Arvel & Charlotte Dean

Arvel William & Charlotte Clarice Stephens Dean

Kids: Stephen, Marsha, Judith

This story was shared to me by my aunt, Deanna Murphy, regarding Grandpa Dean:

He was a cowboy, living on a ranch in Wyoming. One particular day as he was walking alone along a gulch on his property he found himself suddenly sinking in quicksand. The harder he fought to get out, the more deeply he became buried. It seemed he was being pulled by an unseen force downward, and he could not escape its grasp.

He was entirely alone, unable to move, and did the only thing he knew to do. He bowed his head and began to pray. He prayed for help. He prayed that he would know how to get out, or that he would be sent help in some way.

Then he opened his eyes and began to wait in faith for the Lord to answer His prayers.

Now, in that moment, Grandpa was deep in the heart of his own property. He was entirely alone and away from anyone who could have heard his voice for miles around. It would have been futile to yell for help. He had no idea how he would get out of the quicksand he found himself in.

Yet, in his aloneness, his stuckness, the Savior did have a plan for his deliverance.

Eventually, and unexpectedly, not long after he concluded his prayer, a stranger emerged from the sagebrush. Grandpa had never seen him before—and never saw him again. He said little, but threw him a rope, and pulled him to safety. Grandpa pulled the rope off, and began to brush off the sand from his clothes, and inside his shirt, cleaning himself up.

When he turned to thank the stranger, he was gone.

Grandpa’s prayer had been answered, in a way that had touched him deeply. He always wondered who his benefactor was, and if the Savior had simply sent him an angel to help him in his time of need.