Jacob Hamblin — Miraculous Recovery from a Fatal Wound

While working land in Wisconsin as a young man, Jacob Hamblin suffered a severe accident that resulted in a life-threatening wound. The injury was so grave that he believed his life was ending and he experienced a near-death state. In his extremity, he sought divine mercy and experienced a remarkable and rapid recovery that he attributed to the direct intervention of God. This event served as a foundational spiritual experience that solidified his faith prior to his conversion to the LDS Church and his subsequent move to the West.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

While living in Wisconsin, I was severely injured by a wound in my leg. It became so bad that I was confined to my bed, and my life was despaired of. I felt that my time had come to die. I prayed to the Lord, and covenanted with Him that if He would spare my life, I would serve Him the remainder of my days. Soon after this, a woman knocked at my door, and said she felt impressed that she should come to my house. She was a nurse, and had the necessary medicines and poultices to dress my wound. She attended to me, and I soon recovered. I felt that she was sent of God to save my life.