Missionary’s Miracle Contact… Lens • followHIM Favorites • July 27-August 2 • Come Follow Me

July 23, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

A missionary in Switzerland in 1958 lost a contact lens on a gravel road. He was nearly blind in one eye, had a lesson to teach that evening, and had been searching on his hands and knees for twenty minutes. Then he prayed. What happened next is one of the most specific, improbable answers to prayer recorded in modern Latter-day Saint mission stories.

The problem of a lost lens

Elder Richard Kraycroft had been wearing brand new contact lenses for only five days when a speck of dust lodged in his right eye. He removed the lens, cleaned it, and prepared to reinsert it. But as he held it on his fingertip, a gust of wind swept it away. He was left with 20/2600 vision in that eye—effectively blind in one direction—after having been corrected to 20/20 just a week earlier.

He and his companion, Elder Neil Reading, searched on hands and knees across an eight-foot radius of wet gravel. They found nothing. After twenty futile minutes, Kraycroft suggested they pray. He reasoned with the Lord about his need to see, the need to meet three investigator families that evening, and his feeling that there was more to the work ahead of them.

The flash of intelligence

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Welcome and Setup** - John and Hank introduce the "Follow Him Favorites" format and the week's lesson from Ezra and Nehemiah.
2 (00:37) **The Dust Speck and the Lost Lens** - Elder Kraycroft is walking on a gravel road when a dust speck blinds his right eye, leading him to remove his new contact lens.
3 (01:35) **The Prayer and a "Flash of Intelligence"** - Half-blind and despairing, Elder Kraycroft prays, reasoning with the Lord about his need to see for that evening's appointments.
4 (02:09) **The "Step into the Dark"** - Elder Kraycroft executes the plan by removing his left lens and letting the wind take it, making himself completely blind.
5 (03:05) **The Miracle Landing** - After a tense pause, Elder Reading exclaims that the second lens has landed "almost right on top of the other lens."
6 (03:52) **Conclusion and Connection** - John and Hank reflect on the story's meaning for the Ezra and Nehemiah lesson.
7 (04:46) **Outro and Invitation** - John and Hank wrap up, inviting listeners to the full "Follow Him" podcast.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTS
English: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT231EN
French: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT231FR
German: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT231DE
Portuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT231PT
Spanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT231ES

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