and isn\u2019t speaking. Still, Marcella continues to pray for her son\u2019s total healing and recovery and is happy to have him home. According to police, 19-year-old Darius Harris Jr. is responsible for the shooting that left MJ with serious injuries. Despite everything, Thompson says that she forgives the alleged culprit.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson says that she\u2019s not angry at Darius, but instead, she\u2019s mad at society and his parents. She added that she\u2019s probably more upset with Darius\u2019 mother than she is at Darius. MJ\u2019s mother says that her church and MJ\u2019s little league football team have been incredibly supportive during these challenging times.<\/p>\n<p>The family set up a GoFundMe page for medical expenses for anyone interested and able to help. So far, the family has raised $13,335 of the $15,000 goal. MJ\u2019s mother holds on to her faith and hopes that MJ will walk and talk again someday. Tragically, MJ\u2019s story isn\u2019t uncommon. There are hundreds of children killed each year by gun violence.<\/p>\n<p>MJ\u2019s story is an example of how God has the final say in tragic situations. Doctors didn\u2019t believe that MJ would survive the night after his shooting. However, God has other plans for MJ\u2019s life. God is a healer and a way maker. When things look bleak in the midnight hour, God has a way of stepping in and turning everything around. This Cincinnati family suffered an unthinkable tragedy; However, instead of being mad with God, they turned to Him and prayed for MJ\u2019s recovery. In times of misfortune, it can be easy to get upset with God. However, we must lean into our faith and trust that God will get us through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>God is indeed a healer and a miracle worker. When you think everything is going wrong, God has a way of stepping in and making everything right. If you seek God\u2019s presence and ask Him to intervene in your situation, He will make everything okay. God has power over all creation and can work miracles.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":4860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-good-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>8-Year-Old Cincinnati Boy Survives Horrific Shooting, Mother Credits the Power of God<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Doctors told MJ&#039;s family that he was unlikely to survive. 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However, his mother maintained her faith and MJ came home from the hospital.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2021\/11\/8-year-old-cincinnati-boy-survives-horrific-shooting-mother-credits-the-power-of-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Inspiration Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-18T16:50:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/89\/2020\/10\/Canva-Selective-Focus-Photography-of-Cross-Pendant.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"lmckeithen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"8-Year-Old Cincinnati Boy Survives Horrific Shooting, Mother Credits the Power of God","description":"Doctors told MJ's family that he was unlikely to survive. 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