Episode Three: The Power of Prayer: Landon's Extraordinary NDE Story
In this episode of 'Latter-day Miracles', hosts Haley Hatch Freeman and Misty Smith welcome their first guest, Landon Dennis. Landon shares his harrowing experiences with addiction and a profound near-death experience (NDE) that led him back to faith. He details moments of divine intervention and the powerful impact of prayer that saved his life. Landon elaborates on being shown past and future events by spiritual beings and the overwhelming love from family members who have passed on. Throughout his story, Landon's testimony emphasizes the transformative power of prayer and the eternal nature of family. This emotional and inspirational episode underscores that we are never truly alone and that faith and divine love can guide us through even the darkest times.
Landon Dennis
Trigger Warning: This episode briefly discusses drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.
Landon after his accident and brain surgery.
Landon said this picture reminded him of how the lights looked behind the hill in his near death experience.
Landon’s grandpa he saw in his NDE.
Contact Our Guest
If you would like to message Landon you can find him on Facebook under Landon Dennis https://www.facebook.com/landonius28
Transcript
Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to Latter-day Miracles, where we share true stories of angels and marvels. Get ready to enjoy accounts from everyday people that remind us of divine love, that we're never truly alone, and the power of faith in these latter days. I'm Haley Hatch Freeman. And I'm Misty Smith. Sit back, open your heart and prepare to be inspired.
Haley Freeman: Welcome to Latter- day Miracles. We're so excited to have you join us again. If you are a new viewer, then welcome. We have had a couple episodes so far. Our first one was me telling my miracle story of my near death experience from, anorexia and my story of spending time with my sister and grandma who had passed away.
Then the second episode was Misty sharing her miracle story of, her car accident, where an angel helped her through [00:01:00] that, and also surviving covid with healing from an angel in that story. So check those episodes out if you haven't yet. , today is our first episode with a guest and we are so excited to have Landon here to share his miracle story.
Misty Smith: Landon has asked that we start with the prayer. So Landon, would you like to , start us off, off with that?
Landon Dennis: , I am honored to and thank you for the opportunity.
Our dear Heavenly father, thank you for the ability to be here today to speak. And be able to share my experience and, and please help me to, to share in a way that it can touch the hearts and minds of others and for those that need to hear it. And please help me to say the things with the spirit guiding me that will be of most benefit to others.[00:02:00]
In Heavenly Father, thank you for all of our blessings that we have in this world, and please help us to recognize those blessings every day. And again, thank you for the fact that I am able to be here on Latter-day Miracles and share my story, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Haley Freeman: Amen. Thank you for that. That was beautiful. , go ahead and let Misty do your introduction.
Misty Smith: Landon's passions are music such as guitar and piano. He is also passionate about trying to help others from his experiences.
He loves history and archeology and is an avid arrowhead and petroglyph hunter. He is the youngest of eight children and was raised in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his whole life, even though he fell away in his teenage years, he was an honor student in school and did very well. He has shared his remarkable story worldwide and we are so [00:03:00] excited that he is here with us.
Haley Freeman: I would just like to, before we started with his story, say how I came across Landon's story. I was in a Facebook group and I just felt so inspired that day to go in there. And , the very first post I saw was Landon's post about, , him seeking, wanting to seek out a podcast that shared his same faith of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And the second I saw, I was so drawn, I don't even think I finished reading it. I got like three fourth away and I go click, click Landon, send a message as fast as I could to him because I just, I just knew, I knew that I needed to have his story on our podcast and, and he was so gracious and so kind to say yes, even though we were just starting out and that didn't matter to him.
And I'm just so honored to have him be here and. And for him to share his miracle story with us. And I'll go ahead and turn the time over to him to share his story now.
Landon Dennis: Okay. Well, just so you guys know, I am honored that you asked me [00:04:00] to be on, on your show because this is what I've been seeking out , is to find others who I can share my story with that that how well it correlates , with the LDS faith that I.
Fell away from for a very long time. , and I'll share a brief story before my NDE and then we can talk about after that. But , what happened is , I'm very accident prone person. I've, I mean, I've drove off a cliff on a four wheeler, broke a lot of bones, which started my addiction because I'm a recovering drug addict.
To pain pills. I've been hit by three cars.
Haley Freeman: Whoa.
Landon Dennis: , I know. I fell off, I fell off a second story roof onto a car after ODing.
Haley Freeman: Oh, wow. My goodness,
Landon Dennis: and, and then this last instance that led [00:05:00] to my near death experience, um, I actually overdosed, was Narcanned. I, and I don't remember after I first overdosed, I don't remember up until my NDE, which I'll get to in just one sec.
, I overdosed , and the people narcaned me and I guess I kind of popped up and I decided to go get on my vespa to ride back home with the drugs that I had purchased, um, I got hit by a car on my way home, on my Vespa.
Haley Freeman: Wow.
Landon Dennis: Some somehow got up and fled the scene from that. Luckily, I was only a couple blocks away from home, and I live in St.
George, Utah. Next, right next to the St. George Temple. I, I can look right out here and see, see the temple. It's wonderful. But, um. And, and I got home. And from what my wife tells me, I just went straight into the bathroom. [00:06:00] She said I was acting funny, which of course I probably was after those two incidences
Misty Smith: right
Landon Dennis: there, like 10, 15 minutes span.
And I, and I got up on a counter and with my addiction, went to do more drugs and I overdosed again because I was an IV user. Um, and I fell back off a really high countertop, straight back after I overdosed and just cracked my head again. And , she said she just felt this prompting to come check on me.
And when she came in the bathroom, there was just a, a pool of blood under my head. Um, I had gotten really messed up from it, and she, she called the paramedics because of how bad it was, and she was trying [00:07:00] to, I mean, I, I believe at that moment is the first moment that I. I flatlined. She said she was lifting my arms, everything.
I was turning blue, all that. Um, so she called the paramedics. The paramedics came and they saw the condition of me and immediately, , put me into this ambulance.
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: And, um. I guess they, they told her to stay in the house while they were doing this, um, because of how bad it was. They said one of my eyes was dilated this big when they would open it, and the other one was so small they knew that it was a serious traumatic brain injury.
And, and if you end up posting photos of. The surgery people
Yeah. People will see just how serious it was. And like I said, I, I was not conscious or aware of anything at this time, but I, I remember [00:08:00] the first thing I remember is coming back to above this ambulance and looking through the ambulance. I could see through it.
Um, and just seeing. A group of people working on me, they were, they were drilling something into my knee to get an iv. They were, I mean, it was very confusing because what, like I said, when I came, when I remember coming to Above the ambulance in that moment, um, the, the feelings that I was feeling were. It is, it's getting easier for me to talk about now that I've done it more, but it's, it's still very, very vi, very vivid in my mind.
The, the, the feelings of just distress, despair, anguish, loss, [00:09:00] I, any, any bad word you can think of, depression, anxiety. I, I felt that. While being above this ambulance and, and being so confused that why am I looking through this ambulance at my body and these people desperately trying to work on me and revived me because I didn't, I didn't know that I had flatlined and was dead at that time.
Um. And I just remember those horrible, horrible feelings that still, still today it is easier for me to talk about now, but I, thinking about them get still affects me very much because they were horrible. Um, and I remember. On the way to the hospital, just being above the ambulance, going with it and watching these and feeling all these spiritual and [00:10:00] emotional anguish is the best way I can describe it.
Um, and when, when it felt like it was gonna get to a point to where I could no longer handle it, um, all of a sudden just boom. I was no longer above that ambulance, but I was standing in this big, big beautiful green grass field and, and I, I say green when I do these, but it, it was so much more beautiful than green.
And, and I remember the first sense that I got when kind of looking down is that the grass loved me. And to a lot of people that might sound crazy and it's hard for me to explain, but each individual blade of grass literally loved me and was comforting me. [00:11:00] And, and I, I could, I could see each individual blade of grass.
No matter how far out I looked, I could still see each individual blade. And like I tell people, I mean, I, I wear glasses. I don't have good eyesight. But wherever I came to in this moment, in this field, I was loved by each individual blade of grass. And, and in the background the way I describe it is about a quarter mile.
It seemed away was this was just this hill kind of arched, rainbow shaped type hill, and there was these. Incredible lights coming from behind that hill and the best way I can describe it is if you put a light into like a diamond in that refraction type color, it was those type of colors, but even, even more [00:12:00] incredible.
And the, the coolest thing about that moment is when I saw so many lights back behind that hill, I, I knew that this reddish color light was my grandpa because I instantly, I felt him and he was telling me he loved me. It was like he was giving me a hug right. Soon after that, I noticed this like violet, pinkish color light that I knew.
I knew it was my niece that had passed away in a car accident years before, and she was telling me the same thing of how much she loved me. And, and that was my first confirmation that there really is life after [00:13:00] this life because I, I felt them and I, even though I saw them as lights
Haley Freeman: mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: I felt them.
And they were, it's, I can't describe the feeling other than if someone was to just give you the biggest bear hug in the world and say, I love you. I'm still here. I. Type thing. And as this is happening, I, I yearned to, to wanna go back behind that hill because there were so many more lights. But the, the two, I felt the strongest, I guess you'd say, discernment of I could discern these, those two, and I felt them.
I, I wanted to go back there because I felt how. How happy and loving they were, and I wanted to be back there with them. And at, at that moment, I felt this other presence of [00:14:00] just love, kind of, you know, right back here to my right. And I didn't see it was a lady, but I didn't see her first. I, I literally felt her first.
And I, and I turned. I was, I looked at her and she just was kind of looking at me, and I remember specifically her kind of tilting her head a little bit with this almost smirk on her face.
Misty Smith: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: And she started speaking to me and, and it wasn't, it wasn't like it, it was like you and I talking now, like one to another, but it was also so much more, um, the way I describe it.
For your listeners is if I said the word fire to you like a fire, you would feel the heat. You would, you would see the glow of the fire. You would smell the smell of the fire. You could hear the [00:15:00] crackling of the fire. Just, just from that one word it was easy for me to comprehend it at the time, but still hard.
It's, it's hard to describe because I've never I don't it. Yeah. It was, I don't remember ever in my life having some type of communication like that.
Haley Freeman: Yeah. I, sorry to interrupt. I just wanna validate what you're saying because we have this in common, right? I also had a near death experience and I love how you're explaining it.
I love it. It is so hard to describe it when you come back 'cause it is like a six. Level of communication, of, of senses that is used. And, and it's, like you said, how I tried to describe it too is like you feel what they're saying instead of just hearing it. You feel what , the communication is.
Landon Dennis: Mm-hmm.
Haley Freeman: And love how you're describing it. It's, that's beautiful. And it's so much faster too. I remember I from. [00:16:00] I was only 16, but I remember being with my younger brother and he was like 13 at the time, and I remember being so frustrated that I had to use my words again.
I remember that
Landon Dennis: there's no, there's no amount of emojis in this world to describe...
Haley Freeman: I remember that. I like, I was just so frustrated that the communication was so slow and I wanna be sister and grandma. They could just read my thoughts and spirit. But anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt I just want to validate that what you are saying is absolutely true and right and correct and the same.
I had the same experience. So anyways, go ahead where you left off
Landon Dennis: thank you for that.
And no, and, and please, as I'm telling this, if you guys feel that you have something to contribute to what I'm saying or validate or, or your experience, please cut me off. I'm doing this because I want to hear [00:17:00] others too, if they've had this, because I, I kept this.
Yeah. Secret for so long, because I was scared of, how do I describe this to others without sounding crazy? How do, how? Yes.
Misty Smith: Oh my gosh. We, had this discussion on my, my story. I just, I mean, how I even reached out to Haley was I felt. Crazy. Like sometimes I'm like, did I make this up?
I talked to my husband about this all the time, but what are the odds that I was in the same ward at the same time? With someone that could guide me and help me. And so meeting Haley, I know God is in the details. He's in the people.
He's everywhere and he helps us through this. And so you're not alone. And I get the crazy feeling. I get it. I was there, I was fearful of talking to my family about it. And I just, I applaud you for getting past that [00:18:00] crazy feeling.
Landon Dennis: I just shared this story with my family for the first time about four months ago.
Haley Freeman: Really?
Landon Dennis: That's how long it took me. I had shared it with my wife before that, but that's 'cause it was like, well, she's my wife. She knows Yes. You know, maybe, maybe she won't think I'm so crazy, but how can, how, how can I put in into words? Where, where it makes sense because these spiritual experiences cannot be described by by words.
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: Except in such a simplistic way, you know, but it was so much more than these just little simple words that we try to share with people and so it, it other people. I can take it how they want or, or like in my case say, oh, you just had a brain injury. You just had this, this, or, you know, whatever.
Haley Freeman: I was told by, literally by my grandma she said, people will know, that you're telling the truth by the [00:19:00] Holy Ghost. And that's what it is that the Holy Ghost testifies of truth.
Landon Dennis: Yes.
Haley Freeman: And she told me that 'cause she said, some people will rationalize it. Some people will say, because closely after my experience, I did have a mental break my, where my mind couldn't function anymore.
And people will rationalize by saying, oh, it was your mind. That was crazy, you know? Mm-hmm. And she said, but they will know of the truth because the Holy Ghost will testify that it was true. And that's what we just have to rely on. People that want to know that it's true, they will feel the Holy Ghost.
And those that don't, we just have to let it go. And we know that our mission is to share it and just let it go so,
Landon Dennis: and that's what's hard for me, especially when I first started sharing, because this was such a sacred experience for me that I, I didn't want it diminished by others.
Telling me that it wasn't true [00:20:00] because I knew 1000000% knew what happened and, and I didn't want others to put that doubt in my mind like you guys are talking about, because it it, I heard this quote from, from someone in the church and one of our apostles that said, scientific facts will never yield spiritual truth.
Haley Freeman: Right.
Landon Dennis: And that comforted me so much. And, and even Elder Holland, he expanded on his NDE.
Haley Freeman: Right
Landon Dennis: and started, he was saying things that I've been saying, well now for months on these podcasts, but I knew before and was too scared to share about like the power of prayer.
And things like that. And I love how it seems like all these things are coming together in God's time perfectly. Just like how you two met in your ward. [00:21:00]
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: And you reached out to me when I, I've been, you know, doing these podcasts around the world and, and I love doing them because I wanna give hope to people.
But I, I posted in that LDS one for the first time because I, I, I wanna give more than just this spiritual experience. I wanna expound upon these spiritual truths that I was also told some of these podcasts have, have edited out some parts that I've tried sharing, and that's okay because people that are gonna hear the parts that they didn't edit out are, are the ones that, you know, need to hear those parts.
And I'm still okay with that. But I I learned such sacred things there that. I started feeling guilty if I was to let the outside world influence me and keep this sacred gift that I was given to myself and think that no one will believe me or I'll be [00:22:00] ridiculed and thinking to myself how, how selfish of me is to do that if I know it to be true.
I need to just speak out in the people that that will feel it and need to hear it. Can't hear it. And, and that's why I am, I'm doing these things and I'm sure, you know, we we're all gonna get ridiculed of some sort, but a lot of truth in this world is hated these days.
Haley Freeman: Yeah.
Landon Dennis: So the, the part where I was talking to that lady and then the man, I felt him also come into my presence before I saw him.
And that's when they shared with me about the power of prayer because in those moments, and I'll make this short. I, in a way questioned them because I had been homeless, a drug addict. I had lost my first fiance and my daughter at the age of four. They were taken [00:23:00] away from me 'cause of drugs and, and rightly so, you know.
But I, I questioned them like how do, what do you mean prayer's real? Because I was not necessarily praying with open heart mind, but more like, why me? Why, you know, poor me, pity me. Why is this happening? And I remember they showed me this moment, and this is one of the most sacred things that happened to me during my NDE, is that they sh.
They, they showed me this, this moment that when I was in Layton Utah, I used to sit out by the Walmart there and just hold up a sign begging for money. You know, and, and at night I would, there was an old Kmart that, it's been so long since I've been up there, but there used to be a Kmart in a Little Caesars by this Walmart.
And I would, I would go there at [00:24:00] night at a certain time when Little Caesars would throw certain stuff out into the dumpsters, and if I could get there before. Other people or animals. That's how I could eat. And I remember, I, I went behind this dumpster and I, I found this piece of pizza in a box that had marks out of it from who knows what, but I was starving.
And so I remember picking up this pizza and they were showing me this moment again that, no, I've never told anybody this. 'cause I was so humiliated and, and. Disgusted by the way I was living my life at this point and just so ashamed. But they showed me this moment where I picked up this piece of pizza, and I remember that night looking at it and thinking to myself, Landon,
wow, this is, you have a loving family out there. You, you lost your, your little 4-year-old daughters out there being raised by your mom, and you're choosing to hold a sign up [00:25:00] here and go eat behind the Little Caesars dumpster. And I remember thinking to myself, how worthless are you? How, how there, there can't be a creator or God that could love you, because look what you're doing and what you've done to people who love you.
I just remember thinking to myself, this is it. This is your last night. And as I started contemplating the least painful way of committing suicide, and I was gonna follow through with it, and this is again, when I was questioning them on them telling me the power of prayer, um, that night. It back when, back in the day when I was contemplating that suicide.
I remember physically feeling some one come behind me and just hug me and hold me as I was thinking, what way can I commit suicide? That's the least painful. And [00:26:00] I felt that. And I turned and no one was there, and I was so confused, but I was so comforted. That the thought of suicide went away. But the amazing thing is that when they showed me this moment as like a, it's hard to describe, but it was, it was, i, it, even in the Book of Mormons, they described visions and stuff.
You know, I, and, and I, I can relate to a lot of people now in the Book of Mormon when they say they were showing visions, it was almost as if it was something that I. Could step into for a second. And I felt those horrible emotions again, right when I was gonna commit suicide, and they showed me this moment when I was questioning prayer and I saw these lights come to me in that moment that.
Back on earth. I remember feeling that hug that didn't make sense and they were just like, those lights that were [00:27:00] behind that hill of what I know, a few of 'em were my family members and I know those were prayers that came to me in that moment and it made me realize like, like, holy crap. That's what I felt that night.
That's what saved my life. Is, is. These prayers not only from my loved ones here on earth, but my loved ones on the other side also. And it, it just demolished my, my unbelief in prayer because I'm fortunate enough to not only have felt it in this physical world and at the time not know what it was, but to see it in my NDE also.
And the cool, and what I try to explain to people is those people that are, had been praying for me, like my parents were on a, a elderly mission in Australia at this time, uh, together as a couple. Um, and they were just [00:28:00] terrified, wondering if they were gonna get that phone call that I was dead at any time.
But they didn't stop praying and neither did any of my other family members or friends, and, and they never saw their prayers being answered necessarily, so they could have even lost faith or question like, I'm praying to you, God, why? Why is this still happening to my son, my brother, my friend, you know, my father?
And they didn't see that literally those prayers were answered and it saved my life, and it just showed me again how powerful prayer is in that that. As long as we keep an open heart and sincere heart in mind with our prayers, they're being answered. Whether you see it directly, sometimes you will, but other times you won't.
And in this moment, all those people praying for [00:29:00] me didn't know that it saved my life at that moment. That's how I was not only told, but shown the power of prayer. And like Elder Holland talks about Pray, pray, pray, pray always. And this just, you know, like I said, he just spoke about this a couple weeks ago after I've been sharing this story.
So I didn't copy and paste what he said either.
We had, we had the same. Type of lessons, maybe in different ways, but we had the same type of lessons during our near death experiences. And when, when someone sent me that, that he had shared that, I, I started bawling because it, it again confirmed to me that I am not crazy. This was a real experience and how powerful prayer is and how you, it's so important to [00:30:00] pray and.
Not, I don't know how to put it. You not have your own expectations on the prayer, but just have it be meaningful and heartfelt, and God has such a better path for how prayers are answered than we can even comprehend in our minds. Those people who were not giving up on me in that time and praying, didn't know that they saved my life behind that dumpster, that I was gonna commit suicide.
Haley Freeman: Wow.
Misty Smith: I wanna echo, a prayer because obviously it's a big part of your testimony now. I just want to echo that for me, prayer also saved my life. And if I didn't have all of the people praying that did, I don't know if I would've been here.
And, I was able to feel every single one of those prayers that people were praying for, and I fell asleep as I [00:31:00] heard people's prayers. And so I want to echo that the power of prayer is absolutely amazing, and it literally can save people's lives like it did for you and for me. Um, mm-hmm. And, and Haley, we've all have a testimony of prayer.
It's just incredible. I, I love the witness of prayer today.
Haley Freeman: Amen.
Landon Dennis: It's seriously, it's, it's one of the things that gets me through this crazy world right now, and, and I feel so fortunate to have had that experience with these two people there and shown that.
Because I was shown how it saved me, and so that's, I, I share with everybody out there that if you have loved ones struggling with addiction, with anything, and you're never give up the hope and faith how powerful prayer is because I was lucky enough to have this, [00:32:00] well, I guess you could call it lucky. I paid the price to, to have this experience through what happened to me, and, and I still have after effects from my brain injury.
But I, I, I will never in my life deny. Deny prayer again, even if I pray for something and I don't see it manifest the way that I want it to, I already know that God manifestation is so much better than what I can, what I can think of.
Haley Freeman: Absolutely. So what happened next? So you, you received these, these messages, you saw that vision, and then what happened next?
Landon Dennis: So they, they showed me a, a couple things actually, that is, this is crazy because I was shown past events that no one could have known about, and they showed me a couple of, I don't know how to explain it, but it was, it was [00:33:00] could future events, but it was almost like a warning type thing.
Haley Freeman: Interesting.
Landon Dennis: And, and they, they didn't tell me how to handle these things.
But they showed me these two things. And, and even after all of this, uh, it was about eight months after this experience, one of those things came true. Um,
Haley Freeman: wow.
Landon Dennis: And i, I didn't handle it the right way and I, I paid the consequences for it again. And, and like I said, they didn't, because we have our free agency on this earth.
We have our free will and. I, I was starting to lose my way again because I was starting to let dark forces take a hold of me again, and I chose, I, I didn't handle it the right way. And, and what, what it reminds me of is and this may sound weird [00:34:00] to some people, but like Laman and Lemuel I have so much more empathy for them now when I read the scriptures,
Misty Smith: yes,
Landon Dennis: because they were showing all these things, yet they, and they would repent and, and, you know, need, and they would yet, they would still fall back and almost try to deny it. I get it. I get that because I've done the same thing and, and
Misty Smith: yes,
Landon Dennis: I like, I, I relate so much more to the scriptures now from this and for the people that when I used to read the scriptures, I was like, bad guy, evil guy.
Misty Smith: Yes.
Landon Dennis: No longer is it that way. It's, it's.
Misty Smith: They're people. They're real. They have their good things. And I, I totally agree with you. I told my husband that so many times. I'm like, I get Laman and Lemuel now because so many people think that we go through these amazing things and only [00:35:00] perfect people go through these things, and we're an exception, but we're everyday people and God has chosen us to go through these miraculous events to be able to share.
And I, I don't know why. But I, I think it's amazing that we get the opportunity to share these
things.
Landon Dennis: That's why I love so much talking to you two. 'cause I've never been able to express these exact things that I'm saying with, with anybody on a platform. So thank you.
Misty Smith: It's so, so good. So you were saying that you were.
You had this experience with your family members? Correct. Were they family that was showing you?
Landon Dennis: Hmm.
Misty Smith: So what happened after your family showed you these things?
Landon Dennis: So when it was coming to kind of a close, I guess you could say, I got one last rush. As if, uh. A tide, a [00:36:00] wave of I love yous came to me and not just from my grandpa and my niece this time, but from so many lights were behind that field and I heel and I felt the rush.
And again, it was like a bear hug, but this time it was, we love you and we will see you again. And, and in a way, like I said, it's hard to describe in the words, but. In a way saying like, please, please pray. Please ask for help. It's not gonna be easy when you go back, but we love you and we're still your family and we'll see you again.
And that's why I know families can be together forever. And, and, and our church teaches that. And like I said, at this time when I had this experience, I had fallen away from the church. Like it wasn't. Something that, that I cared to even [00:37:00] necessarily have in my life. And, and I say I felt that, but as.
You guys can understand. It was so much more than just that. It was the feeling, the like, the experience, the intentions that it's, it's impossible to put into words, but it was, it was that, that we love you no matter what, and we're here for you and it's not gonna be easy, but we will see you again.
Haley Freeman: That's beautiful.
Landon Dennis: And that's, that's when, boom. All of a sudden I was back above my body again. But this time I'm getting brain surgery. I'm in a, I'm in this surgery room with bright lights. I remember seeing part of my head sectioned off and, and then, I mean, it gives me PTSD to think about, because not only was I seen.
This, which is not cool, of a thing to see, [00:38:00] to see this happening. Um, but also all those horrible feelings and everything were back with me. The depression, the sadness, the loneliness, the loss, the anxiety, the fear, all of that. And, and, and those spiritual and emotional pains that I'm trying to describe are, were so much worse than any physical pain I ever felt from this injury.
I would've rather felt the physical pains of what I was seeing than these emotional pains. And as I'm watching this, and it didn't last long, thank goodness. 'cause I got to a point again where I could not take what I was not only seeing but feeling and, and I heard, I heard that woman's voice because like I said, when we were communicating up there, it was as if I was speaking with you guys, but it was on such [00:39:00] a higher level of also the emotions.
But then when I was back above my body there, I, I just heard the voice again of her saying, Landon its time. I remember that first time she said it. It took away some of that fear and anxiety that I was feeling, but not totally. And then she said it a second time, Landon its time, and that's when I just remember all of a sudden opening my eyes and my family was around me.
That's when I started feeling physical pain again. And I guess what had happened, and I don't know how time works where I was compared to where my body was here, and that's it's, it's hard for me to explain it because it might sound jumpy, but that's how it is in my mind too. I'm still trying to grasp the concept of.
Of this transitions from [00:40:00] where I was and everything, but I remember opening my eyes and I guess right before that I had, I had come outta surgery and they were telling my wife, he, we don't know how he's alive. We are just trying to keep him alive for the next 24 hours. If these stents don't work.
'cause I had like three stents. I had neo plaque, I have four titanium plates in my head with a titanium clip. They're trying to drain the spinal cord fluid and blood out my head. Um, but I guess when I came out that surgery, the first coherent thing I said to my wife, she said, I just kind of opened my eyes and said.
Call my dad. I need a priesthood blessing,
and I, I don't remember
this, this was just told to me. So my dad grabbed one of our neighbors down here and came to the hospital and, and gave me a priesthood blessing. And [00:41:00] again, I, this is during a time that I, I didn't believe necessarily in the power of the priesthood.
So it's crazy that I, the first coherent things that I still don't remember ever saying was, grab my dad. I need a priesthood blessing. And I remember. Opening my eyes and it was after he had given me that blessing and I opened my eyes and I, when I opened them, I saw these dark things just flee out of this hospital room.
Haley Freeman: Wow.
Landon Dennis: Just like I forgot to mention, when I was behind that, that little Caesar's pizza and I saw those prayers come to me when I was about to commit suicide, I saw these. Dark wispy. They didn't have a form. Things flee at that time too.
Haley Freeman: Wow.
Landon Dennis: And, as I've thought about it, 'cause this happened about two years ago, as I've thought about it, it's almost like those dark things were holding me in that state of like anguish and [00:42:00] anxiety.
And that priesthood blessing brought me out. Of wherever I, it was, I, like I said, I don't have answers for a lot of this stuff. I'm still trying to piece together and think of all these things that happen and, and why and how, and that's what's cool about the LDS churches, their teachings. Have helped it make so much more sense to me.
Haley Freeman: Yeah. That's amazing.
Landon Dennis: But I saw those things leave my room and he had blessed me and said, I bless this room from the holy Melchizedek priesthood that nothing will be in this room to harm my son spiritually, mentally, or physically during his recovery.
Haley Freeman: Wow.
Landon Dennis: And so I, I came to, with my family there. And I, I had to end up doing, uh, speech therapy again to learn how to talk.
I had to do physical therapy. They would tie a belt around [00:43:00] me with like a whatever pound weight tied to a strap, and I would have to be in a walker and try to carry the sting around the, and, and they thought I was gonna be in there minimum for at least like six months minimum. And they could not believe the progression that I had from the time that I came out of the surgery.
And after that blessing, the progression and how fast I healed and I was able to, I was able to ask nurses and other people things that also verified my near death experience. Like, Hey, why were they drilling into my knee? You know, on the way to the hospital if I had a head, head injury and she kind of was telling me the medical stuff of it, like, well, you were flatlined.
They had to get into a vein immediately, all this stuff to get you back alive. And I was telling her, well, I [00:44:00] watched 'em do it, and she was. I was like, no. I watched him do it and I also saw like a paramedic or whoever he was, doctor, with a red pen in his shirt. And I described what he looked like and they were able, while the time I was there to tell me who that was exactly and how could I have ever known that if I was dead.
And they were trying, kept trying to bring me back to life and all this and that, and that's a cool, really cool thing. That was a very cool thing for me to also have that scientific side of it.
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: To prove that I wasn't crazy. But like you guys said, it's taken me a long time to share this story because I let thoughts creep into my head that give me doubt that even though I, I know it was true and real, I let me being scared of scrutiny or other things of sharing it, keep me from sharing it. [00:45:00] And I'm over that now. I am. I am over that.
Haley Freeman: Awesome.
Landon Dennis: I was given a gift in this experience and I wanna share it with others to help others have comfort, to know that there's life after this life and what we do on this earth matters.
And it's changed and transformed my mind that now I know. That the things that I do with good intentions in this life will bless me in the next life.
Haley Freeman: Thank you so much for sharing your story. Is there anything else that you would like our listeners to know? Any main takeaway that you'd like to share?
Landon Dennis: My main takeaway is that the power prayer is not only real, but so powerful. And to do it, not just when you're having a hard time, but when you're having a good time.
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Landon Dennis: And a great time.
Haley Freeman: Absolutely.
Landon Dennis: Pray with gratefulness and pray when you struggle and when [00:46:00] you're having a good time, pray for others.
Haley Freeman: Yeah,
Landon Dennis: That may be struggling, and when you're having a hard time, pray for help.
Haley Freeman: Mm-hmm.
Do you have any, way for people to message you or contact you?
Landon Dennis: Yeah. So what I've, what I've come to find, 'cause I have a lot of people that reach out to me and I take so much time out to reach out to each one, but just, just my Facebook messenger.
For now, it's, I, my name's Landon Dennis and it, I'm from St. George, Utah. And you can find me on there and you can send me a, a message request and a friend request, and I will absolutely accept it because,
Haley Freeman: okay.
Landon Dennis: I, , that's part of, that's part of my mission of why I came back.
Haley Freeman: Awesome. Well, I'm sure this has helped a lot of people.
And again, we're so thankful to have you share your story with us on Latter- day Miracles and, we wish you a good night. Thank you [00:47:00] so much, Landon.
Landon Dennis: Thank you so much for allowing me to be a guest on your podcast. That means a lot to me.
Outro: Thank you for joining us on Latter-day Miracles. If you have a miracle story that you feel inspired to share, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us on our website at latterdaymiracles.net or message us on social media. Until next time, keep your heart open to the miraculous and may you feel the presence of angels in your everyday life.
00:00 Introduction to Latter-day Miracles
00:35 Recap of Previous Episodes
01:08 Introducing Landon and His Story
03:56 Landon's Near-Death Experience Begins
22:41 The Power of Prayer and Spiritual Insights
37:35 Landon's Recovery and Validation
45:34 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
