Tony Pretorius — Coma, a Choice to Stay, and Missionaries at His Door Four Hours After Coming Home

At 18 years old, Tony Pretorius was searching for truth in South Africa, visiting a different church every Sunday and praying that God would help him recognize the truth when he found it.

Then, on his way to begin compulsory military service, a devastating car accident left him with multiple broken bones and in a coma. Tony says that while unconscious, he was given a choice to leave this life or stay. He chose to stay, because he felt there was still something he needed to do.

Months later, while recovering, Tony kept praying for truth. When he was finally released from the hospital and returned home, he had been there for only four hours when two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on his door.

As they taught him over the following weeks, Tony says the answer he had been searching for finally came through a powerful witness of the Holy Ghost. He was baptized in 1980.

Tony's experience is a reminder that Heavenly Father knows each of His children individually. Answers may not come in the same way or at the same time for everyone, but He knows what each of us needs and when we need it.