J.P.H.'s Inspired Prompting to Assist a Distressed Man

“It was a hot evening in London, and I was walking home, tired and hungry. I had had a long day, and my thoughts were on my supper and a comfortable chair. As I turned a corner, I saw a man sprawling on the pavement. He was a sorry sight, his clothes were dirty, and he was lying in a heap. My first thought was, 'He is drunk,' and I felt a sense of disgust. I was about to pass on, I had taken a step forward when a voice said to me as clearly as if a person by my side had spoken the words, 'Go and help the chap.' Came the human thought, 'He's drunk, let him alone.' Another step and the voice, 'Go and help the fellow.' Came the swing of the pendulum, 'It's his fault, leave him. He'll get over it—either there or in gaol for the night.' Gaol!—a poor wayfaring man of grief! I went over to the man. He was a young fellow, not more than twenty. I spoke to him, but he could not answer. I lifted him up, and he was as limp as a rag. I asked him where he lived, and he pointed down the street. I helped him along, and it was a long way. When we reached his home, his mother opened the door. She was a poor woman, but she was clean and tidy. She was frightened when she saw her son, but when I told her how I had found him, she burst into tears. I stayed until very late that night and listened to the story. The boy was keen to become a professional footballer, had contracted stomach trouble, and had taken this job—working in the cellar of the public house. Lifting heavy barrels, the stench of the beer and spirits had at last overcome him, and that's how I had found him. He had never drunk intoxicants and never intended to. He needed help. I might have been a passerby.”

— J.P.H., The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star