Hank Smith:                      00:03                   Welcome to followHIM Favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week’s Come, Follow Me lesson. John, we’re in the Book of Job, which is a bit of a difficult book to read. A lot of bad things happen to Job. Tell me the story that you have in mind.

John Bytheway:               00:17                   I remember in Job 27:6, he says, “My righteousness, I hold fast and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.” Job hung onto his integrity and his testimony of Christ no matter what. And it reminded me of this story. It’s Elder David B. Haight. This was a while back, but he talked about Clarence Neslen. Clarence Neslen Jr. took his family to Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It was an exciting experience until 11-year-old Cannon, attempting to jump across a crevice, missed and fell into the deep chasm. He became wedged between the walls of ice. Can you imagine this? As his father looked down some 30 feet to where his son was trapped, he was further alarmed as he saw a river of icy water flowing beneath the crevice. Several young men were also exploring the glacier.

                                           01:10                   They heard the cries and came running. They had a small rope, but realized that it was not strong enough to pull Cannon to safety. If it broke, Cannon would most assuredly fall into the rushing river of freezing water. They ran to a nearby lodge. They got a park ranger. They learned by telephone two park rangers were in the ice fields. They found them by radio. They rushed to the rescue. Time was short. Silent prayers were sent heavenward. Brother Neslen, the father, tried to calm his son and soothe his fears, but hypothermia was settling in. Okay, so he’s down here in this ice. You got the picture?

Hank Smith:                      01:45                   You’re wedged in a canyon of ice.

John Bytheway:               01:48                   Yeah. Young Cannon’s shirt had been pushed up as he fell. His bare skin was pressed against the walls of the glacier. To keep his son from unconsciousness, the father called down to him to keep praying, to wiggle fingers and toes, and to sing favorite songs. Over and over, Cannon sang, guess. I am a child of God. He has sent me here, has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear. All listening were strengthened by Cannon’s faith and determination, but he was beginning to weaken. His father kept telling him help would arrive soon, and Heavenly Father would hear his prayers. Well, finally, the two rangers came in. They drove spikes into the ice, ropes attached to the ranger, and the ranger was lowered down to rescue Cannon. But the walls were too narrow for the ranger. The only chance was to lower a looped rope and pray that Cannon was alert enough to grasp it, and then to hold on like Job as they tried to pull him out.

                                           02:49                   Brother Neslen said he offered the most fervent prayer of his life, pleaded with the Lord to save his son’s life, and he said, “A feeling of assurance came over me. I knew he would be saved.” Well, Cannon had lapsed into unconsciousness. His father called down encouragement, rousing his son sufficiently that Cannon’s icy fingers were able to catch hold of the rope. “Hold on with all your might,” his father called down to him. Cannon was carefully pulled up inch by inch, foot by foot, 30 feet. When he was finally pulled to safety, he was unconscious, but his fingers had miraculously frozen around the rope and had to be pried loose. He was wrapped in blankets, rushed to an ambulance. There was not enough warmth to raise his body temperature. So this awesome paramedic undressed Cannon then took off his own coat and shirt, and held Cannon against his bare chest so the body heat would radiate to the boy.

                                           03:45                   Cannon soon responded to the loving care of his rescuers. “Young Cannon Neslen, a newly ordained deacon is here in this audience tonight.” Elder Haight says, “We thank our Father in Heaven that his life was spared. He was spared for a purpose.” I wish I could have been there to look at that kid. “He told his father that while wedged in the ice, he felt an assurance that his life would be saved. He knows God loves him, has a special mission for him to perform in this life.” So hang on, like Job did. He trusted that Heavenly Father would help him because he felt that assurance and so did his father. Amazing story. Like Job.

Hank Smith:                      04:24                   Job didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t know if it was going to get worse or get better. But his commitment was, it doesn’t matter. I will hold fast. That’s an incredible story. You had me. I was holding my breath there. Ooh. Thank you, John. We hope you’ll join us on our full podcast. It’s called followHIM. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. We’re with Dr. Marcus Martins this week. He is fantastic. He walks us through the book of Job in a way that you’ve never been through it before. Join us there and then come back here next week. We’ll do another followHIM Favorites.