Angels that Intervene with Children By Anne Hinton Pratt

 

Angels that Intervene with Children

By Anne Hinton Pratt · February 10, 2022

 

Some of the most beautiful and touching stories told are those about angels protecting children. Several months ago, I shared several of these in an article. I’ve since received additional amazing and inspiring experiences from readers like you that you’ll want to feast on.

Miraculously Rescued from Fire

Kenny Mazzanti, a retired Sergeant on the California Highway Patrol had several experiences where he saw firsthand where angels protected children.  He writes,

“I was patrolling southbound I-5 near Lebec (between Los Angeles and Bakersfield CA) when I saw the backend of a motorhome burst into flames. The driver pulled over to the right shoulder of the freeway and the family piled out of the motorhome. Most of the motorhome was fully engulfed by flames when I approached the family.  The mom was counting heads. 1,2,3,4…

“Where’s little Johnny?” 

“One of the children said that he had been asleep in the back of the motorhome. I had the family move further away and prepared to go in to find the child. (It’s not the heat that will kill you; it’s the poisonous gasses from the burning plastics that will get you first). The door handle was too hot to open, so I used my handkerchief to open the door.  I took a deep breath and pulled the door open to charge in and retrieve the child. That wasn’t necessary.  There stood little Johnny holding his teddy bear as flames swirled all around him. I grabbed him by his sleeper and pulled him from the fire that took all the hair off my forearm, and then closed the door behind him. 

“We got away from the burning motorhome, and Johnny’s mother did a thorough inspection of her child.  Not a hair was singed, not even on the teddy bear.

“One of the other children asked how he got out?  Johnny told them very matter of factly that ‘The man in white’ had awakened him and led him to the door. Then, pointing at me, Johnny said, ‘And then HE grabbed me.’ [1]   

What an extraordinary rescue! When God and angels intervene, such amazing things happen. This next experience that Kenny relates will take your breath away.  He continues:

“Back about 1979, one of the Officers that I supervised was patrolling Interstate 5 near Newhall, CA saw something of concern.  A young couple had stopped for lunch at the Denny’s Restaurant in Newhall and had resumed their journey entering southbound I. 5.  The Officer pulled ahead of them, activated his overhead lights, and slowed his and their cars bringing the young coupe to a stop on the freeway shoulder.  The Officer approached the driver’s window.  The driver defensively questioned why the Officer had stopped him.  He was doing nothing wrong, and in his mind, this was obviously an abuse of power… 

“Without a word, the Officer reached up on top of the car and took down the car seat that secured their newborn baby and handed it to the young father. Apparently, they were not yet accustomed to having a baby with them when they travelled.”[2]

What kept that unattached baby from falling off the top of the car as it picked up speed on the freeway?  God is so good…

I love the scripture that talks specifically about children’s angels:

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”[3]

Yes, these angels are often directed from the Father to protect small children.  Sometimes they protect them from their own lack of judgment…

Angel Protects From 12-Foot Drop

Janet Johnson remembers a beautiful experience she had with a young son being protected from a greater injury.  She wrote:

“My youngest child of four, a six-year-old boy, had climbed up into an open loft, twelve feet above our garage floor. He was leaning over the edge of the loft dropping army guys onto the floor below.  He leaned too far and toppled out of the loft headfirst. His shoulder hit a shelf on his way down, and he landed on the floor screaming in fear and pain.

“When I rushed into the garage and found him, his shoulder was bloody and the skin was torn, but I was shocked that his head had not hit the garage floor. I was so amazed as I held him in my lap that I commented on that fact. Although we had never taught, or even talked about guardian angels, or the possibility of loved ones who had passed being angels in our lives, he looked at me through his tears and said, ‘It’s because I landed on the angel. He was soft.”[4]

Isn’t it interesting that this child was protected from a severe head injury, but not saved from all pain?  The angel provided an intimate sweet experience for the child and his mother.  What a gift!

Angel Saves Two Girls from Accident

Allison Dunlap recounts a harrowing tale of angelic aid to two of her young daughters.

She writes,

“This happened when I was a young mother of 4 daughters. We lived on the corner of a busy street, but going the opposite direction was a lovely little neighborhood park that my girls loved to play in.

“One day I was nursing my baby when I heard a knock at the door. There stood my neighbor Sister Fredley with my two little towheads. She was nearly in tears as she told me what had just happened. Maddy and Rachel had noticed the front door unlocked and had quietly slipped out and wanted to walk up to the park to play. Sister Fredley was backing out of her driveway that had a slight slope on it, making the bottom of it not visible from her rearview mirror. She heard a man’s voice holler to her to “STOP”! She wondered what man would be yelling to her as we had very few that actually lived on our street. After she put her car in park and got out to look around to talk to the man, she noticed my two little girls in her driveway walking up the street towards the park.

“She looked everywhere for the man who had hollered to her to stop but found no one out in their yards on either side of the street. She realized then she had been helped by an unseen angel to protect my little girls from being hit by her car as she blindly backed out.

“As she related to me on my porch what had just happened, I was flooded first, with embarrassment at my negligence, but then an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to the Lord for protecting my innocent little daughters and sparing them and her and me from the devastating sorrow that would’ve beset us all. I thank the Lord for all the help He gives to us as we strive to bring souls into the world and do our inadequate best to raise them.”[5]

What a blessing!  It wasn’t the plan for the girls to die that day, and an angel and an “in-tune” neighbor helped God’s will to be.

Angelic Hope during Abuse                                                                                               

Sylvia was a child in an abusive home and growing up she felt very unloved by her parents.  She told me that one day, when she was a young girl, an angel came to her and said,

“Don’t worry Sylvia, things will get better!”  

She held on to that promise for many years, and after she left home and started life on her own, things went in a beautiful direction, but it was the memory of that day that pulled her through.[6]

Why?

Why was an angel instructed to visit Sylvia, or the boy in the fire, or protection for the boy on the loft and the two little girls, but not sent to other children in similar conditions? Somehow, these visits were part of these children’s’ specific plan.  It was God’s GIFT to them.  Other children receive other good gifts such as learning how to overcome trauma or how to circumvent their own difficulties.  God gives us ALL gifts. 

In scripture Moroni asks a profound question,

“…have miracles ceased?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men…”[7]  

Do we believe Moroni? God knows the life plan of all children down to the details. He knows what gifts they need.  The fact is that angels protect and succor MANY, if not all children from time to time.   In my mind, these are the inspiring stories that are worth retelling…

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[1] Kenny Mazzanti, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[2] Kenny Mazzanti, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[3] Matthew 18:10.

[4] Janet Johnson, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[5] Allison Dunlap, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[6] Sylvia [last name withheld], personal conversation.  Used with permission.

[7] Moroni 7:29

 

Becoming "Angels" to Angels: Setting the Prisoners Free By Anne Hinton Pratt

 

Becoming “Angels” to Angels: Setting the Prisoners Free

By Anne Hinton Pratt 

 

Billions have lived on this earth.   Each one has a story that they will tell for eons about family they learned to love while living here.  Many want to take these relationships to a higher level, but feel imprisoned by the lack of ability. Who can help them?… 

“We Need Your Help!”

One day, a dear friend, “Jan” (not real name), felt the room she was in beginning to fill up with spirits from the “other side.”  She knew intuitively that these spirits were family members.  At some point a male “grandfather,” stepped forward as a spokesman for her father’s family line.  He said in a very Commanding voice,

 “We need your help!”

She told him She would help in any way she could, then asked if he wanted her to do some research and gather information.  He replied,

“No! The information has been found, but the work is not getting done!”

Jan asked, “Who has the information?” He said,

“Grace!” “Call her!”

Jan followed the directive and called her cousin Grace and sure enough, found that she had hundreds of family name cards already printed (but not completed), and hundreds more family names reserved in her computer, – so no-one else could do their work. These spirits were stuck!  

Thankfully, Grace accepted Jan’s offer to help complete those saving ordinances for their ancestors, and she voluntarily delivered the stacks of cards to Jan’s home.  Jan then asked her family members who were scattered in many temple districts for help. 

The following morning, Jan hastened to the temple and spent the entire day completing as many ordinances as possible.  As she exited the temple the same “great grandfather” stepped up to her.  He tenderly thanked her, and then emphatically and emotionally stated,

“THE PRISONERS SHALL GO FREE!”

He then faded from sight.[1]

Jan and Grace set in motion eternal work.  They became coworkers with angels…[2]

“We’ve Waited a Long Time”

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 of a great gathering of his ancestors who were looking at him and pleading with him, ‘Please, don’t forget us…We have all waited a long time for this!’” [3]  

Spirits from the other side are occasionally allowed to come to express their desires to us. Sometimes it can be surprising…

Unlikely Plea from Wayward Sister

Larry James wrote about an experience he had in the Mount Timpanogos Temple years ago,

“My wife and I were asked to help one of the families in our ward with sealings for their family. I was sitting in one of the witness chairs when the sound in the room became very still. I heard a female voice speak to my mind. She said,

“DON’T FORGET ME!”

It was the voice of my younger sister.  This had never happened to me and I began to weep.

“My sister had been dead for over four years. She was never active in the church, and had been married 5 times and had 6 children by different men. I had written her off as having made her decision as to the gospel of Christ. Needless to say, I interrupted the session and the sealer thought I was in some kind of trouble. I explained to him what had happened, but he didn’t seem surprised. Well, within one week, my wife and I had completed her sacred work.”[4] 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland joyfully taught, “Don’t underestimate your family on the other side of the veil.”[5]

Isn’t it the truth.  They often are allowed to break through to us in such interesting ways.

“Help me! Notice me!”

Maurine Proctor shared an experience where she personally learned how eager our kindred dead are to let us know they want their work done. She said,

“Scot and I spent the summer in England with our youngest two daughters, and part of that time we were doing family history. The night before we were going to spend the day in the Huntingdonshire archives where Scot’s ancestors were from, we were studying those family records, looking particularly for an end of line where we could break through.

That night as I slept, I heard the name “Sarah Holden, Sarah Holden, Sarah Holden.” There was an eagerness and an insistence about this as if she were saying, ‘Look for me. Help me. Notice me!”

The next morning, I said, “Scot, do you have a Sarah Holden in your line?” He said, yes, and we looked her up.

“That day in the archives we looked for Sarah, who had had her work done, but we discovered the work was incomplete for most of her siblings. Since then, we have continued to make breakthroughs on that line.”[6]

Angelic Voice

Ellen Lovett also heard a voice from beyond the veil.  She wrote,

“I joined the church with my husband in 1956 and was immediately immersed in doing genealogy research.  Since I have gotten older and have less responsibilities and more time, I spend most of my waking hours doing research.  I just feel compelled to gather all I can.  Recently, I woke up at 1:30 AM and the name “Mary Margaret Marsh” was spoken to my mind.  I had not heard the name before so tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t until I got up and wrote it down.  The next morning as soon as I was awake, I felt I had to find who she was.

 “I worked all day on Family Search looking for any record I could find and found nothing.  Then I went to Ancestry, which I rarely use, and found a DAR record.   Never before have I found any of their records in my research.  Sure enough, there was her name and she was married to a man in my family line whom I had been researching his records less than a week before.  I had previously found no spouse for him, but there she was with birth, death and marriage records and more of his ancestry. 

“I was so excited I could hardly sit still.  It was such a thrilling experience and I know it was only because of Divine help that I found her.  She must have been waiting to catch me in my sleep so I would sit still and listen. This is God’s work and it will have eternal joy for many of his children.”[7]

Power of God

Sister Wendy Watson Nelson urged us to “Make time to help those on the other side make covenants with God! As you do so, the power of God will flow into your life in an unprecedented way.” [8]

Let me ask; who doesn’t need more power and aid in their lives?  As we embark on this endeavor to help our ancestors, they will help us.  They know who we are…

Angels to Angels

So, do our ancestors get together on the other side and talk about their “angels” on earth who are doing their work? Of course, it’s part of their history!  They will mention Jan, Grace, Joseph, Larry, Maurine and Ellen in hushed reverence as their partners with Christ in their exaltation.  And we, like the above-mentioned individuals, can be “angels” to our angels. The prisoners can be set free!

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[1] “Jan” and “Grace” (Real names withheld) Story used with permission.

[2] Joseph Smith, “And now, I ask, how righteousness and truth are going to sweep the earth as with a flood?  I will answer.  Man and angels are to be coworkers in bringing to pass this great work…”  History of the Church, B. H. Roberts, ed., 7 vols., 2d ed. 1932-51, 2:260.

[3] F. Enzio Busche, Yearning for the Living God, p. 213.

[4] Larry James, personal correspondence.  Used with permission. Also in https://unexpectedmiraclebook.com  by Craig Jenkins.

[5] Jeffrey R. Holland, https://spiritualcrusade.com/2019/04/your-family-on-the-other-side.html)

[6] Maurine Proctor, personal correspondence. See also, https://latterdaysaintmag.com/three-prophets-saw-their-fathers-in-the-world-of-spirits. Used with permission.

[7] Ellen Lovett, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[8] Wendy Watson Nelson, Covenant Keepers, p. 58.

The Privilege of Asking for Angelic Help By Anne Hinton Pratt

 

The Privilege of Asking for Angelic Help

By Anne Hinton Pratt 

There are times in our lives that we need more help than our natural world can offer.  At these defining moments, we can ask for angelic help, and at times receive remarkable assistance.  Angels are a critical part of the Lord’s team, which he generously employs for us in amazing ways…

“I Felt the Burning of Angels”

Jill Vanikiotis shared a truly remarkable experience with me, where she absolutely knew that angels helped her.  She was moving from Utah to Virginia in 2020. She was pulling a much too heavy trailer for her vehicle, which was loaded down with all her food storage and tools. She writes,

“I needed a good amount of momentum built up in order to get over the three mountains in Wyoming known as the three sisters. Just as I was up to speed in my ascent over the last and biggest mountain, two semis cut me off and blocked me in.

“With vehicles all around me, there was no option but to keep going. Part way up this extremely steep hill I lost all momentum and speed. My foot was literally holding the gas pedal to the floor as I dropped from 60 mph down to almost nothing very quickly. To say it was terrifying wouldn’t begin to describe my feelings. I was completely panicked because I knew that the weight of my trailer would shortly have me rolling backwards down this steep mountain; likely to my death, and perhaps the death of others behind and around me, including my husband who was pulling a horse trailer somewhere behind me. I thought of my children and that I might not see them again if I didn’t receive a miracle.

“I began loudly and desperately praying aloud, begging God to send his angels to save me. It was one of the most fervent and faith-filled prayers I have ever spoken. Instantly upon the close of my prayer, I felt the burning of angels surround me and they immediately pushed my very heavy vehicle and trailer up this extremely steep incline from nearly zero mph to 60 mph in just a few seconds. This went on for probably 3 miles. If you had seen this mountain, and what I was driving and pulling, you’d know this wouldn’t be possible.  As I realized what was happening, my panic turned to pure and tearful joy and relief. I was literally laughing out loud in overwhelming gratitude as the angels pushed my vehicle up this hill as an undeniable and clear witness of God’s mercy and power. I praised God. I still cannot tell that story, even in writing, without feeling the spirit reconfirming that miracle to me.”[i]

Angels Can Be Assigned to Help Us

Elder John A. Widtsoe taught that “There are angels and spirits who, no doubt, have assigned to them the care of the men and women who walk upon the earth. Man is not alone; he walks in the midst of such heavenly company, from whom he may expect help if he seek it properly and strongly.”[ii]

Seeking for help generally implies asking for it.  So are we asking?

Departed Dad Keeps His Promise

Don Woods shared a remarkable personal experience where he asked for and received profound help from an angel.  He wrote,

“My father and I were very close. When he died, I became aware of it before the doctor even called.  My father came to me at 1:30 am Tuesday morning, and told me several things, including why he had to go, what I should be doing, and what my mother should do regarding our genealogy. Then Dad said he would be with me when I had medical emergencies.”

Don held him to that promise and eventually needed to ask for his angelic help.  He continues, 

 “In August 1992, when I was in so much pain (morphine shots administered every two hours were not helping).  One night at three in the morning, I cried out:

‘Lord, what did I do wrong? Dad, you promised you would be here!’

Suddenly my father was at my bed and I felt him put his hands on my head. Within a few seconds, there was a feeling as if someone were pouring something warm over my body. It cascaded from my head to my toes, and the pain left. My father smiled and then he left. The next day I began passing the stones.”[iii] 

Don’s experience was truly extraordinary. Wendy Watson Nelson boldly taught that we [like Don] can ask for angelic support.  She wrote,

“As we keep our covenants, we can ask for angels to help us.  Literally!”  

Sudden Assistance

Sydne Miles was rushed to the hospital when she had the horrific sensation of not being able to breathe.  Her heart had slowed to barely pumping and her lungs were filling with fluid.  She was in ER for most of the day and developed an excruciating headache and began to vomit.  The pain kept escalating and she didn’t think she could bear it anymore. She writes:

“I was wheeled into the hospital room by one or two nurses who just moved me onto the bed, cleaned me up from all the mess, and then left me very much alone.

“When I was lying in the hospital bed near death, alone and tucked behind a curtain in a deserted area, I realized that I could barely breathe. Everyone had left me. All I could do was let out one very weak whisper, “help,” that I’m sure no one heard.   What happened next was miraculous. Suddenly 8 or 9 medical people appeared around my bed and began working frantically to save me. I always wondered how they could know I was in trouble!

Whenever I’ve thought about the experience, it has always puzzled me that in an INSTANT so many people (not just one or two) could appear, when they were just not anywhere near a moment before.

I realized that although it was NOT humanly possible for this to happen, it did happen because angels came and ministered to me. As I said before, there is absolutely NO other explanation.[iv] 

Elder Carlos A. Godoy stated,

“The Lord is aware of the challenges you face. He knows you; He loves you, and I promise, He will send angels to help you.”

Departed Family Members Responded to Plea

A woman named Betty (not real name) shared with me a beautiful story about the willingness of departed family to help her during a crisis in her life. Betty wrote,

“One night my son was having an extremely difficult time.  I was afraid because he left the house very upset.  I immediately got down on my knees and asked Heavenly Father to send his deceased father and grandmother to help him. 

“My son came home a while later and told me he had felt both of them near him while he was gone and thought it was interesting.  I just sort of smiled to myself and gave a prayer of gratitude for their help and the answer to my prayer.  I then told him I had prayed for them to come and help him.”[v]

Betty received a direct and definitive answer to her prayer.  She asked for angelic help.

No Spiritual Blessing Will be Withheld

Sister Wendy Nelson asks us to ponder some poignant questions,

“So, does your child need help? Is your husband in trouble? Does your wife need more support? Does your aunt need comfort? Does your best friend need direction?  If so, ask for angels to be assigned to help them? As a covenant-keeping man or woman, you can do that!”[vi]

President Russell M. Nelson also adds  “We live in a glorious age foreseen by prophets for centuries.  This is the dispensation when no spiritual blessing will be withheld from the righteous.”[vii]

Ask and Receive

One of the laws of heaven is that when we ask, we will receive, (even though we’re not sure how or when a plea will be answered).  But if we don’t ask, we’ll never know…  Jill, Sydne, Don, and Betty all discovered how close heaven is and that angels were real and willing to help them in their time of need.  Angels are a critical part of the Lord’s team and are available for all His children. Let’s ask!Feel Free to CONTACT ME with your stories at annehpratt@hotmail.com

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[i] Jill Vanikiotis, personal correspondence.  Used with permission

[ii] John A. Widtsoe, Rational Theology, p. 68. Italics added

[iii] Don Lynn Wood, http://uvicf.org/tributes/DLWoodStory.html

[iv] Sydne Miles, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[v] Name withheld, personal correspondence.

[vi] Wendy Watson Nelson, Covenant Keepers, p. 31. Italics added.

[vii] Russell M. Nelson, “A New Normal.” October Conference 2020. Italics added.

 

President Russell M. Nelson shares the experience of his grandfather seeing his dead departed father.

 

President Russell M. Nelson

When my grandfather A. C. Nelson was a young husband and father, just 27 years old, he saw and conversed with his father who died on January 27, 1891.  About three months after his death. His deceased father, my great-grandfather, came to visit him. My grandfather kept a journal but it is not more than a half a dozen pages long. This is the main entry in the journal.   The date of that visit was the night of April 6, 1891. Grandfather Nelson was so impressed by his father’s visit that he wrote the experience in his journal for his family and friends.

“I was in bed when Father entered the room,” Grandfather Nelson wrote. “He came and sat on the side of the bed. He said, ‘Well, my son, as I had a few spare minutes, I received permission to come and see you for a few minutes. I am glad to see you father how do you do? I am feeling well, my son.  How are you and mother and the boys getting along.  I am well father.  Can you see us at all times? Do you know what we are doing? No, my son I cannot. I have something else to do.  I have been assigned work that must be performed. What have you been doing since you died father? He looked at me and smiled. Son, I have received my commission to preach the gospel. I have been traveling together with Erastus Snow ever since I died.  

“You cannot imagine, my son, how many spirits there are in the spirit world who have not yet received the gospel,” he said.  “But many are receiving it, and a great work is being accomplished. Many are anxiously looking forth to their friends who are still living to administer for them in the temples. I have been very busy preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. ”

Grandfather Nelson told his father, “We intend to go to the temple and get sealed to you, Father, as soon as we can.”

My great-grandfather responded: “That, my son, is partly what I came to see you about. We will yet make a family and live throughout eternity.”

Then Grandfather Nelson asked, “Father, is the gospel as taught by this Church true?”

His father pointed to a picture of the First Presidency hanging on the wall of the bedroom.

“My son, just as sure as you see that picture, just as sure is the gospel true. The gospel of Jesus Christ has within it the power of saving every man and woman who will obey it, and in no other way can they ever obtain salvation in the kingdom of God. My son, always cling to the gospel. My son, be humble, be prayerful, be submissive to the priesthood, be true, be faithful to the covenants you have made with God. Never do anything that would displease God. Oh, what a blessing is the gospel. My son, be a good boy.”

 I write it for the benefit of my family and friends.

 

[A.C. Nelson received this private vision 27 years before President Joseph F. Smith received D&C 138, the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead. Both experiences testify of God’s plan of salvation and encourage us to perform temple ordinances for those beyond the veil.]

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/10/open-the-heavens-through-temple-and-family-history-work?lang=eng

Also video attached to Come Follow Me, Sunday school lessons for D&C 125-128 November 1-7

 

 

Halo Tracing: How to Be an Angel By Anne Hinton Pratt

 

Halo Tracing: How to Be an Angel

By Anne Hinton Pratt · November 3, 2021

 

I’ve written a lot about angels and the help we receive from them. What I haven’t yet mentioned is the joy and wonder that can also be ours by seeking this errand of angels; to be a miracle in someone’s life…

Poignant Awareness

Years ago, I was concerned about a special friend.  I prayed a lot for her and asked the Lord to send angels to help her through a difficult time she was having.  That day, I went to the temple, and while there, I again offered a fervent prayer for angels to help her.  This time as I was praying, I heard the surprising words in my mind, “YOU are one of the angels helping her!”

I was stunned! What a beautiful awareness!  I was taught that when we sincerely and fervently pray for others, we become their “angels,” and often through us they receive blessings they wouldn’t otherwise receive.

Merging with Angels

In a similar account, I had a dear friend share a very sacred dream. She had a daughter that had estranged herself from their family and God.  One night my friend had a dream where she saw an angel in white bending over and kissing her wayward sleeping daughter.  Suddenly, the picture changed, and that angel transformed into my friend.  Now it was she that was bending over her daughter in the loving gesture, and then she woke up being filled with the glory of the spirit.  It became clear to her that she was in a partnership with angels to help her daughter.”[1]

Adding Substance to our Souls

I love Annie Henrie Nader’s inspiring painting (above) of “an angel tracing a halo around a woman in thought as a gesture of gratitude for the woman’s kindness and thoughtfulness…”[2]  

Spencer W. Kimball echoes this concept when he said,

“The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls.”[3] 

“Angel work” is JOYFUL and literally adds to our essence!  How wonderful is that?

Are angels metaphorically “tracing” halos around you? I bet they are.

An “Angel” Who Learned from Angels

As we seek to be angels in this sphere, we can be used in countless ways.  The following is unusual but shows the variety of our angelic possibilities.

Barbara Lee spent her entire life giving service.  When she was 85, her body limited her to be in bed most of the time, and she felt it was time to die and return to God.  

Her daughter Carolyn Allen shared how one day, her mom began to look very pale and still.  Carolyn thought her mother was dying, but several hours later, her mother suddenly opened her eyes and began to speak saying, “It’s not time for me to die!” 

Barbara explained that she had experienced something truly wonderful.  She described heaven and how beautiful it was. Over the next few years, she was allowed to visit the other side several times. Each time she would come back from heaven with more information.  She said, “Angels are all around us;” and “The veil is very thin.”  She described many new insights and understandings to her family.

When grandchildren came to visit, she told them things she had learned that were specifically for them.  Talk about service!  Barbara served as an “angel” who had been taught by angels.[4]

We most likely won’t have the experience of going to the other side before our time, but we CAN bring the spirit of Elijah to our family, by telling the spiritual stories of the family and bearing our own testimonies…

We can share our angelic substance with others…

BRING PEACE

Many years ago, I made what I thought was a big effort to go to the temple.  I was feeling harried and jangled because of the time it took to get there and the many projects I had left behind. 

While there, I remember looking into the eyes of a temple worker.  Her eyes were pools of peace.  She didn’t say anything to me, but I could feel the peace radiate from her, and it entered into my soul, calming all my fears and worries.  I could feel the Lord through her.  At that moment she was my “angel.”

Can others feel peace through us?

Becoming Ministering Angels

Elder Carlos A. Godoy stated,

“Brothers and sisters, I believe in angels…I promise that if we are willing to serve, the Lord will give us opportunities to be ministering angels. He knows who needs angelic help, and He will put them in our path.” [5]

Be Someone Else’s Miracle- Taking Initiative

Jim Raines became an “angel” one day and was “put on the right path.”

It was 1970 and Jim was waiting for his mission call.  He lived in Los Angeles, California and his grandmother wanted him to drive her to visit Thatcher, Arizona to visit family.  Since he had nothing pressing to do, he drove her there.

After he dropped his grandmother off, he set off to do a couple of errands.  At some point Jim needed directions to get to his destination.  He saw an elderly man with the hood up on his truck and stopped to ask directions.  In chatting with this man Jim noticed that the man was working on his transmission but was quite clueless how to fix it.  Jim knew how he could help, because he had just put a transmission in his car back home.  As Jim left he said, “I’ll be back and help you do this.” 

After returning hours later, Jim found the old man still working on his truck, without making any progress. Jim rolled up his sleeves and after an hour or so, got the transmission installed and working. 

After they cleaned up, the man’s wife invited him to dinner.  As Jim was leaving, the man’s wife privately told him,                                                                                                      “Last night when I prayed the family prayer, I prayed to the Lord to have someone come help my husband with his truck.  He needs that truck and he had no one to help him.  YOU coming along was a direct answer to prayer!” [6] 

Jim was their angel that night and through this act added to his essence as well as theirs.

Be Illuminated and Enlarged

Lorenzo Snow taught,

“When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to   remove it with the wisdom the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel the light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.” [7]

When we look for ways to become someone’s miracle, as Jim was, the Lord illuminates and enlarges our spiritual core.

So, BE the “angel” that opens doors for others, listens intently, redirects toxic conversations to positive, visits the lonely, shares testimony, prays and fasts for others, and your goodness will be “traced” into your countenance by adding substance to your soul!  

How can you be an “angel” today?

You Can CONTACT me directly at annehpratt@hotmail.com.

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[1] Friends experience, name withheld.  Used with permission.

[2] Annie Henrie Nader, https://altusfineart.com/products/annie-henrie-nader-angels-gratitude-woman-finishing-halo

[3] The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball (1982), 254.

[4] Carolyn Allen, personal correspondence. Used with permission.

[5] Carlos A. Godoy, “I Believe in Angels,” October Conference 2020

[6] Jim Raines, personal correspondence.  Used with permission.

[7] Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 2–3.Italics added.