Reaching Through the Veil shows how angels are a part of our everyday lives. This blog is designed to share your experiences, stories that you find, quotes from General Authorities, and scriptures that show that angels are a part of our lives.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

The Comforting Revelation One Sister Received in the Temple Following Her Son's Suicide by Danielle B. Wagner


The Comforting Revelation One Sister Received in the Temple Following Her Son's Suicide
byDanielle B. Wagner | May 02, 2019
Nearly a decade ago, one Latter-day Saint sister endured the unthinkable for a mother—the loss of her son to suicide. After years of heartache and struggling with tremendous guilt, suffering, and "what ifs," this sister found a sweet peace in the temple.
During a 2019 BYU Women's Conference keynote address, Sister Rebecca M. Pinegar, assistant matron in the Provo temple, detailed this temple worker's experience.
This sister's son was a gifted musician who graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering, but since his teenage years he struggled with depression. Sister Pinegar shares, "Ten years ago, he shared that he was gay. In the course of his struggles, he had his name removed from the records of the Church [and became estranged from his family]. . . . Eight and a half years ago, this beautiful boy took his own life. My friend talked of her grief and the years of tremendous guilt and suffering. Grief grows many 'what ifs.'"
While grappling with these emotions, this sister had a tender experience in the temple, allowing her to testify of the power we receive from those on the other side of the veil. "While in the temple, she heard her [deceased] mother tell her, 'I am taking care of him,'" Sister Pinegar shares. She then related a letter from this brave mother:
"One of the great desires of my heart has always been that my husband and I would someday have all of our children and their spouses in the temple at the same time. And so, I began to pray that our son would do the necessary things to qualify for baptism again. I prayed for years that I would feel the promptings when it was time to have him re-baptized in the temple, because I knew he needed time before he was ready to accept the ordinance. I wanted to feel him there when it happened.
"Four years ago, I felt impressed to write to Salt Lake and ask for permission to have our son re-baptized. I received a letter and a temple ordinance card and kept it in a safe place for the special day. In January of this year my prayers were answered when both my husband and I began having promptings to go to the temple for our son.
The day of our son’s baptism was very special. . . . I had prayed that I would feel my son’s presence and I did—in prayer meeting, at the font and in the chapel awaiting confirmation. I know without a doubt that he accepted these ordinances and is happy! I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this blessing. I am also thankful that I have felt lifted and have a lighter heart. I feel like the last vestiges of guilt and pain have been swept away and I feel cleansed just as he is. I only have thoughts of love and forgiveness and closeness towards my son. The healing that we can have because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real! He is there and will mend our broken hearts."


How Her Daughter's Passing Led One Woman Back to the Church

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=359&v=M65cjlCcsYw

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

LDS Mom of 4-Year-Old By Danielle B. Wagner


LDS Mom of 4-Year-Old Attacked by Mountain Lion: "Angels Were Protecting Her"
byDanielle B. Wagner | Aug. 15, 2016

Kera Butt was with her husband and three children on a family reunion camping trip when she saw a mountain lion near their campsite in Green Canyon Hot Springs, Idaho.
 “As we were eating dinner, I turned my head and saw the back part of the cat,” Kera Butt told East Idaho News. “I saw it move and I told everyone, ‘I just saw a cat.’”
Several family members teased Kera, telling her it might have been a liger or something else she imagined. But the family checked out the spot where Kera saw the mountain lion anyway, unable to find any proof the cat had been there.
After super, several of the children went to play by the creek near their campsite. Their 4-year-old Kelsi was with her 10-year-old cousin at the time, when suddenly the 10-year-old began screaming, "I see it!"
It took Kera a little while before she realized not only had the cougar been spotted, but it had begun attacking Kelsi. "I started screaming and running towards it," Kera told East Idaho News.
"It went after me and then it just grabbed me . . . it scratched me," Kelsi told East Idaho News.
The cougar bit Kelsi around her stomach, trying to pick up and drag Kelsi. But, unable to fully pick her up, it put her on the ground with its paws on top of her, trying to find a way to better drag her away. 
That's when Kera scared the cat away with her screaming. 
Despite the harrowing event, Kera felt a sudden peace when she picked up her daughter. "She was clinging to me, screaming, sobbing, and I knew, I just had this comfort and I knew she was okay and I felt like angels were there protecting her," she told East Idaho News.
Kera and her husband, Israel, took Kelsi to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where she was given antibiotics and rabies shots.
That night, deputies with the Madison County Sheriff’s office arrived at the campsite where the attack occurred, finding Kelsi's grandfather standing on guard with his shotgun.
The cougar had continued prowling around the campground even after the attack. “At one point, he said the hairs stood up on the back of his head and he looked to the left and saw the cat prowling 20 to 30 feet away,” Israel Butt told East Idaho News.
At 2 a.m. the mountain lion was finally cornered and killed.
After being treated at the hospital, Kelsi returned to the campsite with her parents to finish their family reunion. Kelsi even insisted on going to church on Sunday, wanting to show off her "battle wounds."


President Uchtdorf


The Lord knows you. He knows your heart and is pleased with your sacrifice. He smiles upon you each day. He will uphold you and prepare the way for you. He will send His angels before you. You will feel their presence. And with the help of heaven, your talents will be multiplied.
I promise you that as you lift those around you, the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, will lift you up. If you will only believe and incline your heart to our Beloved Father, He will place within you a peace that surpasses understanding. He will give you joy. May each of you always remember this.
President Uchtdorf Facebook

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Friend Catches Climber by Annie Knox


Friend catches climber, 18, in 20-foot fall before prom night
High schooler remains in a coma in intensive care
Published: April 22, 2019 5:07 pm

MURRAY — A Utah high schooler who fell while rock climbing and fractured her skull over the weekend never hit the ground.
She was caught by a friend 20 feet below, sparing her further injury during what was meant to be a fun outing to Wasatch Mountain State Park just hours ahead of prom night.
Braden Patterson, 18, can’t remember much of what happened Saturday morning before Avery Tanner, a fellow senior at Wasatch High School, landed in his arms. But he believes she slammed into the wall more than once on the way down.
“I remember hearing her hit the rocks and suddenly she was in my arms,” Patterson recalled Monday. “I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to move myself to where I needed to catch her and have the ability to catch her — so there was definitely — I was guided by someone, by some angels, to move to where I needed to be. They were there helping me stay standing up.”
Divine intervention or not, he never lost his footing. A friend later told him he backed into a tree while holding his unconscious friend, but Patterson said there are no bruises on his 6-foot, 165-pound frame to indicate he crashed into any bark.
“I think by him being able to catch her, he definitely prevented more injuries," said Tanner’s mother, Caysie Riley. "She doesn't have any other injuries on her body, no breaks, no anything, just fractured the back of her skull. So she was really lucky. I think it was just instinct. He happened to be at the right place at the right time.”
On Monday, the 18-year-old Tanner remained in a coma, a result of her injuries. Doctors at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray have deemed her stable, her mother said, but she could not yet breathe on her own. The prognosis depends on whether she wakes up in coming days.
“It’s pretty much a nightmare,” Riley said. Several in the group of teenagers told her they believed her daughter may have gotten scared halfway down the wall and possibly let go of the rope before hitting her head twice on the way down. She finally landed in Patterson’s arms, where she began seizing. The group immediately called police and prayed for her in the roughly 10 minutes it took medical crews to arrive.
Moments earlier, Patterson descended just ahead of Tanner in order to belay. They were among more than a dozen teens who hiked to the towering rock on the southern end of the park in the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center venue on Saturday morning.


Friday, April 26, 2019

When the Veil Becomes Thin: Experiences with Those Not Yet Born By Anne Hinton Pratt


When the Veil Becomes Thin: Experiences with Those Not Yet Born
By Anne Hinton Pratt · April 25, 2019

There is a veil that divides those of us in this sphere from those of a much higher order.  Sometimes, the veil is thinned, and we are privileged to hear, see or feel the spirits of those who have not yet been born. They often have messages for us.
The Unborn Reveal Themselves
A Glimpse of Pre-existence
Many years ago, I was expecting our third son.  During that pregnancy, I had prayed fervently that I could have a spiritual experience at the birth.  I longed for the veil to part and show me something remarkable, but the birth came and went, and I felt nothing.  I was bitterly disappointed. 
Hours after the birth however, as I held this beautiful baby boy in my arms, I had a never to be forgotten experience where I caught a sudden and breathtaking spiritual glimpse of the pre-existence.  I was there with this son, (who was an adult spirit), and we felt such love for each other.  My spiritual memory was opened up to remember that he had chosen me to be his mother, and that I had most willingly and joyfully agreed.  He also made it clearly known to me that he wanted his name in this life to be Gary.  This window of enlightenment was short-lived, but it revealed enough to me that I KNEW who he was, and knew that I CHOSE HIM and HE CHOSE ME! He was meant to come to our family! As I have spoken with people about this topic, I have discovered that my experience was not unique.  Many have had similar understandings with yet to be born spirits.
Pre-born Children Allowed to be Present at Parents Wedding.
As Matt Hill went to the temple with his soon to be wife, a strange thing happened.  He clearly felt the presence of his future children, and the strong eternal bond that they shared with him.  
Later as he was kneeling across the altar from his sweetheart, the sealer suddenly startled everyone by announcing:
“Angels are here.  I can feel your unborn children here witnessing your sealing.”  
When the sealer made that pronouncement, Matt recalls that he got “chills” knowing that his earlier feelings were confirmed.  He could sense the supreme importance of that moment for himself and his yet to be born children, knowing that it meant they were witnessing the fact that they would be born into the covenant.  
What a profound yet unexpected experience to have on his wedding day!
Several years later, as Matt was driving home with his 3-year-old son, Korver, he happened to pass that temple.  He pointed to it and said, “Your mom and I were married there.”  Korver replied, “I know Dad.  I was there.” 
Matt was dumfounded and quizzed him about it.  With 3-year-old words, Korver described a room with golden trim on walls and ceilings.  His description exactly matched the room where the sealing took place. He even told Matt the correct color of the carpet.  Matt questioned him further, “What were YOU doing there?”  He replied, “We were standing there like this.” (He stood at attention like a soldier). Korver made it clear to Matt that he was there as an observer and a special witness of that momentous occasion.
Elder L Tom Perry taught:
“What the restored gospel brings to the discussion on marriage and family is so large and so relevant that it cannot be overstated: we make the subject eternal! We take the commitment and the sanctity of marriage to a greater level because of our belief and understanding that families go    back to before this earth was and that they can go forward into eternity.  (L. Tom Perry, April General Conference 2015)
Your Childbearing Days are Not Over
Kara Pratt shared the following experience with me:
“After struggling to conceive our first two children, and suffering an early   miscarriage in between, I was unsure if we were meant to have any more children. Even after I was able to get pregnant, my pregnancies were extremely difficult, as I was very sick for months on end.  Due to these challenges, throughout my whole pregnancy with our second child, I tried to make peace with the fact that it might be our last.”
“’Emmett’ had been among our long list of boys names that we had been saving up, but after finding out the second baby I was carrying was a girl, we didn’t give that list much thought.”
“Our baby girl finally arrived in a beautifully peaceful home birth. That day, as we got settled in and I rested for a while my heart was full, but I felt a small sadness as I thought that this might be the last time I’d get to experience the birth of a new child. As I pondered “Is this our last baby? Was this the last time?” I got a clear impression in my mind that said, “No, we need Emmett. We’re still missing Emmett.”
Less than two years later, after a surprise/unplanned/miracle pregnancy, their little boy Emmett arrived, against all odds.
Two Spirits Coming Together
There are many people who have these experiences who aren’t even aware of a pre-existence.
Some time ago, as I was on a walk with my non-member neighbor, she confided in me an experience she had with preborn spirits just a few years earlier.  She had given birth to three children, but had begun to feel a yearning for another.  Her husband, however didn’t want her to have any more.  She begged, and then to appease him she said,  “Ok, Let me have ONE more, and then that’s all!”  He reluctantly agreed.  At that exact moment, she said she distinctly felt two male spirits who in essence said:
Oh, she’s only having one more pregnancy, then we’ll need to go down together.”
That was a very strange experience for one who’s religion didn’t even believe in a pre-earth life, but she became a believer when 9 months later she had TWIN BOYS.  They had to come together to insure that they both would come to that family. 
The Pre-existence is a foundational part of the Plan of Salvation, and though many in the world are not even aware of it, some have experiences that they can’t explain in their own Faiths. It makes sense that those yet to be born are at times allowed to help us get on track.  Elder Richard G. Scott taught:
“Oh, how I would encourage you to weave deeply into the fabric of your     soul the recognition that your life now is a part of a much bigger plan the Lord has for you. You lived part of it in the pre-mortal existence. You were valiant there and came here because you wanted to grow and enjoy    greater happiness. What you decide to do now will affect how well you         fulfill that divine, personal plan He has for you.”(Richard G. Scott, “He   Lives,” December, 2000).
Pre-born Son Orchestrated His Parents Meeting Each Other
Sometimes spirits are allowed to do more then just witness or communicate preferences.  The following is an account that Sarah Hinze wrote about a pre- born spirit being proactive in his future family’s lives by playing cupid to his parents, Debbie and Mark.
“One evening, when our youngest son Andrew was in kindergarten, we were reminiscing about our dating days before we married.  Our four children were sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, enjoying our stories…when Andrew asked, “Mommy, do you remember when I got Daddy to dance with you?”
“What?”  With four children in ten years, I couldn’t even guess when was the last time Mark and I had gone dancing.  Maybe not since before my first pregnancy. So I could not fathom when Andrew had ever seen his father and I dance.
“Andrew, what do you mean you got Daddy to dance with me?  I didn’t know you’d ever seen us dance.”
“You remember, Mommy.  The night you didn’t want to go but your friend talked you into it.  It was before you married Daddy, before I ever went in your tummy…”
“Sweetie, how did you know I didn’t want to go to the dance that night?”
“Mommy, it was my time to come down and you and Daddy weren’t getting together.  I had to do something.”
Andrew described the dance further in perfect detail:
Mommy, you know.  You tried to leave and Julie wouldn’t let you.  But     really it was me who wouldn’t let you.  I had to show you Daddy. Remember when you went back and looked across the floor and saw the light on Daddy.  I lit him up so you’d look at him.  And then I put a light on you so he’d see you and ask you to dance.  That’s when you started to like each other, Mommy, and I made it happen.”
This really stunned Debbie.  It was exactly as it had happened.  Both she and Mark privately commented how curious it was that they each were drawn to each other by light that illuminated each of them like a spotlight at the dance that drew their attention to each other.
Andrew’s account includes details that he never could otherwise have known, because they had never spoken about that dance.  (Sarah & Brent Hinze, The Castaways: Safely in His Arms p. 33-36)
Divine Plan                                                                                                              Without a doubt, there is a divine plan for each of us.  Our children are often allowed to inform or to guide us before they are born.  At times the veil is thinned and we are blessed to see, hear or feel these divine beings before they come to earth.  They come to witness, bless and help us, and to let their desires be known.  Yes, the veil can be very thin.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Helping Family Angels Help Us By Anne Pratt

Helping Family Angels Help Us
By Anne Hinton Pratt · March 27, 2019
We live in an age of spiritual reciprocity, and there is a beautiful give and take between ourselves and angels.  Because of the ever-expanding ability we now have to help family who have passed on, THEIR interest and ability to help US also seems to be snowballing.
Recently I published an article on how Family Angels help us. I want to add to that topic.
Remarkable Incident!
A woman from Western New York, (I’ll call her Clare) had an incredible experience.
She had been working hard on her family history and had come to a dead end.  Even with searching court records and other available sources she couldn’t go any further.  She was frustrated because her desire was to help her family, but her hands were tied.  
One day, she happened to be driving down a little dirt road near Palmyra, New York, when she suddenly heard a voice say “STOP!”  She obediently stopped the car and waited and wondered.  She saw a fence near the side of the road, and heard the voice say, “GO OVER THE FENCE AND LOOK!”  She got out of her car, climbed the fence and started walking around in a grassy field, very puzzled as to why she was even doing this.  Just then, her toe stubbed against something hard.   She looked down and saw a headstone.  In looking further, she discovered 8 or 9 graves, mostly covered over with grass.  Astoundingly, these were the EXACT names and dates she was looking for to continue the work! 
Clare knew without a doubt that she had been guided to find those names.  Even though she didn’t see anyone, she knew she had received help from concerned family members on the other side.
Working to Save
Contrary to popular belief, people don’t sit idly strumming harps when they get to the other side.  They have desires to serve and assist those they love!  They have many tasks before them such as being guardians or messengers to us from time to time, as well as to bring healing and comfort.  Other than being a pre-authorized recipient of that divine intervention, the surest way for US to summon help or succor from departed kinsfolks, is to help THEM.
On the Church website it states:
“The Lord blesses those who attend to the sacred ordinances work in the temple. And the blessings He gives will not be limited to the time spent in the temple. Those who do temple work will be blessed in all aspects of their lives.” (Lds.org/topics/temples)
Many of our relatives on the other side are heavily involved in this work of salvation but need our help to do it.
Astonishing Experience – Working in Tandem with the Other Side
An amazing woman, Shellie Payne, recounted to me a marvelous experience she had with her departed grandmother.  
Since she was a girl, Shellie began to feel a passion for family history, and has felt drawn to it all her life.   She keeps a temple card of an ancestor on her desk as a constant reminder of what should be important daily.  On the other hand, missionary work was her Grandmother’s life-long gift.   Shellie recounts:
“One particular day when I was busy as a young mother with little children, I glanced at those cards on my desk wondering how I was going to get the work done on them.  In my mind as clear as can be, I heard my Grandma say to me “I have done my part in teaching the gospel to hundreds of our family members.  It is now your turn to find them and do their temple work.” 
As the years have passed, I have worked hand in hand with my grandmother. She makes sure things run smoothly for me, watches over my family and makes up time where time is needed, and I find names and take them to the temple.
“Between the two of us we have assisted thousands of our family members find the gospel and receive their saving ordinances working from both sides of the veil.”
Vision: “Don’t Forget Us!”
Elder F. Enzio Busche shared a similar story of a man named Joseph Gilbert, who was a recent convert to the church:
“On the day that he was in the temple for the first time, he saw in a vision a great gathering of his ancestors who were looking at him and pleading with him, ‘Please, don’t forget us.  It took a great effort to get ONE of our descendants [Brother Gilbert] to embrace the gospel.  We have all waited a long time for this.’” (Yearning for the Living God, p. 213)
Joseph F. Smith taught:
“…those who have been faithful, who have gone beyond are still engaged in the work for the salvation of the souls of men, the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound and proclaiming liberty to the captives, [and] can see us better than we can see them.” (Conference Report, April 1916, p. 3)
When we begin to delve into the work of salvation, we are NOT alone.  We have spiritual resources.
Family Angels Can Open the Way
Elaine Boushka, (who is the only living member in her family and has done thousands of temple names), told me of a Fascinating Phenomenon that she encountered:
 Years ago, as she would try to work on a specific family line, she would always feel a particularly strong push back, and was literally repelled from doing the work.  She tried every way she could think of to succeed, but always hit a “brick wall. “
Just recently, she decided to try working on that line again, and was astounded how easily it opened up. This time, she was amazed that she was able to uncover 11 generations back in just two days’ time!  
What could have changed?
Could it be that other family members that had received their ordinances had begun teaching the spirits on this “closed” family line?  Could it be that her family work is in a state of “hastening”? 
Family angels can help us gather God’s family on BOTH sides of the veil.  They help US progress, and we can have the privilege of helping THEM progress.
“The Hastening” is All About “Opening Up”
In just the last few months family history has become SO doable.  Anyone now can almost instantaneously find family names to take to the temple with the technology recently released.  With 162 operating temples and 38 more announced, “the Hastening” (this epoch in earth’s history), is exploding with the potential to bless millions of God’s children. Because of all the temples and capacity to accomplish this work, lots of spirits have accepted on the other side, and there are more armies of faithful ancestors than ever before teaching other family members, opening up more family lines.
Increase in Spiritual Experience
Many who attend the temple find that they have an increase in spiritual experience and can feel the help and influence of family angels.
Angels are an important part of this crucial time in the earth’s history, and we’re the ones who are lucky enough to be the recipients. Are we taking advantage of this privilege?
If We Help THEM, They Will Help US
It seems that the more work we do for the salvation of our ancestors, the more they are free to help us in our personal lives.
Elder Boyd K. Packer wrote,
“Brother Widtsoe reaffirmed that ‘those who give themselves with all their might and mind to this work [genealogical and temple work] receive help from the other side. Whoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life.’ (John A. Widstoe, quoted in Boyd K. Packer’s The Holy Temple, 252.)
Family Angels can prepare the way for us to continue the work of Glory for our ancestors.  This is a truly a day of spiritual interchange with these divine beings.  A day to work together with those gone before to build up the kingdom of God in this sphere and to help them expand in theirs.
https://ldsmag.com/helping-family-angels-help-us/