Larry EchoHawk — Healing of Eye Injury

“A life-changing moment occurred during two-a-day practices before the first game of the season. Between practice sessions I was playing with my brother and two friends. Someone threw a ball. I turned around at the wrong time, and the ball hit me squarely in the eye. It was a serious and painful injury. I was taken to the emergency room at the hospital. My eye was swollen shut. I couldn’t see a thing out of that injured eye. The doctor told me and my parents that it was too early to tell, but I might lose the sight in that eye. He bandaged both eyes and sent me home. I was in a dark room for several days. I was scared. I was seventeen years old, and I was terrified that I would be blind for the rest of my life. I had been baptized when I was fourteen, but I didn’t have a testimony. I didn’t know if the Church was true. But in that dark room, I made a deal with the Lord. I prayed and told Him that if He would heal my eye and let me see again, I would read the Book of Mormon. I didn’t know much about the Book of Mormon, but I knew that was what I should do. A few days later, the doctor removed the bandages. I could see! I was so grateful. I knew that the Lord had heard my prayer. I kept my promise. I started reading the Book of Mormon. I read ten pages every day. It took me nearly three months to finish it. As I read, I felt the Spirit. I knew that what I was reading was true. That was the beginning of my testimony.”

— Larry Echo Hawk, BYU Devotional Address, August 7, 2007