The choice God gave to Ray and the gift Ray chose to give in love, as it had been given to him

In 1965, Ammie Ray Elkins of Globe, Arizona, suffered serious injury. He was found unconscious behind the wheel of his truck which hung precariously over a precipice, and left for dead. Ray received severe neurological injury, and after a long recovery in the hospital, wasn’t expected to live long. But perhaps God chose him to do other work.

Ray was in and out of hospitals for several years after the wreck and in constant pain. His speech was slurred, his hearing impaired, he’d lost his sense of smell, and he often stumbled with an irregular gait.The injury left him with terrible headaches and dizziness. He would suddenly pass out in what he called “attacks” -- motionless epileptic seizures that left him unconscious. He could not speak or be roused. One could not tell if he was breathing. He appeared dead.

He would have terrible headaches and be very weak for days after. It was not unusual for Ray to call his neighbor, Margaret, in the middle of the night and just say, “help.”

One night Ray called, sounding worse than usual. By the time Margaret arrived he was coming to, but was very weak. She gave him his medication and they talked for a few minutes, then Ray went to sleep. As Margaret sat and watched him she dropped off to sleep also. She saw Ray walking up a very long staircase into pink and silver-white clouds. As he neared the top he was handed a gift; she could not see the gift or who gave it to him, but she knew who it was.

She awakened fully with a start, thinking she had seen Ray go up the stairs to heaven and receive the gift of admittance. She thought he would be dead. Instead he was awake. He had no pain, and was not even weak. Though it was a very severe attack, Ray was able to get up the next day and work on the apartment that he was remodeling.That was unusual.

Ray and Margaret were married in October, 1969, and returned to Globe. Ray continued to have "attacks," which Margaret and her parents were afraid would kill him. One night when a seizure was especially bad Ray woke and banged his fists on the wall and screamed, "God let me die, I can't take this pain!"

As Margaret was getting the medication she promised that if God would take the pain from Ray she would do anything He asked of her.

Ray remembers, "No sooner had I finished my prayer than I found myself leaving my body. For the first time in years I felt no pain....

“I saw before me a great plane where there were many people standing. The crowd parted, making a path for me to approach one seated in their midst.

"All I can remember is his eyes. His eyes held a look of great compassion and greater love than I have ever seen in my life.

“He spoke no words, words were not needed. "Then I felt him give me a gift. I had the choice to remain where I was or to return back to my body. If I returned to my body, I must give the gift to others in the same manner it was given to me. Nothing would be changed. I would never gain anything from the gift. And I would even face ridicule because of it.

"I did not know what the gift was. I only knew that in those eyes I had found one whom I could trust as I had never trusted anyone in my life."

Ray chose to return.

"I do not know how I returned to my body, but I woke up feeling hungry, and I felt better than I had felt in a very long time."

When he awakened, those around him were already saddened by his death and had called an ambulance, Ray says.

And so, his life began again.

For several months, Ray still did not know what the gift was.

A new comet appeared in the sky that became visible through telescopes near Christmas,1969. As it neared the earth, it became the most spectacular comet of the century. In late March and early April,1970, near Easter, it shone in the heavens as a brilliant light in the east for all to see, just as messages came from spirit sent from God.

With the light, spiritual messengers of God arrived and began to speak through a man to the world from a town appropriately named, Globe.

In late March,1970, Ray fell unconscious in a way unlike the epileptic blackouts he’d had since his accident in 1965.

"I began mumbling in different tones and in voices than my normal ones."

During the seizures that followed Ray continued to mumble.

Margaret couldn't understand what he said, but when he woke he would tell of things he had seen. Most of them would actually happen.

As time passed the mumbling became words, but Margaret was always so afraid he would die that she didn't listen to what he was saying.

"A person close to me decided to record these mumbling,” Ray says. Margaret’s mother, Dorothy, suggested that she record what was said so they could hear it later. Perhaps the neurologist would like to hear. Margaret said, ok, but didn't think of it again for weeks.

Then one night Ray came into the house and headed straight for the bedroom; she followed from the kitchen. He fell and just barely made it to the bed.

Terrified, Margaret screamed, “Ray! Ray! Are you all right?”

A voice through Ray spoke to her and said, “Not Ray."

She remembered the recorder and asked if she could go after it. The voice said, “Yes, we will wait."

When she returned she again asked if Ray was all right, and the voice responded.

“Turning on a tape recorder, she spoke my name,” Ray said. “At this point the voice said, ‘Not Ray,’ and later told her how to awaken me.”" [Read the transcript of the first tape recorded message on April 3, 1970.]

Here are the first words she recorded, on April 3, 1970: "Ray?" his wife calls as the six-foot-four, 40-year-old Ray Elkins collapses.

"Not Ray."

"Not Ray," she asks."Who then?"

The whisper grows stronger, with such love. "Body -- soul -- spirit -- God! Many worlds -- many universes -- many galaxies, like pebbles on a beach; so vast. Each galaxy set up for man's expansion."

"Which is most important?"

"God."

"Who is God?" She feels strong spiritual presence in the room, "An entity?"

"God...is.......everything." Through all time and space, the whisper comes from all there is.

"Not one thing?"

"Not one thing, but everything." The whisper grows stronger. With love so great it cannot be uttered is the word, "God is.......is God!"

"Who do you want to tell me about?"

"In the beginning -- in the beginning God gave man spirit because he was lonely. Then man's spirit was not enough, because spirit always knew of God -- in spirit -- so many spirits -- so many, many spirits.
"Then God thought, ‘I SHOULD [MAKE] MAN, FOR I HAVE USE [FOR] THIS....'
Before, before there were many gods, like our God; before [the two] worlds, many worlds...."

"Why can't I call you Ray?"

"Ray is of this plane. I, by my name who speak through him...there to guide him, that others may learn through him, that they may learn a way to God...."

"His missions and my mission are to bring man back to God.

"For when he awakens he will have new knowledge that he has not had before, for he will be able to think of things I have thought of and to think knowledge -- will be closer to God. Closer to God."

The feeling that Margaret had during this first reading was the same as when she saw Ray walk up the stairs and receive the gift -- apprehension, reverence, fear for Ray's safety. She was assured that Ray was safe and was told how to wake him. Because she didn't know how much tape was on the machine, she rewound it as far as she could before the voice started telling her how to bring Ray out of his sleep. She recognized the method as being similar to hypnotism. Margaret had used hypnotism in beauty school to study for her tests.

When Ray woke up he was rested and was able to go to the dinner table that night, which was unusual after an "attack." He was able to work the next day. But neither of them could get the voice out of their minds.

Three days later, April 6, 1970, the voice again speaks through Ray.

His wife asks, "Can you tell us who you are?"

"My name is Aka."

"Why do you come to us?"

"I do not come to you."

"Who do you come to?"

"I come to Ray."

"What do you want Ray to know?"

"To bring his flock to God."

Then more was said.

Ray's wife tells how the recordings began.