“My husband recently had back surgery. He contracted an antibiotic resistant staff infection that he is still fighting. After two more surgeries to clean out the infection, they told us they wanted to go in again. We could not think of going through another surgery without a sense of dread. Would they want to go in again after that? The medications they had him on caused his bowels to stop working …which was causing him more pain. After about 45 days of this he said to a friend, Josh who was visiting… “I?m so tired and in so much pain I just want it to be over one way or the other.” It was the kind of comment one makes out of desperation.

Josh and John had served together in the Elders Quorum presidency. The fact that Josh has Cerebral Palsy and is confined to a wheelchair and communicates with difficulty has never stopped Josh from accepting callings or using his priesthood.

As Josh was visiting that day, John was telling him about the pain he was having. Josh had felt that same kind of pain before and knew exactly what it was like. Josh said he needed John to stay around.

Then next morning John was feeling much better…like night and day better.. and the pain was gone. That afternoon I got a call from Josh?s Mom. She told me Josh was in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. She also told me that Josh was happy and a little surprised, because he knew that the Lord had answered his prayer to let him take the pain from John…at least for awhile.

I know the Lord loves and cares for us.. He is very near to us when we are going through trials and when we desire to be instruments in His hands. He provides opportunities for us to have special moments and see blessings all around us…sometimes even in the midst of sore trials.” Connie Cahill, April 2013.

“A good friend of mine, John, went in for back surgery and after many struggles, came down with an infection. As part of his attempts at recovery, he was given medicine that obstructed his bowels to a point of extreme pain and discomfort. John and I served together in an Elders Quorum Presidency with our good friend, Josh, who has cerebral palsy. Even though Josh was in a wheelchair, he always wanted to find ways to serve. When Josh had heard that his brother in the Lord was suffering so much, he felt that he could help. He too had bowel obstruction at one point in his life and knew the incredible pain that it caused. He also had gone to the hospital and gone through rigorous and invasive procedures to fix this issue. When he heard that John was suffering, he prayed that he could take that pain away from John. He knew what the pain was like, he knew that he could handle it, so he prayed fervently for this pain to transfer to him. The next morning, John was miraculously cured of his ailment, and simultaneously Josh was brought into the hospital for a sudden issue with bowel obstruction. Josh truly took on the pain of his good friend, and brother, John.” Clinton Brown, April 2013.