Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - Making Sense of Death's Timing • followHIM Favorites • April 14 - 20 • Come Follow Me •

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, it's Easter at Follow Him, and you've told me that you have a touching story for Easter. Easter is the most important holiday. If without Easter, there's no Christmas, right? Yep. There's a story that Elder Orlando A. Castellanos, an area 70, told. It was published in the April of 2025, Leona. He said, two weeks ago, I received a touching letter from a father of seven children who wrote about his family and in particular, his son, Jason, who contracted an illness at age 11.

Starting point is 00:00:38 In the following years, Jason's illness recurred several times. The father commented on Jason's positive attitude and cheerful temperament. Despite his health problems, Jason received the Aaronic Priesthood at the age of 12, always magnified his responsibilities willingly and excellently whether he felt well or not. Last summer, shortly after Jason turned 15, he had to be hospitalized again. During one of his visits, his father found Jason with his eyes closed, not knowing if his son was asleep or awake. He began to speak to him softly. Jason he said, I know you faced many difficulties in your short life. Your condition is tough. Although you have a great battle ahead, I never want you to

Starting point is 00:01:19 lose your faith in Jesus Christ. The father said he was startled when Jason immediately opened his eyes and said, Never, in a clear and resolute voice. Then Jason closed his eyes and said nothing more. His Father wrote with that simple declaration, Jason expressed one of the most powerful and pure testimonies of Jesus Christ I have ever heard. With his affirmation, Never was etched into my soul that day. My heart filled with joy because my heavenly father had blessed me with being the father of such a great and noble young man. That was the last time I heard him bear his testimony of Christ.

Starting point is 00:01:57 Although the family hoped this would be just another routine hospitalization, Jason passed away in less than two weeks. At that time Jason's older brother and sister were serving as missionaries. Another brother, Kyle, had just received his mission call. In fact, the call arrived earlier than expected. On August 5th, just a week before Jason passed away, the family gathered in the hospital room to open Kyle's mission call letter and share it with the whole family. In the letter, his father wrote to me. He also sent a photograph of Jason in the hospital bed with his older brother Kyle by

Starting point is 00:02:31 his side holding the mission call. At the bottom of the photograph, they had written, called to serve their missions together on both sides of the veil." Wow. Yeah, isn't that a beautiful way to look at it? That's so tender. And Hank, it reminds me of when I was an EFY counselor, EFY is now F-S-Y, think 40 years ago, Hank, think 80s, 1980s.

Starting point is 00:02:59 It was a good decade, yeah? Yeah, I was just a counselor and we had to report some really sad news to somebody. I can't remember if it was a family member or a friend, but we had to go tell a young teenager that some beloved friend or family member had just died. I went with the session director. Our session directors were typically, you know, really experienced institute teachers or seminary teachers. Hank, I don't even remember who this was, but I remember him telling this beautiful

Starting point is 00:03:30 story about a man who crossed the country in a train. The way trains travel, it's not like airplanes where you get on and the same group that got on the plane gets off, right? People get off at different stops. You stop for dinner, you get back on the train, you travel, you stop for dinner, you get back on the train, you travel, you stop for lunch, you get back on the train. It's a journey. This man and this friend, they became dear friends on the train. Get off and have dinner together and they'd get back on again and have lunch together and sometimes travel overnight. Just became close. Well,

Starting point is 00:04:03 one time there was a night stop and they got off and were separated or something. One of these men got back on the train and sat down and was like, where's my friend? And his friend was gone and the the conductor, I guess, found him and said, oh I'm so sorry something happened and he had to take an earlier train out. But you're going to the same place. He just caught an earlier train. I don't remember who that session director was, but that was a very comforting story. The separation is temporary.

Starting point is 00:04:37 You're going to the same place. He just caught an earlier train. I like that way of looking at it. The time part of it hurts, and Jesus says it's okay to mourn with those that mourn There's a reunion coming in a wonderful place. I love that John. I remember after my father died. I Was pretty frustrated with the Lord. I told him so That I felt the timing was wasn't so good. I remember it was getting a response, I think from the spirit, something like this.

Starting point is 00:05:09 He's having a pretty good time right now with his parents and his friends and people he has lost. You sure you want me to take that away from him and bring him back so you can feel better? I said, well, anything sounds bad when you say it like that, right? But it was one of those moments. I will be there too one day. Yeah, that's right. And all of it, because the tomb was empty that first Easter morning, then all of us will have those reunions to look forward to, and they're in a great place from

Starting point is 00:05:43 everything we've heard. You might say, John, that one of the most important things Christ did was take away the fear of death. You and I almost look forward to it. I don't want to die, but if it's going to happen, I've got people I am excited to see, talk to, laugh with. President Nelson tells a story of being on an airplane where, what happened? It was like a propeller-driven airplane and the engine exploded or something. He said that people on the plane were screaming and he was thinking, I'm going to see my family. It was totally different because of our testimonies of Christ. I love it.

Starting point is 00:06:24 I love it. Well, come join us on our full podcast this week. We're looking at the Easter holiday. You don't want to skip this one. We're with Courtney Rich, and she shares some personal experiences that touch John and I. I think we'll touch you as well. And then come back next week. We'll do another Follow Him favorites.

Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - Making Sense of Death's Timing • followHIM Favorites • April 14 - 20 • Come Follow Me •

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