Tragedy struck when a young Arizona street preacher was shot in the head while spreading the gospel. Now, he’s making headlines for miraculously returning to church just a couple of months after he wasn’t expected to survive.
The wife of Hans Schmidt, a 26-year-old military veteran and outreach director of Victory Chapel First Phoenix, announced the good news on Sunday.
“We serve a miracle working God. He walks, he talks, he even plays the drums,” Zulya Schmidt wrote on Instagram. “God has done an incredible work in Hans’ life and every day he continues to improve. Please continue to pray for a full restoration.”
The positive words were accompanied by a happy picture of the couple bearing their smiles in their Sunday best.
The Schmidts, who have two young children, have been documenting Hans’ recovery over the recent months. The street preacher has come a long way since a photo posted in December showed him lying in a hospital bed with his family by his side.
The latest miraculous update comes just over a month after Zulya announced that her husband was making “stunning progress,” but was unable to speak at the time.
Victory Chapel First Phoenix announced that their “prayers have been answered!”
“We are rejoicing and thanking God for the miracle we have seen. Hans has been released from the hospital and is home with his family,” a statement on the church’s website reads.
“Please continue to pray for this family as they navigate the road to recovery.”
Pastor Franklin Graham also joined in on the cheer, writing, “This is great news!”
It was November 15, 2023, when Schmidt was shot while doing church outreach at the intersection of 51st Ave and Peoria in the city of Glendale.
“Single entry point on the side on the left temple. The bullet traveled through his brain. … No one heard the shot or saw where it came from,” family friend Brad Currell wrote in a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $80,000 for the victim.
“Police detectives reviewed the intersection video footage. He initially fell but got back up and was walking and talking but bleeding,” Currell continued. “No one had realized what happened at first. He had started seizures and vomiting, and they took him to the hospital.”
When he was randomly attacked, Schmidt had been street-preaching for more than a year.
“He’s been doing that for over a year, and usually he street preaches for 30 minutes before every evening service for our church,” Zulya told CBN News after the incident.
“My heart sank,” Hans’ wife said, explaining how medical professionals did not think her husband would live. “I just felt sick to my stomach.”
She also recalled hearing a detective say during the investigation: “We’ll know more after the autopsy.”
The Schmidts has received thousands of prayers from the global Christian community in addition to the donations, and they remain hopeful.
Police are still looking for the perpetrator of the shooting, which is suspected to have been a drive-by.