Introduction:
Over the past few days I felt a gentle yet insistent prompting to bring to you this message. I know it may run longer than you might expect—but I believe it matters. It all began the night my brother passed away. That evening I knelt at my bedside, praying fervently that he would find the eternal peace and happiness he searched for his whole life. He had endured so much—physical pain, emotional struggles—but he never once complained. His love for his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and above all his Heavenly Father and his Savior, was constant, unwavering.
Later that night, as I fell asleep, I had the most profound dream. My brother, described as “Brother Wayne,” appeared, his arms lovingly around my son Troy, who had also passed away. They stood before me, both smiling the widest smiles I’ve ever seen. When I awoke, tears filled my eyes—and I told my wife: Brother Wayne had shown me not only where he was, but where Troy was as well. In that moment I felt such overwhelming joy in my heart. Since then I’ve told this experience to Amy, Wayne’s daughter, so that the memory lives beyond me.
I want to share another memory of Wayne. Back in 2000 in Branson, Missouri, after one of our evenings at the theater, I knocked on his door. He was there—quietly putting away his tools, a familiar scene, for he loved making and fixing things. Prompted by something in my heart I asked him: “When you leave this mortal life, what would you tell your family, the people whose lives you touched?” He paused, looked at me, and said simply, “I’d tell them how much I love my Savior… I love my Kathy and my family… Tell everybody how true the gospel of Jesus Christ is, and what it means to me.” Then he added, with deep sincerity, “I feel sorry for those who leave the church or never knew the Holy Ghost.”
That was Wayne. He did not merely believe in God—he knew God. In quiet moments, in his room, scripture open beside him, he pondered the truth of his faith. I will never forget him one afternoon, stepping out of his room, tears in his eyes, saying, “Oh Merrill — I miss my Kathy so much.” That was my brother: sanctified, pure-hearted, enduring to the end.
I share all this because I want you to know: the gospel is true. God lives and He loves each one of us. If you’ve lost a loved one and you ever wonder, Are they okay? Are they happy? Are they at peace, surrounded by family and friends? — do not worry. They are doing good.
Thank you for spending this time with me. May this little message bring hope, comfort, and the reminder of love that transcends. Have a wonderful day.