Elder Holland Related the following story:
“… not all
angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk
with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some
of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me.
Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in
the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.
I share with you an account by my
friend and BYU colleague, the late Clyn D. Barrus. Referring to his
childhood on a large Idaho farm, Brother Barrus spoke of his nightly assignment
to round up the cows at milking time. Because the cows pastured in a field
bordered by the occasionally treacherous Teton River, the strict rule in the Barrus
household was that during the spring flood season the children were never to go
after any cows who ventured across the river. They were always to return home
and seek mature help.
One Brother Barrus’s parents promised
the family a night at the movies if the chores were done on time. But when
young Clyn arrived at the pasture, the cows he sought had crossed the river,
even though it was running at high flood stage. Knowing his rare night at the
movies was in jeopardy, he decided to go after the cows himself, even though he
had been warned many times never to do so. As the seven-year-old urged his old
horse, Banner, down into the cold, swift stream, the horse’s head barely
cleared the water. An adult sitting on the horse would have been safe, but at
Brother Barrus’s tender age, the current completely covered him except when the
horse lunged forward several times, bringing Clyn’s head above water just
enough to gasp for air. Here I turn to
Brother Barrus’s own words:
“When Banner finally climbed the other
bank, I realized that my life had been in grave danger and that I had done a
terrible thing—I had knowingly disobeyed my father. I felt that I could redeem
myself only by bringing the cows home safely. Maybe then my father would
forgive me. But it was already dusk, and I didn’t know for sure where I was.
Despair overwhelmed me. I was wet and cold, lost and afraid. I climbed down
from old Banner, fell to the ground by his feet, and began to cry. Between
thick sobs, I tried to offer a prayer, repeating over and over to my Father in
Heaven, ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me! I’m sorry. Forgive me!’
“I prayed for a long time. When I
finally looked up, I saw through my tears a figure dressed in white walking
toward me. In the dark, I felt certain it must be an angel sent in answer to my
prayers. I did not move or make a sound as the figure approached, so
overwhelmed was I by what I saw. Would the Lord really send an angel to me, who
had been so disobedient? Then a familiar voice said, ‘Son, I’ve been looking
for you.’ In the darkness I recognized the voice of my father and ran to his
outstretched arms. He held me tightly, then said gently, ‘I was worried. I’m
glad I found you.’
“I
tried to tell him how sorry I was, but only disjointed words came out of my
trembling lips—‘Thank you … darkness … afraid … river … alone.’ Later that
night I learned that when I had not returned from the pasture, my father had
come looking for me. When neither I nor the cows were to be found, he knew I
had crossed the river and was in danger. Because it was dark and time was of
the essence, he removed his clothes down to his long white thermal underwear,
tied his shoes around his neck, and swam a treacherous river to rescue a
wayward son.” ---------------------Jeffrey
R. Holland, “The Ministry of Angels,” Nov. 08 Conference.
