Helping at a Moment's Notice

Our now 15-year-old son, Juke, has developmental disabilities, including autism and profound cognitive disabilities, that sometimes cause him to be aggressive toward himself and others. In August 2005, Juke took a sudden turn for the worse, and his doctors admitted him to a hospital far from our home.

The next morning, I looked for someone to assist me in giving our son a priesthood blessing. We had just been assigned new home teachers, and I could remember only one of them by name: John Zimmerman.

Brother Zimmerman had a young family and was just starting his career in a high-intensity Washington, D.C. job. I called him at work, explained what had happened, and asked if he could go with me to give our son a blessing. Our visit would most likely take all day. I told Brother Zimmerman I was sure I could find someone else if he could not do it. He checked with his employer, and then told me that he could go right then.

When we arrived, Juke was less aggressive but certainly bewildered. Brother Zimmerman anointed Juke with consecrated oil, and I sealed the anointing and gave him a blessing. After the blessing, Juke immediately became less agitated. My wife and I felt the Comforter, and as we observed Juke's calmed behavior, we knew that he did too.

We thanked Brother Zimmerman and said good-bye. But when we left a couple hours later, we found him sitting in the lobby, waiting to make sure everything was all right. We were amazed by this additional act of selflessness.

Shortly after my wife and I arrived home, Brother Zimmerman knocked on our door. He said he had felt prompted to visit us. He gave me a powerful blessing and assisted me as I blessed my wife. Finally, he told us to call him if he could do anything else. We knew he meant it.

Brother Zimmerman was our family's home teacher for less than a month, but we will never forget the Christlike act of selfless service that he provided us in our time of need.

Paul F. Wight, Virginia, USA