“Haven’t We Forgotten to Thank Someone?”

One bright winter day I took nine boys on a snow outing. Sliding down the snowy slope was exciting and exhilarating. After several trips down the hill we decided to form a human chain: each boy on his tube linking with the boy in front and in back of him. Halfway through the next run we hit a large bump that turned our caravan into a tumbling mass of bodies and tubes. I was relieved to find no one hurt when we stopped at the bottom of the hill. After brushing the snow from our hair and clothes, we quickly headed to the top of the hill for another run.

Upon reaching the crest of the hill, Bobby, a nonmember who had recently moved into our neighborhood, realized he had lost one of the lenses from his eyeglasses in the snowy crash. I wanted Bobby to have a positive experience and began to worry about how his parents would feel if he returned home with a lens missing.

After discussing the situation, we decided to pray. One of the boys, 10-year-old Fred Nelson, asked Heavenly Father to help us find Bobby’s lens. Arising from my knees, I knew the lens would be found. As I walked down the hill, I silently continued pleading with Heavenly Father to help us locate the lens and expressed my concern about how Bobby’s parents might feel if he returned home without it. I also felt this could prove a great opportunity for the boys to experience receiving an answer to prayer.

I returned to the point where we crashed and began looking for the lens when I felt prompted to look farther down the hill. As I walked toward the bottom of the hill I could see nothing in the snow. Then it was as if I heard a whispered voice say that the lens was to my right. After walking several feet in that direction and looking closely for signs of the lens, I still could not see anything. I knelt down and brushed a couple of inches of snow away, immediately uncovering the lens.

Joyfully I returned the lens to Bobby with an explanation of how it had been found. After repairing the glasses, we raced to the top of the hill and were about to start tubing again when Fred asked, “Haven’t we forgotten to thank someone?” Humbled by his remark, I called the boys together and led them in a prayer of thanks, giving gratitude to our Heavenly Father for answering our prayer of need.