Glauco and Gleison Ferreira left the family home near Manicoré, in Brazil’s Amazonas state, on February 18. They went into the nearby jungle to catch and hunt small birds but never came back. Around 260 people, including locals and professional rescuers, searched for them for over a week, but with the rainy season making the jungle even more inaccessible than usual, all efforts were unsuccessful. Still, even after the search was officially called off on February 26, locals kept searching for the boys through the vast wilderness, and their family never lost hope that they would be found alive. Luckily, after 27 days of pure agony, they received the news that they had been praying for.

Photo: Warren Brasse/Unsplash

Last Tuesday, Glauco and Gleison were found by a man cutting wood near the village of Palmeira in the Lago Capanã protected land reserve, about 22 miles (35 km) from the spot where they had last been seen. The farmer was reportedly “opening a route in the forest where he has a nut plantation” when he heard one of the boys crying and rushed in that direction.

At that point, the boys – who are indigenous Mura people – had been wondering through the jungle for nearly a month and were severely malnourished and dehydrated. Their skin was covered with insect bites and scratches from tree branches, and their feet were scratched and bruised as well. They were flown to an ICU unit in Manaus, where they were reunited with their parents.

“They are undernourished and have some skin, ear and back infections,” pediatrician Eugenio Tavares told CNN Brasil. “Breathing frequency is normal; they don’t have coughs. Kidneys were a concern but they are now functioning very well again. We need to take care of the infections that remain and the careful feeding to know if they will tolerate the progressive diet and gain weight.”

Some source claim that the boys had nothing to eat throughout their ordeal, while others that they survived by drinking rain and river water and eating a wild fruit called sorva.

“The older brother said that (at one point) the younger brother could no longer walk, so he had to go and collect fruit for them to eat. But it came to a point where the older one also could no longer walk,” a social worker assigned to the case told CNN.

AFP reported that the older brother carried his younger brother on his back for a while, but then became unable to walk anymore himself. Luckily for them, they heard the sound of trees being cut nearby and started screaming for help.

Although this isn’t the first time someone get lost and survives in the wildeness for weeks, the story of Glauco and Gleison made international headlines because of how young the two brothers are. The fact that they managed to survive in the wild as long as they have is considered nothing short of miraculous.

The two boys have made significant progress since being rescued, and they have recently started eating solid foods again. They are expected to make a full recovery.

 

At the end of last month, the new owners of a house in Vlaardingen were shocked to see a thin, visibly malnourished cat race past them as they opened the front door of their property. They had bought the place at an auction, so this was the first time they set foot in it. Animal Shelter Vlaardingen was contacted and they managed to catch the feline and started an investigation. It turns out that the former owner had disappeared on July 1st and the cat had been struggling to survive by itself ever since.

It’s unclear if the cat’s former owner abandoned the animal, or if he planned to come back for it and something bad happened to him at some point, but Animal Shelter Vlaardingen didn’t find any traces of food left behind for the cat, and even if there was at some point, it had been consumed way before the rescue operation.

But what really surprised rescuers was the fact that the cat had no easy access to water, but somehow managed to find a reliable source. It’s not clear where the male feline, dubbed Finn, found water, but some speculate that there must have been a leaky tap somewhere in the house.

Finn was taken to an emergency clinic where he had his blood tested and he was then put on IV. His stool was full of paper scraps, which suggests that he tried feeding on paper, but other than the fact that he looked malnourished, he seemed in good health.

The experience seems to have been quite traumatizing for Finn, as he is now extremely shy and even fearful of people. Still, veterinarians expect the cat to make a full recovery and regain its trust in humans. Staff at Animal Shelter Vlaardingen said that Fin will be put up for adoption.

A crowdfunding action has brought in the necessary money to pay for Finn’s medical costs, and support has been pouring in for the brave cat for weeks.

“We hope Finn improves. You always have to be careful with that after such a long time, but he seems to be healthy,” Dik Nagtegaal of the Animal Protection Society, said. “Finn is making small steps forward, he weighed 2.6 kilos last week and already 3 kilos today. He gets food several times a day to strengthen.”

Last Thursday, while pruning a willow tree in Itaquiraí, Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul, municipal maintenance workers noticed a strange pattern on the inside of a branch they had just cut with a chainsaw. After examining the pattern, some of them were convinced that it was a natural representation of Jesus Christ. Odimar Souza, a civil servant who was overseeing the pruning operation on Monte Castelo Avenue, in the Monte Castelo neighborhood, was intrigued by the discovery and took a piece of the branch home with him.

Photo: Odimar Souza

After taking a couple of photos of the pattern, Souza uploaded them to his social media pages, along with a short story of how it was discovered. Apparently, as he was cutting the willow branch, one of the workers noticed a “butterfly-like” design, but just before he could finish his work, the chain of the chainsaw broke. “After changing the chain, we cut this same trunk in two pieces and that was when this perfection appeared,” the Itaquiraí civil servant wrote.

Photos of the cut branch and the intriguing figure found inside of it have been doing the rounds on Brazilian social media for the last week and getting mixed feedback. While some believe that the pattern truly represents Jesus Christ and is some sort of message to stop our sinful ways, or to assure us that He is watching over us in these troubled times, others think it’s just an abstract shape.

Photo: Odimar Souza

“This is a sign! Read the Bible!” one Facebook user commented

“Perfect representation! God manifests in all forms!,” wrote another.

On the opposite end of the spectrum were comments like “People, that’s Voldemort!” or “It’s just a stain. Get back to work, thank you, you’re welcome!”

The Itaquiraí parish has so far declined to comment on this debate, and one biologist says that there are several scientific explanations for the “divine” pattern. Fabiano Izidoro told G1 Globo that the stain could be linked to a possible injury to the cells of this plant during its growth, or to chemical elements that it has absorbed at some point.

Photo: Odimar Souza

“That is why it is necessary to see where this plant grew, in what type of soil, what nutrients it has absorbed,” the Brazilian biologist said.

As for the association with Jesus Christ, Izidoro is convinced that it is a classic example of pareidolia phenomenon, “the tendency for incorrect perception of a stimulus as an object, pattern or meaning known to the observer”.

“This is very similar when we look at the sky and through a cloud we can see some figure,” he explained.

Earlier this month, media outlets from the Ukrainian region of Poltava reported the shocking case of Nina Rudchenko, a woman who managed to survive after being buried alive by her violent neighbors. The woman told police that she was inside her house in the village of Maryanske when two local brothers aged 27 and 30 stormed in and started hitting her with their fists and a baseball bat. The woman claims to have been badly beaten hours before blacking out and waking up at the local cemetery.

Photo: NTN video screengrab

Apparently, the two brothers, identified only as Oleg and Vladimir dragged the unconscious woman to the cemetery in the middle of the night, where they proceeded to wake her up by pouring cold water on her, only to then ask her to dig up her own grave. Rudchenko claims that, as she struggled to handle the shovel, the two brothers kept telling her to give them her house, and threatening her that if she refused they will burn her sister and bury her son-in-law nearby.

It’s unclear if the 57-year-old woman managed to finish digging her grave herself or if the brothers finished the job, but when the pit was ready she was told to lie in it as the two started covering her up with dirt. Nina told reporters that she managed to keep a cool head as the pressure of the soil on top of her grew until the two assailants went away. She claims she heard them asking themselves if she was dead already, and after hearing them walking away, she started frantically digging herself out with her hands.

According to a video report by Ukrainian news station NTN, Nina Rudchenko managed to escape the shallow pit and crawl back to her house, where she passed out. She was found lying on the floor by her sister, who then called police.

Photo: NTN video screengrab

Nina was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors diagnosed her with several fractures, a concussion, and numerous bruises on her face, limbs and torso. Speaking from the hospital where she was recuperating under the care of medical staff and members of her family, the 57-year-old said that her head was still spinning, and that she was still experiencing blackouts because of her head injuries. But worst of all, she was afraid to return home, because the two brothers hadn’t been detained by police…

Ukrainian police opened criminal proceedings against the two assailants under two articles: Part 2 of Art. 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (hooliganism) and Art. 46 (deliberate imprisonment). If found guilty, the brothers risk spending up to 5 years in prison. They admitted to attacking the woman, but claimed they only did it as revenge for her stealing their dog, which disappeared about six months ago.

The two brothers’ mother also accused Rudchenko’s family of theft and told reporters that she doesn’t believe her sons tortured the woman.

 

It’s unclear whether the two assailants were eventually detained, but even if they were, a maximum prison sentence of 5 years seems like lenient punishment for their brutal crime…

Until a couple of years ago, Janusz Goraj, from the city of Gorzow Wielkopolski, was completely blind in his left eye, and could only discern shadows and light with his right one. He had lost his eyesight 20 years ago, as a side-effect of severe allergies, and had become accustomed to living in almost total darkness. But one day in 2018, a miracle happened. Janusz was crossing the street on a crosswalk when he was violently hit by a car. He hit his head on the car’s hood as well as on the asphalt as he fell. To make matters worse, he also damaged his hip, and ended up needing surgery on it. But little did he know that the accident was a blessing in disguise.

Photo: StefanKW/Pixabay

After the accident, Janusz Goraj spent a couple of weeks in the hospital to recuperate after the hip surgery, and one day he got up, opened his eyes and was shocked to see more than the usual shadows and faint lights. He started seeing things much clearer than before the accident, and told his doctors about it too. However, no could explain why it happened.

“His eyesight did improve within two weeks. We don’t quite know what caused it, maybe the mix of drugs he was getting during that time,” Agnieszka Wisniewska, a spokesperson for the Independent Public Provincial Hospital, told Polsat News.

 

Goraj’s bizarre case was originally reported in 2018, but it only gained attention after being features by a major news site late last month. To this day, no one knows exactly what caused the man’s vision to return, but some medical experts speculate that it had nothing to do with the accident itself, but rather with the large doses of anticoagulants mixed with other medicines.

As I lay on the hospital bed, the joy that I could see well again was amazing, Janusz told Gorzovianin. The doctors were surprised by my improved vision but couldn’t explain it. When I left the hospital, I saw people on the street, I could see car registration numbers or just read the text on my phone. My life changed!”

 

Janusz Goraj has refused to take part in medical studies to help doctors solve the riddle of his miraculous eye-sight, but according to Polsat News, he has been able to lead a normal life, and actually got a job as a security guard at the very hospital where he regained his eyesight.

“We don’t know if he specifically asked for the job or if it’s just a coincidence, but he is working here with us,” Wisniewska told reporters.

Pastor Alph Lukau, of the Alleluia Ministries International church, in Kramerville, South Africa, has landed in hot water after a video showing him supposedly bringing a dead man back to life went viral online. The controversial religious figure can be seen putting his hands on the “dead” man’s chest and shouting “rise up!”. The man, who had supposedly died last Friday due to an undisclosed illness, opens his eyes and rises from the coffin with his mouth and eyes wide open, to the shouts and cheers of churchgoers gathered around him.

Within hours of the footage being shared online, Twitter was flooded with videos of people staging their own resurrection miracles and ridiculing Lukau for his stunt. News outlets started reporting on it as well, and it wasn’t long before South African authorities and religious figures put out statements condemning Pastor Lukau’s actions. He has now been sued by several parties, including the funeral parlors he allegedly tricked into indirectly participating in the farce. Lukau is now facing charges of organised crime, fraud and misrepresentation, among others.

The funeral parlors that provided the hearse, coffin and the dead man’s attire have denied any involvement in the resurrection, claiming that they were deceived by Alph Lukau and his associates. They are now taking legal action against the Alleluia Ministries leader for misleading them and causing damage to their reputation. A South African bishop has also sued Lukau for misrepresenting Christian religious figures with his shameful “miracle”.

Although it seems quite clear that Alph Lukau went out of his way to make it seem like he had brought a person back to like with the power of God, the Alleluia Ministries International church has backtracked on the resurrection claim, following the heavy backlash from the public. They are now claiming that the man in the coffin was indeed alive when the miracle was performed, but they are also maintaining that he had indeed died a few days before. What they’re basically saying is that Lukau “completed a miracle that God had already started”.

 

You’re probably wondering what happened to the dead man, right? Well, he’s apparently been arrested for taking part in the stunt. Eyewitness News reports that he has been identified as ‘Brighton’, from Zimbabwe, an unqualified worker employed by a timber company in Pretoria.

Speaking to 702‘s Azania Mosaka on Tuesday, a man claiming to be Brighton’s employer said that this was not the first time he helped Lukau perform miracles in front of his congregation. He previously pretended to be a wheelchair-bound man to make it look like the Alleluia Ministries leader used his power to help him stand up.

“Can you imagine what a life he’s had? He’s worked for me, he died, he was resurrected and now he’s been arrested,” Brighton’s supposed employer jokingly said.

This isn’t the first time we’ve covered ridiculous “miracles” performed by shady African pastors. A couple of years ago we featured Lethebo Rabalago, who claimed to heal people by spraying them in the face with insect repellent, and Bongani Maseko, who asked his congregates to drink motor oil if they wanted to be be “saved, healed and delivered”. And who could forget Paul Sanyangore, the Zimbabwean pastor who claimed to have God’s direct phone number, and actually talked with Him on the phone?

The accidental fall took place on July 11, when the girl’s grandmother decided to leave her home alone while she went grocery shopping. The woman later said that the girl was sleeping and she didn’t have the heart to wake her up, so she just left by herself and locked the door, thinking that she would be back before her granddaughter awakened. She was wrong.

When the young girl woke up, she started looking for her grandmother, and, after checking the front door, she went to the window to see if the woman was downstairs. She climbed onto a chair, then on the computer desk and leaned out an open window. The girl lost her balance and plunged 17 floors onto a small garden outside the apartment building, just as her grandmother was making her way back upstairs.

Photo: video screengrab

Eyewitnesses told reporters that the girl rose to her feet almost instantly after hitting the ground, started crying and went straight for the front door of her building. Meanwhile, the irresponsible grandma entered the apartment, and after calling for the little girl and seeing that she was nowhere to be found, noticed the open window and rushed back out the door. When she reached the ground floor, she saw her crying granddaughter being comforted by some neighbors.

The grandmother immediately contacted the girl’s parents, who rushed home and took her to Changzhou Children’s Hospital for a thorough examination. After learning what had happened, the doctors were stunned by how few injuries the child had sustained. A CT scan revealed no brain abnormalities, while the X-Ray exam showed some minor fissures to her ribs. The abdominal ultra-sound only showed some minor bruising of the liver, which, under the circumstances, was nothing short of miraculous.

“She is a little superman,” one of the doctors said in an interview. “This child is too lucky.”

 

The girl was discharged right after her examination.

It is believed that the branches of the trees outside the high-rise apartment building cushioned the girl’s fall, and she was lucky that it had rained in Changzhou the night before, so the ground was softer. But still, surviving a fall from the 17th floor is incredibly lucky. Doing so with no major injuries whatsoever is nothing short of miraculous.

Judy Garner told police that was driving along Highway 82 in Bullock County, on Saturday, when she saw something moving in a bush, and thought it was a wild animal, probably a deer. The curious woman pulled her car over and went to investigate, only instead of an animal, she found a naked woman covered in scratches and insect bites. Her hair was matted, there was dirt embedded deep beneath her nails, and she looked like she had been living in the wild for a long time. The young girl told Garner that she had survived on berries and muddy water, and was so scared that she begged her not to leave her side.

Photo: Facebook

“I started shaking. I was crying, I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do,” Garner told NBC News. “So I went over to her and asked her if she would stay there while I get water out of my van. She stayed, and I called 911 and told them I had found a girl on the road.”

The young survivor was soon identified as Lisa Theris, who had been reported missing over three weeks ago. The details of how she ended up in the Alabama wilderness are yet to be revealed, but it is believed that she was trying to run away from two men that she was with on July 23rd.

Photo: Facebook

Manley Davis and Randall Oswald were arrested two weeks after Lisa’s disappearance, on charges of burglary and theft. They had broken into a hunting camp and stolen over $50,000 worth of goods. During questioning, the two men told police that Lisa was riding with them in a van toward the hunting camp, but after learning about their plan to break in and steal any valuables they found, she said she wanted nothing to do with it, and at one point jumped out of the car. They had not seen her since. This is just their side of the story, and police plan on questioning the girl about it as well, as soon as she is up to it.

Police say that Lisa escaped the two men at night, and ran into the woods. She is not familiar with the area so she went too deep into the forest and got lost. It’s safe to assume that she spent a lot of time going in circles, before finally finding a road. It’s unclear how Lisa Theris managed to survive alone in the woods for as long as she did, but a lot of people consider it a miracle.

Photo: Troy PD

“I’ve been doing this now going on 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. Her will to live is incredible,” Bullock County Sheriff’s Sergeant Chad Faulkner told WTVY. “I hate to classify it as a miracle but it’s a miracle.”

After being discovered, Lisa was taken to a nearby hospital, but has since been released into the care of her family. Although doctors reported that none of her injuries were severe, photos shared by her brother, Will, on Facebook, show that she was in a pretty bad state. Her body is virtually covered in scratch marks and bug bites, and she looks considerably thinner than before her disappearance. According to some sources, Theris lost 22 kilograms during her ordeal.

Photo: WTVY

“She is severely weakened, she is in pain, she is emaciated. There is not an inch of her that has not been affected,” Lisa’s sister, Elizabeth, told WSFA.

“She is standing strong and full of jokes as ever. The next few weeks will be rough,” her brother, Will, added.