“Dear God, Will I ever see my son again?”
The Conversion Story of Harley Dovell.
By Dianne LaFreniere
I picked up a bookmark with the web site for LDS Canadians. I was very excited to find out about this web site as it brings the joys of the gospel close to home! THANK YOU!!! I live in the small Bavarian city of Kimberley B.C. which you probably have heard of as it is only about a 4 hour drive from Lethbridge. I attend the Cranbrook 1st ward which is about 30 miles from where I live. There are two wards in Cranbrook now. This came about when the small branch in Kimberley closed. I'm not sure how many members are in first and second ward. When our family went through these trials there was a small branch in Kimberley with about 40 members. I may be wrong on these numbers but it was a wonderful little branch.
I am a convert to the church and I have a testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel! I have built my testimony upon my father’s as he is one of the main reasons I joined the LDS church. Dad has given me permission to print his story. He said "that would be good" people should know that when you want to find the truth you have to get down on your knees and ask"!
On May 15th, 1964 my Dad lost his youngest son Clarence at the age of 13. He died while riding his bike! Clarence was born with a hole in the chamber of his heart and would have been scheduled for surgery in July 1964. Dad said he got down on his knees immediately and asked the question "will I ever see my son again?"
Dad said that even as a child he believed in God and that his mother (my grandmother) made the kids all get on their knees and pray at night and he thinks in the morning also. He also told me that his mother had joined the reorganized LDS church but Dad said he had to find out the truth for himself which church was really true! He used to say to his mother "I wonder what heaven would look like and do you think I will get to heaven and his mother said " maybe with a kick to your behind!. Dad always laughs when he says this! Dad also said that we didn't go to any particular church as he felt like so many others that as long as we were doing all right we didn't need anything else.
Dad did talk to members of different churches. He said there are good people in all churches but he said he never got the answers he was looking for until he heard about the plan of salvation and then he knew what he was hearing made sense to him. Dad also said that the Lord knows his sheep and those who are earnestly seeking to find God and the truth will find it through humble prayer! Yes there were about 40 members in Kimberley B.C.
After Clarence died Dad got down on his knees in humble prayer and asked God just one question, "Will I ever see my son again?" The Lord heard the cries of a man with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and led the missionaries to his door where he had the discussions and learned such things as where we came from, why we are here and where we are going. When He said the missionaries who taught them the discussions asked Dad to pray for the right answer. Dad said he wanted to be baptized and Mom followed as they were both going through a difficult time. Dad just told me again today that he knows he probably wouldn't have joined the Church if Clarence hadn't died.
The missionaries did tract to Mom and Dad's house in Kimberley a branch with 40 members. Dad said he didn't really know anything about the LDS church other than he heard they had many wives! Dad was willing to join any church that could give him the answer he was so desperately seeking. Dad must have liked what he heard from the missionaries as he put on a suit and walked a block over to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and sat in the very back row. (I should mention here that my Dad is very, very shy!!)
Anyway, after church was over Dad came home and said to my mom, "Mabel I can't join that church as they expect you to stand up and talk in front of people and I can't do that!" Later that night Dad said he had the most vivid dream or visionary dream that he had ever experienced. He said quote "I was walking down this very winding path and came to a very wide and deep chasm. On the other side stood Clarence smiling and waving. Dad stood there for the longest time knowing there was no way he was able to cross over and eventually with tears streaming down his face he turned and started walking back down the path from whence he had came when he heard a voice say ‘Harley, turn around’ and he said he saw the winding path straighten out like an arrow and bridged the chasm where he was able to walk right up to Clarence and he said he hugged him so tightly he could count the freckles on his face.
My Dad knew then without a doubt that he had found the true Church of Jesus Christ upon this earth. Dad was baptized in Januray 1965 but little did he know that his trials and tribulations were just beginning. On May 30th, 1965 my 17 year old brother was killed in an automobile accident between Kimberley and Cranbrook. I was so very close to this brother that I thought I would rather be dead than to have to bury another brother in a year. I was 18 years old at this time and my sister Darlene was 20.
Darlene had two children, Cheryl was 4, her baby brother Calvin was 2 and they and a neighbor boy got out of their fenced yard and went over to where a normally small creek was roaring through Kimberley with spring run-off. The date was June 2nd, 1965, three days after Harvey was killed little Calvin fell into Mark Creek and was drowned. Our family was so devestated as well as most who lived in Kimberley to hear of the tragedy that had befallen our family. The City of Kimberley gave permission to dig the grave 2 feet deeper so the boys could be buried together.
Through it all my Dad sustained his family as he had the gospel in his life and told us truths such as he knew the boys had gone back to the Spirit world and that little Calvin had gone back to the Celestial kingdom to be with his Heavenly Father.
Dad gained his strength after joining the LDS Church and gaining a personal testimony. He has told me many times that he not only wanted to have an answer to his prayer "will I ever see my son again" but that more than anything he wanted to know if this Church was true!! He said this was the most important question he had prayed for. Dad was only 49 years old when this all happened and I remember his hair turned white overnight!
I believed my Dad just as Nephi believed his father Lehi as both were good, honest, trustworthy men and this led me to my baptism in July of 1965. I married, had 4 daughters and always made sure they went to the many meetings we had throughout the week but as teenagers they decided they did not want to go to church anymore and they had the support of their father who is not a member of my church. I eventually fell away but 6 years ago I had my niece Cheryl come for a visit with her husband Allan and I knew that Cheryl was taking the missionary discussions. Alan joined the church three years after Cheryl.
When Cheryl left she left me a 9 page letter telling of the great love our heavenly father has for all his children and as I was so unhappy in my life and had these strong feelings to turn back to my heavenly father for help. I decided that I would not sit on the fence any longer and that I would jump straight over to the right side and plant my feet firmly on the rock of my salvation. I did this and within the year both Cheryl and I went to the Cardston where we received our endowments.
How grateful and thankful I am to my heavenly father for welcoming me back to the fold. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration and through him the Book of Mormon was translated and that all the ordinances and the keys of the kingdom of God have been restored to this earth in their fullness. I know we have a living prophet on the earth today, Gordon B. Hinckley, his counselors, the quorum of the twelve apostles who are living witnesses unto the name of Jesus Christ throughout the world, I know that God lives, Jesus is His son, we are God's children and one day with our families he wants us to come home.
Dad looks back in reflection and says quote "some people get hit with a stick but I was hit with a two by four. He knows and I know that we would not be in the church today if these events would not have happened in our lives. Dad is going to be 92 on his birthday and still loves the gospel as much today as he did when he was baptized in 1965. He still faithfully goes to church and does his home teaching! We look forward to reuniting with these loved ones on the other side!!
I look forward to reading the testimonies of others. Is there many posted on this website? Looking forward to your newsletter and up and coming events. This is great as I know I have missed some great events and would like to be kept posted. Thanks again!
We lived in a Pre-Earth life with our Heavenly Father
