Restoration of a Lost Heifer in Answer to Prayer
Published October 12, 2026 at 6:22 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
A young man, having sent money to his mother in answer to her request, felt impressed to inspect a heifer standing in a field. He discovered it was his own animal, which had been lost for eighteen months, and he attributed the recovery to divine providence in response to his mother's promise.
In Their Own Words
“I was then about twenty-one years of age, and was living in the mountains of the Wasatch, trying to make a home for myself. One day I received a letter from my mother, who was living in a distant part of the territory, asking me if I could send her a little money, as she was in need of some of the comforts of life. I had no money, but I asked and obtained from my employer a small check, and enclosed it to her, hoping it would be of some service. In due time an answer came, and in it she made this promise: 'God will abundantly reward you for being so kind to your poor old mother.' These words sank deep into my heart, and I felt that I had been blessed in being able to assist her. A few days after receiving this letter, I was out on the range looking for some stock. While riding carelessly along the trail, my attention was drawn to a beautiful heifer, which was grazing a short distance away. I seemed impelled to ride out and look at her more closely. I did so, and imagine my astonishment when I discovered that she was my own, and had been lost for about eighteen months. I had traversed the same range scores of times, and never could find her. Instantly my mother’s promise came to my mind. The value of the animal was about equal to the amount of the check I had sent her. I may be called childish, but I am as well satisfied as that I live that the animal was restored to me in answer to prayer.”
— Unnamed young man, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 10 June 1897 (Vol. 59, No. 23). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1897-06-10_59_23 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 59, No. 23 (10 June 1897), p. 362 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1897-06-10_59_23
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