The death of a loved one can be one of the most difficult trials we may endure in this life. Not only is the separation difficult, but the uncertainty of what has happened to the one who has died adds even more pain to the situation.
The Daily News of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa reported on October 30 that 17-year-old Calvin Boreham had been pronounced dead by a doctor. His mother, Charmaine, shared at his memorial service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons“) what she experienced next.
After receiving the news of his death, Charmaine went into the bathroom where she could be alone. She prayed to her Father in Heaven that he would “be with her son.” She then heard the voice of her son saying, “‘Mom, I’m alright, I’m okay.'”Calvin was killed in a drive-by shooting. According to the Daily News, he had been traveling with his mother and his brother to their home from a coffee shop. A minibus pulled up next to their car, and the driver shot at them. Calvin was shot in the chest and died soon afterwards. Two other similar incidents took place in the same area that evening.
Like the pain of any family who has suffered a tragedy, the pain that Calvin’s family has experienced has been immense. “For those of you who have lost kids you will know that there is nothing more painful. I can’t describe the intense pain we feel,” said Calvin’s father, Dave, to the Daily News.
But Charmaine’s experience of hearing Calvin’s voice assuring her that he is okay has been a blessing. “I want you to know that I have felt him with me every step of the way (since his death) and I want you to know that he’s fine,” she said at Calvin’s memorial service, as reported by the Daily News.
We may not all have the opportunity of receiving messages from loved ones after their passing, but we have the assurance that their spirits are alive and well. President Gordon B. Hinckley, the current president of the LDS Church and a living prophet on the earth today, once said, “Death, though bitter to observe, is not the end, but is, rather, only another graduation from which we go on to a better life.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Empty Tomb Bore Testimony,” Ensign, May 1988, 65)
Here’s how death is explained in a book called True to the Faith. The book is published by the LDS Church and gives clear and simple explanations on a variety of topics.
When the physical body dies, the spirit continues to live. In the spirit world, the spirits of the righteous “are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow” (Alma 40:12). . . . Because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, physical death is only temporary: “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Everyone will be resurrected, meaning that every person’s spirit will be reunited with his or her body-“restored to their proper and perfect frame” and no longer subject to death (Alma 40:23; see also Alma 11:44-45).
Through the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, all mankind will live again. And
