Hans Schmidt, a 26-year-old street preacher and local outreach director, was shot in the head while preaching through a megaphone on Nov. 15, 2023. Hans returned to Victory Chapel First Phoenix on Sunday and enjoyed playing the drums. Zulya, his wife, continues to give thanks and glory to God for his miraculous recovery.
“Life may look a little different now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Zulya recently shared. Although he has been released from the hospital, Hans still has a long road of healing and restoration ahead of him.
Street Preacher Hans Schmidt Continues To Recover After Being Shot in the Head
On Sunday, just two months after he was shot in the head, Hans Schmidt returned to his church with his wife and two young children.
Hans was used to street preaching and often shared the gospel for about 30 minutes at a time. On Nov. 15, the day he was shot, Hans ended his preaching early, which seemed odd to Zulya. As he was loading sound equipment into the car, she noticed Hans was bleeding. He had to be convinced to go to the hospital. While Glendale, Arizona, traffic cameras picked up footage of the shooting, the shooter is still at large.
After a CT scan at the hospital revealed that Hans had been shot and that the bullet was still lodged in his brain, Hans’ condition continued to worsen. Doctors weren’t sure if Hans would survive, and he was unable to communicate. Zulya recalled overhearing detectives say that they would “know more after the autopsy.”
However, Hans experienced a drastic change of status over the last 10 weeks. Zulya posted Sunday, “We serve a miracle-working God. He walks, he talks, he even plays the drums.” She continued, “God has done an incredible work in Hans’ life and every day he continues to improve. Please continue to pray for a full restoration 💙”
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One person commented, “WOW, God is SO GOOD!!!!!!! I’m from Canada and have been praying since I heard your story, a day or 2 after Hans was injured. What an awesome testimony!!! I will continue to pray for full healing and restoration. ❤️”
“We are continuing to pray in our little Spanish church,” said another. “Our God certainly is the great healer!!!”
