Tom Heal Return to Hole in the Rock, pages 69-73 Lee Colvin, Tom Heal

Not long after we finished breakfast, my 15-year-old daughter, Rebecca, said her back really hurt and she felt sick. I felt her forehead and noticed she had a fever. I took her into the big tent and had her lie down on a cot to rest. When I returned moments later, she was shaking, her fever was worse, and we couldn’t make her stay awake longer than a few moments at a time.

Together, my friend Lee and I gave her a priesthood blessing. As we finished, I had a very strong feeling that we should get her to a hospital as soon as possible.

The nearest town was Escalante, which was just over 40 miles away. The nearest hospital was in Panguitch, another 65 miles beyond that. We put Rebecca in the back of our Suburban, and my wife Sandy held her and put an ice pack on her forehead to reduce the fever. We left the rest of our family with Lee and his boys and began the dusty drive to the hospital. A few minutes after we started, Sandy said, “Tom, I think we are losing Rebecca! She has stopped breathing and was turning white. She was unresponsive and limp.” I told Sandy to keep talking to her and try to keep her awake.

I called 911 on my cell phone to report our emergency, but was only able to get an intermittent signal. I was driving as fast as I thought was safe, and occasionally when we would get to the top of a hill, I could get a call through to the 911 operator. During the course of nine or ten separate calls, I was able to explain where we were and that our daughter was gravely ill and in danger of dying. I asked the Sheriff’s dispatcher if they could send an emergency helicopter to meet us on the road.

She said they didn’t have a helicopter, but they would send an ambulance from Escalante to meet us.

Between phone calls, I could hear Sandy talking constantly to Rebecca. She pleaded with her to wake up and please stay with us. A short while later, Rebecca started breathing, awoke, and asked her mother, “Mom where are Jared and Tammy?” Sandy answered, “Your brother and sister are back at camp. We’re on our way to the hospital to get you some help.” Rebecca said, “Mom, we need to go back,” and Sandy asked her why. “Because I need to say goodbye to them,” she replied. As we heard her response, we were more concerned than ever that we were going to lose our precious, daughter, because we wouldn’t be able to get help for her in time.

Rebecca then went limp and stopped breathing. Sandy desperately tried to get her to wake up, and after several minutes she opened her eyes and said, “Grandpa is here and wants me to go with him.” Her grandfather, Ward Heal, had died 13 years earlier when she wasn’t yet two years old. She said there were two other people with her grandpa whom she didn’t know, and they were all dressed in white robes. It was more beautiful and peaceful where they were than she ever imagined a place could be. Sandy told her, “Tell your grandpa you want to stay with us! Tell him you don’t want to go. Becca…please! We want you to stay with us!” Sandy was in tears as she pleaded for her to stay. I was beside myself with emotion, trying to drive, talk on the phone, and listen to the conversation that was going on behind me.

Rebecca came and went beyond the veil several times during our drive, each time describing to her mother what she was seeing and doing. After about 45 minutes I got a call from the sheriff’s dispatcher. She said the plane had taken off from St George but had to turn back due to mechanical problems. A few moments later Rebecca came back again, and this time she had a smile on her face. She said that her Grandpa told her that a council had been held, and they determined that she could stay. He then asked her to please tell Stephanie and Christie that he loved them. (They are his twin daughters, my sisters.) From that point on she remained awake and stable.

“A few days after we got home, I asked Rebecca if she remembered anything about her near-death experience. She said she remembered everything. I asked her how she knew the man who wanted her to come with him was her grandfather. She said she just knew him. I asked her what he looked like, and she said, ”Well he looked young, but I could tell he was old.” She said the place was impossible for her to describe. She saw marvelous buildings and colors she had never seen before. Being there made her feel “perfect,” and she didn’t want to come back. When I asked her why she did come back, she said, “Because Mom kept telling me to.”

The Message, page 66, 87

I’ve been asked to be your escort. I’ve been assigned to take you to certain places and show you certain things. There is much we need to teach you.  . . . . I have helped you many times in your life. I have been given assignments on several occasions to assist you and inspire you.

I’ve enjoyed helping you and your family so much over the past years.” I appreciated his assessment. But his final sentence caught my interest. “What do you mean by that, Grandpa? How have you helped us?”

“Oh Lance, you’d be surprised how involved many of us are in your lives.

The Message, page 88.

These buildings were places where the work of the spirit world was done, and where meetings took place between those who had particular assignments.