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.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Visits from the Unborn By Anne Hinton Pratt

 

Visits from the Unborn

By Anne Hinton Pratt · August 10, 2020

 

The most poignant feelings we have in this mortal existence often involve the deep connections we enjoy with our children and grandchildren. There is a familiarity that is often present with these children even before they are born. When the veil is very thin…

The Presence of Spirits

A couple of days after my 2nd son was born (third pregnancy), I was laying on the bed resting, when I distinctly felt the presence of spirits in the room on my left side. I had the uncanny feeling that they were my unborn children and were there viewing me and the circumstances that they would be born into.  At that time, an extraordinary thing happened.  I suddenly felt a yearning to have more children.  This was not normal! My default position after having a baby was generally something like, “Well, I’m never doing that again!” But strangely, just a day or two after this son was born I was wanting to welcome new spirits into my home.  I marveled at the change of heart that they brought, opening the way for them to be.

The singularity of sensing pre-born children is always sacred and oh so sweet! I’ve had many people willing to share their wonderful stories with me and have been given permission to also communicate them with you. Each story illustrates an inspiring way to be re-introduced to well-known, yet-to-be-born loved ones.

 “There is My Mother!”  “I Know You!”

Shelli Dimig had an experience akin to mine, where she felt a son who was observing her before birth.  She said,

“One afternoon in 1999, I was walking into my bedroom to set down a basket of laundry on my bed, feeling very, very ill due to major heartburn and morning sickness, being about four months pregnant. As I sat the basket down, I heard a click in the upper left-hand corner of my bedroom. I looked there and immediately heard an adult male voice say, “THERE IS MY MOTHER.” I was completely shocked, not expecting such an occurrence! I stood there and marveled that I must be having a boy and that he had, apparently brought his friend to see his future mother through the veil.

“I became very attached to my son-to-be at that point and looked forward to meeting him again and raising him.  (An interesting note is that my son Jay was born at home in that room just a few feet away from where I heard the click from above! It was a sacred space.)” [1]

Diane Chase told me about how after her 5th daughter was born, she became reacquainted with her daughter’s familiar spirit. As she was holding her in the hospital, they locked eyes and the message that clearly came through was, “I KNOW YOU!”[2] 

What a powerful message that was, and from then on the beautiful relationship with her daughter began again.

At times parents feel their yet-to-be-born children communicating with them to greet, advise, inform or comfort.  In the following story, the messages came to a grandmother who was able to encourage her unsettled granddaughter to come to earth. 

Hesitation of Preexistent Spirit

Laurel Larsen Stokes writes the following powerful experience:

“Just a year ago I was relaxing after a previous busy day at work and laying on my bed reading and dozing.  I was literally shaken awake by my ancestors, and I suddenly had an abrupt, emergent, encompassing “knowing” that there was a problem with my granddaughter that was scheduled to be born by C-section that day. I knew there was some kind of an emergency, so I immediately took action by checking with my daughter to see if there were any issues with the baby prior to her planned C-section.  Her only response was that it had been delayed for a couple of hours, but the unborn baby was doing fine.  I texted my other two daughters and asked them for their prayers and spoke to my husband asking for his prayers.   

“I felt the ancestors knew I needed to do those things while they waited for me. I went back to my room, sat on my bed feeling them surround me again.  I then was met by my great grandmother who was one of the early church midwives in northern Utah.  Though I have seen pictures of her when she was older, I was now seeing her as a young adult, but I had a “knowing” who she was. 

She escorted me over to an area where there were other spirits. Without speaking, she conveyed through thoughts that my granddaughter was there and was very hesitant to be born.  I communicated to my granddaughter without speaking that we would be there for her and would help her!  I then was sent back to my physical surroundings.

“My granddaughter was born healthy two hours later.” [3]

Who knows what would have happened if Laurel had not been allowed to intervene. The next story also involves a grandmother.  In this experience she saw her granddaughter in great detail in a very special setting…

Shining Apparition

JoJean Loflin had an extraordinary experience which occurred on November 7, 2002. Her daughter Andrea had struggled with carrying babies to full term and had previously lost several of them early on.  She had finally succeeded in her third in-vitro attempt, and the whole family rejoiced for her.  JoJean writes:

“On that Thursday morning, I left the house early as always to attend my Temple shift in the Provo Utah Temple.  That morning my heart was overflowing with gratitude and joy.  I expressed my thanks to God for the pregnancy of my daughter and asked that I would be open to the holy influences of the Temple.                                                                                           

“The Endowment room, as is customary, was darkened for the showing of the film, and I struggled to stay awake that hour of the morning, after just a few hours of sleep, and perhaps had briefly dozed off.

“I suddenly came to myself, raised my head, and looked around the darkened room, at this time fully awake. In the center of the aisle, between the two sides of the room, I saw light begin to gather and spread. It became brighter and brighter, filling the center of the room, though I still sat in darkness, and I saw a figure taking shape in the light that clearly became the figure of a woman.

“As she became more distinct, I was aware that the light continued to radiate into the back and upper corners of the room, and all around her. She was tall, slender and beautiful. Her whole being was radiant beyond my capacity to describe – glorious, elegant, shining, exquisite. She was wearing a white gown, gathered loosely at the base of the neck and falling from there to her feet and having long full sleeves that came to the wrist and were gathered into a cuff there. Her hands were beautiful and graceful, her arms not straight at her sides but with elbows bent, hands in front of her, her right hand slightly outstretched toward me.

“She was not a phantom or an apparition; I could not see through her but perceived her as a person of solidity and substance. I watched in awe for perhaps 30- 40 seconds or so, as she stood there and looked at me. Then the light slowly began to gather out of the corners and back into the center until it faded away completely, and she was gone.

“I had a hard time concentrating after that.  I didn’t know what to think or how to think…

After the session JoJean went home where she immediately was told that she needed to go to Andrea because things weren’t good.  She met with Andrea and her husband shortly thereafter and learned that during an ultrasound just a couple of hours before, no heartbeat was found.  Their baby daughter was dead. JoJean continues:

“I shared with them my experience of the morning and expressed the possibility that that beautiful angel was their unborn daughter. Since that time, I have become ever more convinced that indeed she was.

“The reality of that experience was an immeasurable comfort to me in the weeks that followed it – and it has been a source of wonder and joy to me ever since.  I testify now and forever that this was not a dream; it was not a hallucination. It was not a figment of my imagination. It was as real as anything I have ever seen or felt in my life” [4]

What a powerful experience JoJean had!  It’s an honor to those for whom the veil is thinned, even though the situations may be heartbreaking.  In this final miraculous story, both parents, in three different settings, were privileged to communicate with their unborn daughter.

Tragedy and Miracles

Teiva Kubiak and his wife Haunui live on the island of Moorea near Tahiti.  Haunui has had a difficult time with pregnancies in the seven years they have been married.  In the pregnancy I will be referring to, she was nearly four months along when she began encountering problems, eventually losing all the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus.  When this happened, their baby girl [who they named Nuihere] died.  They were devastated because they had been praying for a miracle of healing. Their miracles, however, came in unusual ways.

An amazing sequence of spiritual events began about five days before their baby died.  At that time, they didn’t know the sex of the child, so it was enlightening when Haunui had a vision of a young woman she instantly recognized as her child.  In the vision, this beautiful young woman was waving goodbye to her, so Haunui became alerted for what was coming.

A few days later when Haunui was required to be transported by ambulance from their home to the hospital, she herself died for a short time.  In the spirit world, she saw this same daughter, dressed in white with Christ. It was a magnificent, incredible experience! Haunui desperately  wanted to stay there with them, but both Nuihere and the Lord told her that she hadn’t finished her mission and that she needed to return to her husband Teiva because he needed her more…

Haunui was resuscitated and was able to return home.

A week later, Teiva and Haunui went to the temple to express their tremendous gratitude to Heavenly Father for her recovery.  Teiva continues the story in his own words:

“In the celestial room, as I was praying, I deeply asked our Father in Heaven to let Nuihere come to me. As I was asking, I could feel her love for me. She was with me, like holding me in her arms. It was a moment I will cherish forever. Even writing it now makes tears come out. It lasted like 5 minutes then vanished, but I will never forget it. Only a very few number of people know this story, but I’m happy to share it now as a testimony that the family is eternal.” [5]

Gamut of Experience

In these stories I’ve shared the gamut of experience from the unborn popping in to provide unexpected delight,- to a grandmother encouraging a spirit to be born, – to the witnessing of a spirit before or after death.  Each story illustrates such beautiful ways to be re-introduced to well-known loved ones.

For reasons only God fully knows, some spirits are permitted to manifest themselves to us. When we feel, hear, or see their spirits in this realm it’s a very sacred experience that opens the doorway from one world to another and lets us know how very thin the veil can be… 

 

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/visits-from-the-unborn/

Monday, August 10, 2020

Duchesne County plane crash survivors share their Miracle in the sky story

 

Duchesne County plane crash survivors share their miracle in the sky story

 

By Garna Mejia, KSL TV | Posted - Aug. 9, 2020 at 7:46 p.m.



 

5PM: Duchesne County plane crash survivors share their miracle in the sky

KSL TV

MOUNTAIN HOME — A small plane carrying six people crashed near Moon Lake in Duchesne County on Friday, and miraculously, everyone survived. The plane’s pilot spoke to KSL from his hospital room about the crash and what happened for all six people to survive.

Shadrach Feild shared that he trained a lot for a worst-case scenario, and while that training kicked in, he felt divine intervention’s hand.

“I absolutely know that God had his hand in this,” Shadrach Feild said. “It’s a miracle.”

When you see what’s left of Feild’s Cessna T210M, it’s hard to believe that everyone on board survived.

“For the terrain that we were in and how it all unfolded, it takes more than a good pilot to get through this,” he said.

Six people were on board the plane including Feild, his wife Jazlyn, their family friends Betsy and Gentry Mikesell, and their 16-year-old teenage twin sons, Brock and Boston Mikesell.

The group said they were out flying near Moon Lake on Friday morning.

“When I came over the corner over the lake, there was a lot of wind coming at me, which isn’t normally a big deal,” Feild said. “My plane — a Turbo charged 210 — has plenty of horsepower.

That’s when Feild said the engine gave out.

“I pushed the throttle in and there was no power,” he said. “It kept running, but there was just no power.”

“It took about 12 seconds from that point to the time we touched down,” said Betsy Mikesell, explaining that they only had moments to brace for impact.

Meanwhile, Shad prepared the plane and crew for an emergency landing.

“I remember telling them I would take care of them,” Feild said, holding back emotions. “We made it across the lake.”



“Because Shad was so calm, I just thought he was landing it. He never said, ‘we’re going to crash,’” Mikesell said.

As Shad looked for a landing spot, he spotted two possible locations. The first, he said, was a beach, but there were people on it and he feared his tires wouldn’t handle the sand well. The second option was an open field.

“I thought it would be better to try and land in the sage brush flat,” Feild said. “I didn’t want to flip over and hurt the people in the back.”

“For some reason in my mind, I was just so calm,” Mikesell said. “I just remember bracing and holding onto the seat in front of me.”

Mikesell said she was the first one out of the plane as nearby campers ran to their rescue.

“Someone said that you could feel angels everywhere, and I feel like that is what we experienced, “ Mikesell said. “Someone else said that it looked like we were just being carried down to the ground, and I swear that is literally what happened.”

“I lost my dad about four years ago, and I know that he helped,” Feild said. “I could feel him the whole time.”

Brock managed to walk away from the crash.

Betsy said Shad and Gentry both suffered T12 back injuries and remain hospitalized. Gentry also has a broken femur, tibia, and shattered ankle. Additionally, he suffered a broken nose and 3 fractures on his face.

Shad’s wife Jazyln broke her arm and wrist.

Boston, the other twin, fractured a hip.

And Betsy said she has four broken ribs on each side, a neck injury and bruised lungs.

Despite their injuries, they said they’re grateful to be alive and for the help of first responders and the campers who ran to their aid.

“Not only where we landed but that the plane died where it did — had it have been 45 seconds earlier, we all would’ve died,” Feild said. “There was nowhere to land 45 seconds earlier. It was God’s hand.”

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

https://www.ksl.com/article/50004503/duchesne-county-plane-crash-survivors-share-their-miracle-in-the-sky-story

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

A Nigh Time Visit from a Spirit By Boyd K. Packer


A nighttime visit from a spirit: An uplifting story from President Packer
At the rededication of the Logan Temple in 1979 I recounted an incident in the life of my wife's grandfather, which I include here.
The Logan Temple is sacred to our family, for there my wife and I were married, and my wife's grandfather responded to the call and helped to construct that temple.
C. O. Law, the superintendent of construction for that temple, wrote on February 25, 1884: "This letter certifies that Brother Julius Smith of Brigham City has worked faithfully and honorably on the Logan Temple for nearly two years, and as the temple nears completion, his branch of the labor being terminated, he is now honorably released and we sincerely trust that Brother Smith may become a participant in the blessings of the House of the Lord which he has assisted to erect."
Brother Smith with his wife, Josephina, lived on a few acres of ground in Brigham City. There they raised fourteen children, my wife's father being the youngest. When the call came for workers to assist in the building of the temple, he responded.
Each Monday morning he left his family in the care of his wife and hiked up through Flat Bottom Canyon, down Dry Canyon to the south end of Cache Valley, and on to Logan. After his week's work on Saturday, he walked home to spend Sunday with his family. . . .
The hope "that Brother Smith would participate in the blessings of the House of the Lord which he had assisted to erect" was amply fulfilled. He went there often.
As a young man he had lived among the Indians. In later years when Indian bands would visit Brigham City, one of the Indians would go to the home of Brother Smith. His visits were not welcomed by the rest of the family, for he would peer in every window intently until he determined that Brother Smith was home. And only then would he knock at the door.
One night, some years after the completion of the temple, Brother Smith was reading his newspaper. He heard a noise at the window, and he saw his Indian friend peering in with an unusually sad expression. He went to the door and found no one there, and the snow beneath the window had not been disturbed.
This incident bothered him greatly, and during the following week he tried to locate and get some information about this Indian friend. He learned that he had died.
In due time, he recorded, "Today I have taken care of his work in the temple." That very evening he was looking through the mail and again heard a sound at the window. When he looked up he saw his Indian friend, this time smiling. He counted that a very sacred experience, and in the record of a great amount of work done by this faithful grandfather in this temple is found the name Be-a-go-tia.
I have wondered over the years about the meaning of the scripture recorded three times in the Book of Mormon, that "the course of the Lord is one eternal round." (1 Nephi 10:19, Alma 7:20, Alma 37:12.)
I can see one meaning as it relates to our work for the dead. Genealogical work, the essential preparation for temple work, puts us to seeking through the records for those who have lived in the past. We look back to the past to find them. We perform temple ordinance work for them and then we look forward to the future to meet them. Something sacred is consummated when we have safely recorded, in the list of ordinances completed, the names of those who lived in our past and who yet live in our future. This ordinance work is crucial to us and to the Church.


Sunday, June 28, 2020

Don't Let Me Die Here By Gerald Lund


"Don’t Let Me Die Here": How a Touching Visit from Her Deceased Husband Brought One Woman Peace

Let me share one example of a divine signature that has special significance for me personally. This was a tender mercy in the fullest sense of the word tender. My father, typical of many other men from his generation, did not express emotion openly very often. In all my growing-up years, I can never remember him telling me or any of my brothers and sisters that he loved us. We knew that he did, because he was a good father. He read stories to us almost every night. He taught us to work and how to be responsible.
The one exception to his emotional reticence was with my mother. With her, he was openly expressive of his love. He would often take her in his arms in front of us and tell us how she was the best thing that ever happened to him. Then he would kiss her soundly. It always embarrassed Mom but delighted us. One of the quickest ways to trigger Dad’s wrath was to be sassy to Mom. That behavior was corrected instantly and in a way that was not quickly forgotten. . . .
After more than sixty years of married life, my father died of colon cancer in 1995. As I watched Mom as the months and years moved on, I came to understand in ways I had not understood before what it meant to grieve for a person. She went on with life as a widow for the next nine years, but never quite got over the loss of Dad. She lived close to us and my siblings for a time, then moved in with our family for three years before we were called to go to England.
One day while we were having breakfast together, we were talking about Dad, and I said something about how protective and caring he had always been toward her. Her eyes immediately misted up as she nodded. Then she told us that in the latter part of their life the tenderness had only increased.
“He was always so tender with me in those last years,” she said. “For example, every night when we went to bed, we would lay there and talk for awhile. Finally, as we prepared to go to sleep, he would reach across to me and lay his hand on my cheek.” By now the tears were flowing. “Then he would say, ‘I love you, Evelyn.’”
By that time, both my wife and I were a little teary-eyed too. But she wasn’t through. “I have something I want to share with you about your father that I’ve never shared before. This happened about a year after he died.” She then reminded us of how she did not like the dark. I had to smile. That was an understatement. Mom hated being alone in the dark.
She continued with her story:
One night, I had gone to bed. The house was pitch-black and as I lay there all alone, the old feelings of fear and anxiety began to rise. I started thinking about your dad and how much I missed him. I missed him comforting me when I became frightened of the dark. As I was thinking about that, suddenly my heart began to pound. It was racing so fast and so hard that I was gasping for breath. I was terribly frightened. I was sure I was having a heart attack. What was even worse was the thought that I would die there alone in the dark and it might be days before anyone even knew.
She had to stop then, she was crying so hard. For all of her gentle spirit, my mother was not one to show her emotions either. Finally, regaining enough composure to go on, she said:
I was so terrified that I involuntarily cried out in my mind, “Heavenly Father, please don’t let me die here alone.”
For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, I felt a hand rest against my cheek. And I heard your father say, “I love you, Evelyn.” That was all. But instantly, I was at peace. My heart slowed; my fear disappeared. A few minutes later, I fell into a deep sleep and slept through the rest of the night.
Mom passed away in August 2004. Even now, years after she told us that story, I cannot think of it without getting emotional all over again. Talk about tender mercies! And not just for her. My wife and I were also greatly blessed that morning. I silently thanked my Heavenly Father for allowing Dad that brief penetration of the veil. It enriched Mom’s remaining life, and it certainly enriched ours.
http://www.ldsliving.com/-Don-t-Let-Me-Die-Here-A-Touching-Visit-from-Her-Deceased-Husband-Brought-This-Woman-Peace/s/88241?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Angels that Comfort


Angels that Comfort
By Anne Hinton Pratt · June 17, 2020

During this time in our lives when our world as we know it seems to be collapsing before our eyes, we’re all looking for comfort. Make no mistake; there IS comfort to be found. There is a holy team in the heavens that pushes for our good. It includes our Father, Christ, the Holy Ghost and Angels. Today I want to focus on the angels that God dispatches to bring His solace and support to His children.
Angels Are Near Us
On an especially difficult day years ago, I was feeling despondent and anxious about something that had happened. Slowly into my consciousness, I began to “HEAR” a line from a well-known hymn.  The music and lyrics looped over and over in my mind with the words:
            “O know ye not that angels are near you?” [1]
It really spoke truth to my soul and was the first time that I realized that angels had anything to do with me.  I’ve come to realize how integral they are in ALL of our lives, at times bringing powerful messages of love and comfort from God.  I’d like to relay a few of your stories that have touched my heart…
Walking with an Angel
Vicki Hinton had an amazing angelic experience when she was only 15 or 16 years old.  She had just spent Christmas holiday with her family in the States and was returning to Austria to continue her schooling.  Her flight was arriving very late that night in a small airport in Germany, and she wouldn’t be able to connect her flight to Austria until the following day.  It was nearly midnight and she was told that the airport was shutting down soon.  Oh no! She hadn’t expected that! What should she do?  She asked an airline employee if there was someplace that she could spend the night.  The lady gave her directions to the nearest bed and breakfast that was supposed to be close by, and Vicki started walking.
Vicki writes:
“She assured me that I didn’t need a taxi as the place was within walking distance, but to my absolute dismay, the “road” she told me to walk along was a highway, with no sidewalks or lights. I didn’t see any buildings, or homes, or anything. I wondered if I had gotten my directions wrong, but the airport was closed now and there was no one to ask.
“It was raining and very dark and I could hardly see one step in front of me. I worried that I might come across a transient. I started to feel terribly upset, alone and SO vulnerable…
“And then I felt it! I felt the presence of an unseen being walking with me. Even after I noticed it, it still took me a minute to calm down. And then we walked together quietly.  I was filled with peace, and I did not feel afraid anymore. Eventually, I saw my destination. After I arrived, and the       door was opened to me, the presence that I had felt left.
“When I entered my room and sat upon my bed, I pondered a little of what had just happened.  I wondered if the angel was still with me, maybe always was with me?  I did not know.  What I did know was that in a time of great anxiety and fear, I was given the awareness and comfort of an angel with me.  I am forever grateful that in my moment of need, I was given exactly the kind of help that I needed.”[2]
Vicki felt she was given the gift of knowing that someone was walking with her. Angels may have been with her many times before, but on this occasion, she KNEW she was walking in the presence of God’s loving minister.
Elder F. Enzio Busche explained
“…there are powers surrounding us, trying to help us… We do not     understand what is happening – that someone from the other side who loves us dearly is watching over us, trying to bring us to a state of awakening and wanting to help us.” [3]
Vicki “awakened” to someone helping her that night, although she didn’t know who it was. Sometimes, we are blessed to know who the angel is that blesses us, as in the following three stories.
Overcoming Anxiety and Fear
Kristen Openshaw had a time in her life where she felt alone and desperately needed comfort during the cancer operation of her young daughter.  She writes:
“During my 11-year-old daughter’s cancer surgery, I was overcome with fear. While waiting for a doctor to come to the waiting room to tell us the results, I felt a soft hand on my cheek, gently cupping and patting my        face.
“When I was a teenager, my mother had been sick with breast cancer, and had died, but I remember how she always patted and comforted us. I knew that she was there with me in the hospital room, waiting with me.”[4]
Kristen felt God’s love brought directly to her by the touch of her mother.
Powerful Sustenance
My husband’s great great grandfather Elder Parley P. Pratt had a similar experience to Kristen’s.  During a period of terrible distress and suffering, he felt supported by a loved one from the other side.
Parley had been held captive for months in a Missouri dungeon, and was downcast and dejected.  He had been fasting and praying for several days to receive hope and solutions when he received a beautiful and very welcome answer to his prayer.  He writes,
A personage…stood before me with a smile of compassion in every look, and pity mingled with the tenderest love and sympathy in every expression of the countenance…. A well-known voice saluted me, which I   readily recognized as that of the wife of my youth, who had for nearly two years been sweetly sleeping where the weary are at rest.” [5]
Parley’s wife came back from the spirit world to give him the powerful sustenance that he needed to make it through.  Sometimes all we need during hard times is to receive reassurance from someone who understands our plight.
Appearance in the Temple
A dear friend of mine, I’ll call Janice, had a very sweet experience of angelic comfort during an extremely upsetting and disappointing time in her life.  She lived quite a distance from all her seven siblings (one deceased), and she decided to plan a family reunion where everyone and their families would come to where she lived and participate in the historical sites and amusements available in her area.  As she was planning it, everyone agreed to come. 
Janice spent a lot of time making arrangements and was excited to see everyone.  As the time for reunion approached, however, one by one, each of her siblings had something come up and were not able to come!  Janice was so disappointed and was crestfallen because she had put her heart and energy into this project, and in the end…nothing.  She decided to go to the temple for comfort. 
During the session, she suddenly became aware that her deceased brother stood beside her.  No words were spoken, but in a moment of awareness, Janice realized that he was there because of the reunion.  No one else was able to come, but HE came.  This brought her great consolation. [6]
Vicki, Kristen, Parley, and Janice all learned what God wants ALL of us to learn; that we are loved.  Sending angels is one way for Him to accomplish that objective.
Because of Who We Are
Jeffrey R. Holland explained that,
“Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn.  But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attentionguidance in difficult times.”[7]
Yes, our times are difficult, but as Children of the Most High God we are entitled to a member of the Godhead or one of His angels to help us through, because we are HIS.  As we turn to the Lord seeking spiritual altitudes during these trying circumstances, angels are frequently dispatched to bring comfort and support. Yes Angels ARE near us…

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Angels That Bring Healing By Anne Hinton Pratt


Angels That Bring Healing
By Anne Hinton Pratt · April 23, 2020

During difficult times of distress, suffering, or anxiety, it’s inspiring to hear about times when angels are sent to heal and comfort the troubled minds and bodies of the faithful, and to realize that maybe our time is coming.
Falling Off A Balcony
Sherry Simister told me about a miraculous experience she had with angels in the hospital after falling from the two-story balcony of her home.
As she was falling, she had a silent seizure (where she couldn’t make any sound) and she began to plunge headfirst to the ground.  Her husband tried unsuccessfully to save her by grasping at her shoulder as she toppled over.  This changed her trajectory so that she landed flat on her back rather than her head, which probably spared her life, but left her broken and in tremendous pain.
As she lay in the hospital feeling helpless, and praying for help, her pain became unbearable.  She wondered if the future only held suffering for her.  At this moment of trauma she had a magnificent experience of angelic support.  She said:
“I was in such severe pain and was wondering if I would ever walk again or be pain free.  I looked at the side of my bed and suddenly became aware that I had family from generations past surrounding my bed.  During that six-week stay in the hospital I was encircled daily by these ancestors. Without their love and support, I don’t think I would have been able to deal with the excruciating pain.  The pain medication was high, but it wasn’t high enough.  My angels were just so very comforting and deeply needed.  They did not leave until I was ‘out of the woods.’ I was greatly blessed by them being there”[1]
 A lot of love was manifested from those angels as they helped Sherry in the healing process.  Angels can show themselves in a variety of ways.  Notice how they manifest in the following experience:
Three Angel Doctors Save Small Child
Carolyn Doughty and her family had an excruciating circumstance, which involved her two-year-old son, Jeffrey.  He was a very active and adventuresome child who bolted off one Saturday morning.  He was soon missed, and family members went searching for him.  He was discovered face down and lifeless in a neighbor’s swimming pool by his 15-year-old brother, Chris, who fetched him out.
Chris did his best to resuscitate his brother until the paramedics came, but didn’t see that he was responding in any way.  At that moment of great alarm, he heard Jeffrey’s voice in his mind that said,
            “Keep going.  I want to live!”
When the paramedics arrived, they worked on Jeffrey for a little while, but felt that nothing was working, and they wanted to give up.  They told the family that the boy was dead.  Chris begged them to take Jeffrey to the hospital.  They reluctantly agreed and took him there even though Jeffrey’s heart had stopped beating, and his veins had stopped pumping.
Upon arrival at the hospital on a Saturday morning (where there typically was little going on), there “just happened” to be three top specialists there.  One was a heart specialist; one a lung specialist and one was a pediatrician (three crucial doctors for Jeffrey’s case). They quickly conferred about what to do, then worked on Jeffrey to reestablish a heartbeat and to get the blood moving again. After reviving him, they then sent him to another hospital for additional care.
These doctors spent their Saturday morning saving Jeffrey’s life, but the interesting thing was that the parents never received a bill from any of those doctors, and the nurse said that she had never seen or heard of them before.  Carolyn and her family all believed that the three doctors were angels, who gave their son a second chance at life.”[2]
 “A Presence Beside me”
Dennis Bott shared a miraculous experience he and his wife had with angelic intervention during surgery.   He writes:
“My sweet wife Martha developed a condition known as hyper parathyroid disease (HPT), and she required surgery to remove at least three of the four pea-sized glands located in the neck near the thyroid.
“On the day of the surgery, as I waited for news in the hospital family surgery area, the doctor came with a disturbing announcement. He was unable to locate even one of the glands and was considering stopping the procedure because surgery had already been over two and a half hours (normal surgery time is about 30-minutes). I asked if he would try one more time to locate the diseased glands and he informed me that he would try, leaving me worrying in the family waiting area.
“I found an open janitor closet where I could offer a secret plea for divine assistance and offered up my petition to help the doctor be successful in locating the seemingly invisible pea-size glands that were making my sweet companion ill. The very moment I closed my prayerful plea a spirit of peace overcame me, and I knew that all would be well.
“Less than 20-minutes later the doctor met with me in the waiting room with tears in his eyes he told me, ‘I have never experienced anything like this before…just as I was about to give up and end the procedure it seemed as though the glands mysteriously began to glow…the nurses were not able to see what I saw but I knew there was a presence beside me guiding me.’
“My prayer for angelic assistance had been granted. The doctor had been able to see with divine help, and three glands were removed that indeed had tumor like growths.”[3]
Jeffry R. Holland offered the very simple yet profound guidance to us all when he said,
            “Pray without ceasing. Ask for angels to help you.”[4]
Dennis will testify that Elder Holland’s advice is true, and can affirm from personal experience that the combination of both prayer and asking for angelic help can orchestrate miracles, especially in times of great need.
Brigham Young also wrote about this very thing.  He said:
“According to…faith, ask the Lord Almighty to send an angel to heal the sick.  This is our privilege, when so situated that we cannot…help ourselves.”[5]
Presence of Two Beings
Diane Chase remembers a time of great anxiety and helplessness when angels came to help her in her time of need. She writes:
“Back in 1998 my husband collapsed while far away on a business trip. I had 5 dependent children still at home, so I couldn’t go to him. After many days, the doctors said his life was in danger because he began to bleed internally, and they couldn’t stop it.  They decided they needed to do surgery that Friday night, and the operation was supposed to take 4 hours.  I told the doctor to call me and give me a report no matter what time it was.
“The surgery went on much longer than anticipated. I was in bed, but  was not able to sleep.  I felt powerless and scared. Finally, I prayed for an angel to comfort me. Immediately, I felt calm, and felt the presence of two beings standing by my bedI was only then able to fall asleep until the doctor called.”[6]
 Angels in Eye Surgery
The last story I want to tell about is a marvelous experience that Charlie Harper shared with me.  He had angels help him through an eye surgery.  He relates:
“Before having eye surgery on both of my eyes I had prayed that it would be successful, painless, and that I would be watched over and not worry about it.  A feeling of peace came over me and I didn’t worry any more.
Before surgery I became aware of three glorious angels who were watching over me. I felt absolutely no pain, even as a needle was inserted.  The surgery was perfect, and I am recovering very well. The angels were with me as I went to bed at home before the operation, during surgery, and after surgery until the doctor checked on my eyes to see that I was healing correctly.” [7]
 “And Angels Came Down”
I love the scripture where Nephi speaks about angels supporting him in similar ways as those who helped Charlie and others in this article.  He said,
 “And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered to me.”[8]
 As the experiences in this article illustrate, angels are allowed to respond to sincere and fervent prayer to heal or comfort the sick according to God’s will.  What is God’s will for you?  In this dispensation of angels, could it be your time to receive their healing and comfort? Maybe it’s time to ask.
I would love to hear about your own experiences with angels.  You Can CONTACT me at annehpratt@hotmail.com

[1] Sherry Simister, Story used with permission.
[2] Carolyn Doughty and Susan Richardson phone calls and emails. Story used with permission.
[3] Dennis Bott, Story used with permission.
[4] Jeffry R. Holland, “Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul,” April Conference 2010.
[5] Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 4:25.  Italics added.
[6] Diane Chase, Story used by permission.
[7] Charlie Harper, Story used by permission.
[8] 2 Nephi 4:24 Italics added.