A Mormon Family’s Compelling Journey

Mitchell Jones died March 2, 2013, after a lifelong battle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What grabbed the attention of thousands of Facebook readers is the fact that Mitchell was only ten years old when he died.

“People fell in love with this little boy, who had first been diagnosed with this ravaging disease when he was only a three-year-old toddler.”

Despite legitimate assessments by many people that social media, such as Facebook, create a false sense of intimacy, the chronicles of Mitchell’s journey testified of his parents’ faith in their Heavenly Father’s plan and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

His parents, Chris and Natalie Jones, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the Mormon Church. They “believed the burden would be lightened if they shared their anguish—and so they did in photos, videos that include doctor’s reports and their vivid reactions, and journal entries.” Their experiences resonated with readers and comments on their Facebook page “reflect that those thousands who followed this heartbreaking story learned something more about faith, enduring tragedy with grace, and how to love their children with more intensity.”

Chris Jones’s entries are compelling:

I’ll never forget the look of bewilderment on Natalie’s face upon hearing the diagnosis. I remained stoic and collected, but after leaving the doors of he hospital I stayed behind and sat on a bench that looked over the valley and wept.

Today, knowing what we know (after seeing the doctor), we see some of the things he does with a different perspective—and we are now recognizing what were before silent indications that this disease was already taking grasp on his little body.

He also shares his faith and trust in our loving Father in Heaven—a closeness with God that helps Latter-day Saints through the trials of life:

Something happened a few years ago and I don’t completely understand why . . . and I suppose in time that it will be revealed; but, since the day Mitchell was born, I have had a recurring and persistent impression that his life on this earth would be short. This feeling came long before this devastating news about his disease–and when we had no reason to believe such a thing. Over time I told only a few people about this impression . . . . But for reasons I don’t completely understand at this point—I had this persistent uneasiness about him. I now see (at least) that our loving Heavenly Father wanted me to know something was wrong. And indeed—something is. He warned us . . . in effect prepared us to some degree. And if He did that, He will also carry us places we don’t have the strength to go ourselves.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ understand that Jesus Christ’s Atonement provided resurrection and redemption for all of God’s children. Through life’s painful experiences, they grow to understand the enabling and healing power of the Atonement. Chris Jones wrote:

“I am grateful to have learned something of the Atonement—and while I have much to learn about that sacred topic, I know enough about the hope it provides to keep from sinking.”

The funeral address given by Mitchell’s father appears on the Facebook page. He shares six tender mercies that were “extended to our family during this journey” and he thanks Heavenly Father for them. His concluding words reflect his continued trust and faith in God and his belief that he will be reunited with Mitchell:

As our little boy approached death, I began to sense that Mitchell was much older than I realized. Beneath the veneer of a little 10-year-old’s broken body was a spirit that was older and wiser than I appreciated. And while I miss his tender face, his soft voice, and his beautiful soul . . . so very much . . . every-so-often I am beginning to get a sense of things as they really are. His spirit existed long before he came to this earth—as did all of ours. . . .

But as painful as this separation is, I know that my redeemer lives. And because He lives, so also, does my son.

And I will spend the rest of my days chasing after them—so that I might enjoy that sacred reunion and all that Heavenly Father would offer.

This article was written by Paula Hicken, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.