During the summer of 1906, President Joseph F. Smith visited the Saints in Europe. The following account from Osborne J. P. Widtsoe of a miraculous healing of Jan Roothoff, an eleven-year-old Dutch member of the Church who suffered from a disease that resulted in his eyes being very sensitive to light:
THE LITTLE BLIND BOY OF HOLLAND.
It happened little more than a
year ago. The President was visiting the Saints in all the branches of the
Church in Europe. This month—the beautiful harvest month of August—he was to visit
Rotterdam. Missionaries and Saints alike were anxious to see him, and were
preparing for the great spiritual feast they should have when he came.
Little John, too, was waiting
anxiously for the president to come. Not that little John could see him now.
Unfortunately he could not. But Little John remembered with a thrill of
pleasure that, two or three years before, he had been able to see as well as
any of his playmates, and then he had loved to look upon the picture of the
kind, sympathetic-looking president. Little John always imagined that he saw a
halo of glory about the president's head.
But fortune had been unkind to
Little John since those happy days—or so at least he thought. Although he was
only eleven years old, he had now for several years suffered very much with his
eyes. They were always inflamed and there was always a terrible pain in them.
The doctor had long ago made him discontinue school so that now he stayed at
home, wore a great bandage over his eyes, and spent more of his time thinking
of how good the Lord had been to him at other times, and hoping that He would
not forsake him now.
So Little John was waiting
anxiously, too, for the President to come. The President was the greatest man
on earth, thought Little John, and he wanted very much to hear him, at least,
even if he could not see him.
The evening before the day on
which the President was to visit the Saints of Rotterdam, Little John was
unusually excited. He could speak of nothing but the President's visit, he
could think of nothing else. He was literally possessed by uncontrollable
enthusiasm.
"Oh, mama," he cried,
"I'm so glad that I shall be able at least to hear the President. Just think,
mama, he is the Prophet of God."
"Yes, my dear," answered
his mama, "he is God's holy anointed prophet. I, too, am glad he is coming
to visit us. It is almost as if God Himself were to come."
Little John was impressed. He
remained quiet for a little while. He was in deep thought. It was almost the
first time he had been quiet that day. By and by he spoke again.
"Mama, the prophet has the
most power of any missionary on earth, hasn't he?"
"Yes, dear boy," said
his mother, "he holds all the keys and authority that God ever gives to
man. Why do you ask, my son?"
Little John was silent for another
little while; then he said solemnly, fervently. "Mama, if you will take me
with you to the meeting, and get the President to look into my eyes, I believe
they will be healed."
"My dear boy," said his
mother tenderly, "I know the President has power to heal you. But, my boy,
the President is very busy just now. He has traveled far to visit us, and there
are hundreds of people who want to see him. You are only a boy, my son, and we
must not intrude nor force ourselves upon the President's notice."
Little John's spirits sank. Yes,
he was only a boy; and the President, oh! he was such a great man. There would
be so many at the meeting to see him, he would not notice the little boy.
"But mama," asked Little
John after a while, "you will take me with you to the meeting, won't
you?"
"Yes, my boy," said his
mother.
"Then," said Little
John, his spirits rising, "I shall hear the voice of the President—the
Prophet; and oh! if he would only look into my eyes, I know they would be
healed."
The next day Little John listened
with rapture to the tones of the Prophet of God. Although the little boy could
understand only what the interpreter said—for the President could not speak
Dutch—yet he was warmed and thrilled by the kindly sounds of the President's
voice.
When the service was over, the
President went to the door to shake hands with the Saints as they passed out of
the hall.
"Ah," thought Little
John, "it is all over. But I have heard the Prophet's voice! I do wish I
could meet him now and that he would look into my eyes."
Almost at that moment the mother
said, "This is the President, Little John, he wants to shake hands with
you."
A great warm hand took hold of
Little John's and a kind voice greeted him tenderly. It was the President!
Little John's heart beat so that it could almost be heard. Then the President's
other hand lifted the bandage from Little John's eyes, and the President looked
sympathetically into their sore and painful depths.
"The Lord bless you, my
boy," the President said, placing a hand on Little John's head. "He
will grant you the desire of your heart."
Now little John was happy and
contended indeed, and far more enthusiastic than ever before. He had heard the
President's voice, and the President had looked into his eyes, and his eyes
were feeling better, too.
When he reached home Little John
could hardly contain himself Suddenly he called out, "Oh, mama, my eyes
are well; I can't feel any more pain at all. And oh, mama, I can see fine now,
and far too."
His mother ran to him, not knowing
what to think. She tested him in every conceivable way; and, sure enough, he could
see as well as ever he could.
By and by little John spoke again,
his voice almost choked with tears. "Mama," he asked, "The
President's name is Joseph F. Smith, isn't it?"
"Yes, my dear," she
answered. "He is a nephew of the Prophet Joseph."
"And I think he is a great
prophet, too," said Little John, "he possesses just as much power and
authority, Mama," he continued earnestly, "I shall pray for him
always, for I know he is a true prophet of God." (Osborne J. P. Widtsoe,
“The Little Blind Boy of Holland,” Juvenile Instructor, 42, no. 22 [November
15, 1907]: 679-81)