"Mum, I think you've got a gold filling!"

By Simon Jenkins

This first-hand account of a gold-filling 'miracle' is taken from a taped phone interview on 16th April 1999 with a woman from Folly's End Christian Fellowship in Croydon, Surrey. She has been a Christian for over 26 years, and her pastor at the Fellowship is David Markee.

Last Sunday, I had a quiet time to sort out some things with the Lord and I said to him, 'I'm not interested in this gold tooth stuff, it's not that important. I'd rather you did something else for me.' I told the Lord specifically what I wanted him to do, which on my scale of priorities was much more important.

That evening, at 5.30, about an hour before going to prayers, I happened to look in the big mirror in my husband's bathroom, and suddenly I noticed this sort of glint on my teeth. I thought, 'Oh my goodness!' and my daughter said, 'Mum, I think you've got a gold filling!' We were totally amazed.

I've got two bright, sparkling fillings. They look like my wedding ring, which is platinum with gold plating. I've got loads of fillings, because I was a post-war baby, and most of them were quite black. What's happened is that most of them have now turned a much cleaner, silvery colour. But none of them look like these two, which are like platinum.

So they aren't actually gold-coloured?

No, I thought they were gold, but my pastor – who even has a dental mirror now! – he thought it was like a white gold or a very bright silver. It looks so sparkling, it's not like a normal filling. I would say probably four fillings have lightened, including the two big, dark fillings.

Dave Markee said it was – I think he got this from Toronto – it's God taking out the mercury, which is what goes black, and it's a chemical process which can't be done once it's in the tooth. That's the stuff which goes black and that's what God is taking out of your mouth. I'm going to the dentist next week, on a regular six-monthly thing, so I'm going to ask him to check my records.

And you haven't secretly gone along to another dentist in the meantime?

No, no, no, I wouldn't, there's no need, and I wouldn't waste my money. I know some people spend thousands having all their fillings turned into gold. But I would never, ever, ever do that.

So how did you feel when you looked in the mirror and saw this glint of gold?

I was amazed! I was absolutely stunned. I thought, isn't God good? You feel humbled that he's purified your mouth. None of us is totally how we would like to be, and it's a sign of that – he's just cleaning me up. It's like the sign of the rainbow, a sign of God's faithfulness, and also a promise of provision.

It was so amazing, extravagant, unexpected, undesired – I'd said I wasn't interested. Twice in church we were asked if we want to have hands laid on our faces to pray for us and I was very reluctant, I thought, this is ridiculous, it's not a miracle I really need.

We had a man sitting in front of us in church at one service and he received a gold crown, a really bright gold. And there are other people who have had really gold things happen to them, about four, I think.

What, just teeth?

Yes, fillings and gold crowns.

Because I've heard that there have been reports of gold dust, too, in people's hair. Has that happened at Folly's End?

Yes, the assistant pastor, Nigel Hamilton, said it happened to him and his wife while they were sitting in bed praying and reading the paper. They suddenly had gold dust appearing on their hands. The same thing happened to a girl called Brenda, who's been to Toronto to one of the conferences. She brought back the anointing for the gold dust.

Tell me why you think God is doing this to you?

In the past three years I've been one of those fossilised charismatic Christians. I had all the outward signs of being alive, but inside I had a very stony heart. And he's totally changed me in that – I've cried a lot and I've had a lot of inner healing. I had felt abandoned by God. I've seen a lot of suffering. And basically, he's just blessing me at the moment.

Has anyone disbelieved your miracle? After all, it's very unusual.

Well, I'd say to them, come and see it. They'd see this fairly ordinary mouth, with loads of black fillings and loads of brighter fillings that have obviously been lightened – and then you suddenly see two shining... like a wedding ring. You can't deny it when you see it. It's like seeing a pig's ear with diamonds on it, you know?

Yes, but to ask the obvious question – could you have had these done and then forgotten that you'd had them done?

No, no, no, no, no. No, I'm not that type. My dentist always gives me the black amalgam fillings. He knows me very well, and he would never give me gold fillings on the National Health, and I would never pay for them either. In the cases I know of, God has changed the fillings, rather than the actual tooth. The base metal has been transformed.

So it's like alchemy?

Alchemy – that's right... It is alchemy, or whatever. Alchemy sounds a bit sinister, actually, but there are no sinister manifestations with it. My husband's teeth are now much lighter, and this seems to be happening to a lot of people. Their mouths are getting purified. So, why don't you come over and look at my teeth? You'll say, 'Oh my goodness!' It's like that, you know?

© Ship of Fools 1999