Family Angels that Bring Physical and Emotional Healing
By Anne Hinton Pratt · April 6, 2022
Because
this is a world of physical and emotional pain, there are times we desperately
need healing. Sometimes as we seek for solutions, God sends our departed
Family Angels to restore, soothe and comfort us.
Be
inspired by these profound stories of love and healing beyond the veil…
COVID Healing by Deceased Father-in-Law
Jon
told me a marvelous experience of being healed by an angel during the heights
of the COVID epidemic. He wrote,
“In
November 2020 I tested positive for COVID 19 on the day after Thanksgiving. I
was supposed to start a new job December 1. When my new company found out I had
COVID they pushed my start date to the 8th of December. As the days got closer,
I was not getting
any better. I fervently prayed many
many prayers for help. One
day I was sitting on our couch when my deceased father-in-law appeared behind
me placed hands upon my head and gave me a priesthood blessing. As soon as the
blessing was done, he disappeared in a conduit of light. After
that I began to get better and was able to start my new job on the appointed
day. [1]
What an intimate and precious experience gifted to Jon from God.
Rocky Ridges
I love what Sister Wendy Nelson said about the capacity of
angels to help us. She writes,
“Can you imagine the effort it took those angels who pushed from
the rear of handcarts as they helped the pioneers over the steep, snowy, windy,
freezing, jagged terrain of Rocky Ridge? If angels can manage that, they
can certainly help you and me over our present-day Rocky Ridges!”[2]
Yes, they can! Departed family at times intervene in our
lives to help us in our most distressing hours…
Departed Grandfather Helps Prodigal Return
Brother Robert L. Millet former Dean of Religious Education at
Brigham Young University shares a powerful and profound experience. He
writes,
“One of our children had chosen to separate himself not only
from Church activity but also from family association. He became heavily
involved with addictive drugs and buried himself in a hellish world that held
out little hope for a return to normal living. Shauna and I prayed and wrestled
and yearned for his recovery and return, but we heard nothing
from him, and we were left to wonder
whether our son was dead, imprisoned, or lost. No word had come in many months,
and the burden of pain and awful anticipation of a notification of
incarceration or drug overdose grew heavier each day.
“One night as Shauna and I knelt in prayer, broken and torn
emotionally and physically weak from worry, we wept through our prayers and
pleaded long and hard.
“Sometime during
that night I found myself dreaming. My father, who had passed away several
years before, came to me in the dream, embraced me, and then looked me in the
eye. He said quite forcefully, “Son, I want you to pull yourself together. I am
going to help you with those children of yours. Be patient.”
“I awoke and immediately sat up in bed. My sudden movement
wakened Shauna. “What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked. I explained that I
had seen Dad in a dream and he had told me he would help with our
wanderer. Shauna and I both wept as deep feelings of gratitude and
reassurance flowed into our souls. Days later the phone rang in the middle of
the night. Our son said,‘I just can’t live like this anymore. Can I come home?”
“We were so thrilled to hear from him, so grateful to know that
he was still alive, that we felt no need to set the terms or specify under what
conditions he could return. We simply welcomed him home with tender affection.
“One evening a few weeks later, he and I were sitting on the
sofa in the living room. He turned to me and said hesitantly,
‘Dad, I need to share something with you.”
“I nodded and encouraged him to proceed. He continued,
‘I know this
sounds strange, but one night some time back, I was on the verge of doing
something that would definitely have cost me my life when I heard Grandpa
Millet’s voice say, “Don’t
do that! You have been taught better. Now get up and go home.” Dad,
is that too weird to be true?”
“With some emotion I answered that it was not and added; ‘Now I
have a story to tell you.’ I then told him of my dream. We felt the Spirit of
the Lord resting upon us and sensed that the entire experience was true and
from God. We embraced.” [3]
And what an embrace that must have been. The love
connection stays strong through the veil…
It’s ALL about HEART
Joseph Smith explained:
“The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye … obtain …
all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers
unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those
who are in heaven.” [4]
These family angels really care about what is happening in our
lives.
Deceased Wife Appears to Rally Husband During Deep Trial
A. Brent Hammond shared a stunning story about his grandpa Jones
[Fredrick William Jones Jr.] who went on a mission in the early days of the
Church leaving behind a wife and three children. He writes,
“Grandpa Jones then left from Salt Lake for his mission. At that
time, fathers were called to go on missions, leaving their families in faith
that the Lord would provide for them. Grandpa Jones had been out only
four months, when he
received a telegram, saying that his wife had died. His
mission president told him that he could go home with an honorable release and
nobody would think less of him for it. He knew that he could not get home in
time for the funeral, and his time would be better served in the mission field…
“About two weeks
later, Grandpa Jones received another telegram informing him that his eleven-month-old
infant son had passed away. Grandpa Jones was grief stricken
when he got the news of these two deaths.
“One
night while laying awake grieving over his deceased wife and son, he heard
someone walking up the stairs. He looked to the door to see who was entering
the room. There he saw his wife dressed in her Temple Robes. She talked with
him and told him not to grieve any more, but to go on and finish his mission.
“Grandpa Jones served an honorable twenty-seven-month mission. Though I
never knew Grandpa Jones in mortality, this story and others like it inspire
great faith inside of me.”[5]
What a comfort that must have been for Fredrick – to see his
wife and receive guidance from her at that critical time. In our most
painful moments, they know what to do…
Departed Mother-in Law brought Solace after Divorce
Lee Hill shared a very tender experience that really
touched my heart. He wrote,
“Many years ago, I was living alone having been separated
from my first wife and embroiled in difficult divorce proceedings. One
evening, I received a phone call from my attorney informing me that my elderly
mother-in-law had passed away and my wife wanted to inform me that I was
specifically NOT invited to the viewing or the funeral. This saddened me
deeply as I dearly loved my mother-in-law (as I did her daughter – my wife) and
had spent many hours helping her over the preceding 20+ plus years.
“I felt helpless as I wondered how I could express my sorrow in
her passing. I knelt down and asked Heavenly Father to tell my deceased
mother-in-law that I loved her, missed her (my wife refused to let me visit or
speak with her the year prior to her death), and that I was sorry things turned
out the way they had.
“I immediately felt the warmth of a
spiritual presence wash over and surround my entire being. My heart
rejoiced and I felt that my mother-in-law was in the room with me, assuring me
that she knew how hard I tried to be a good husband to her daughter and a good
son-in-law to her. I desperately needed this reassurance as
the prior months of divorce proceedings had worn me down with feelings of
failure and worthlessness.
“This singular event helped me to continue moving forward with
faith. I have since married a wonderful woman who, like my first wife’s
mother, appreciates the man I am and can become. This experience confirmed
my faith that our departed loved ones are very near us and are there to help
when needed.
Through the Veil
These stories all paint a picture of angelic love; being healed
from Covid; comforting the parents of a wayward son; counseling and consoling a
husband, and a sweet mother-in-law who showed love to her ex-son-in-law.
Our hearts are bound with their hearts and they are at times
allowed to help us. There is eternal love and healing through the veil.
[1] Jon (Last Name Withheld), personal
correspondence. Used with permission.
[2] Wendy Watson Nelson, Covenant
Keepers, p. 28-29
[3] Millet, R. L. (2010). Talking with
God. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
[4] Teachings of Presidents of the
Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 311; italics added.
[5] A. Brent Hammond, personal
correspondence, Used with permission. See also Family History of Fredrick
William Jones Sr. Second Bishop of Pine Valley, by Lyle D Richins and Lillian J
Richins, ©2002 Brigham Young University Press, Provo Utah, 86,89,
213-218.
