Archive of meeting descriptions and audio files
January, 2015 – Bill English
Our speaker for Friday, January 23rd, will be Bill English, president of the Utah Chapter of IANDS. Nearly everyone who attends IANDS has heard Bill explain the nature of the near-death experience, and the purposes of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, one of which is to learn from those who have had an NDE.
In July 1991, Bill and his brother, Bob, were riding their ATVs in the sand dunes near Saint Anthony, Idaho. Bill’s machine threw him and he landed on his head, breaking his back. After removal by helicopter to a local hospital, and later being transport to the U of U Medical Center, Bill’s medical emergency deepened. His brother was told that Bill probably would not live, and if he did live he would be paralyzed and need help for the rest of his life. Bill was comatose for over four weeks. During that time he had two out-of-body experiences.
We invite you to come and hear the experience that first gave Bill his insight into the nature of the NDE and the reality and nature of the afterlife, family connections beyond the grave, and the operation of healing and other powers on both sides of the veil.
February, 2015 – Tyrel Wiltse
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our February 27th IANDS meeting will be Tyrel Wiltse. Tyrel has had four brushes with death resulting in near-death experiences. A powerful seizure causing his 4th NDE left him with a toehold in the unseen world around us. Recovering from four brushes with death has required extensive rehabilitation but the perspectives he gained from his NDEs assist him in his work with troubled and victimized youth.
March, 2015 – Angie Fenimore
On Friday 27 March at IANDS we have the privilege of hearing from Angie Fenimore. As a young wife and mother in an abusive relationship, our March speaker,Angie Fenimore, attempted suicide as an escape. Her amazing near-death experience is one of the few in which the person sees a glimpse of hell. Generally those who present at IANDS share a beautiful if not blissful experience. If one is not familiar with NDE knowledge they might come to the conclusion that all life after death is wonderful. To some, suicide may even seem a reasonable means to immediately experience the afterlife. Angie’s message is that suicide is not a viable option for those who think that taking their life will be a way out. This does not mean all who have committed suicide will have the same experience as Angie. It does, however, suggest there are many options in eternity that not even most who have visited there are aware of. IANDS studies suggest no one knows what others experience when they reach the next world, or how long they will reside at any given location. Hear Angie describe her experience and how it changed her life forever.
Angie now provides empathic healing, spiritual empowerment coaching and writing coaching. She facilitates Calliope Writing Coach writers’ conferences and writing intensives. She has served as guest faculty for several writers’ conferences, including Rick Frishman’s Author 101 and New York Times bestselling authors M. Bridget Cook’s Inspired Writer’s Retreat and David Farland’s Superstars Writing Seminars. THE SPARROW’S LENS is her second book.
April, 2015 – Mario Naujoks and Shawn White
The meeting Friday April 24, 2015 will feature presentations from two speakers, Shawn White and Mario Naujoks. Both speakers had brief yet profound Near Death Experiences. Shawn’s NDE was the result of intense hopelessness and a desire to leave this world, Mario’s as a result of a car accident in Little Cottonwood Canyon after his car plunged off a 500 foot cliff. This meeting should be both informative and impactful. Many of the experiences that are shared in our meetings could be considered more expansive in nature. While the experiences of Kristyn and Mario may be considered brief by some they are just as profound and are generally more common.
Some may consider their own or another’s experience outside the framework of a Near Death Experience if the more commonly reported elements are absent. Not true. The Near Death Experience has multiple elements and is individual in nature. This presentation may provide answers to those who have questioned a similar experience in their own life or in the life of someone they have known.
May, 2015 – Jade Kramer
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our May 22nd IANDS meeting will be Jade Kramer. During an operation to remove a brain tumor in 1985, Jade’s heart stopped for a little less than one minute. Immediately after the operation, she had no memory of anything that happened during that brief period. Nevertheless, strange things began to occur for the young mother when she started experiencing random metaphysic phenomena in her daily life. Visions, perceiving thoughts and seeing deception or pretense in others, were just a few of her new gifts. Being a new mom, and trying to heal, her newfound abilities became a distraction and a burden and she willed them away for a time.
Then one day, 12 years later, while minding her own business, she had an instant recall of her near-death experience while cleaning the house that completely redirected the course of her life. Come listen to Jade’s account of what she eventually recalled and how it has changed the course of her life.
June, 2015 – T.C. Christensen and Lori Conger
We are pleased to announce that our June speakers will be:
T.C. Christensen
A gifted film maker, when T.C. Christensen learned of the 1986 hostage taking of 136 grade school children and the bomb intended to kill all of them, which went off in the grade school in Cokeville, Wyoming, a small town east of Bear Lake, he decided to make a film of the event. Many of the grade school children described being saved from death by the appearance of angels through the ceiling of the school room where they were held hostage, who told them what to do when the bomb went off. The film portraying this true event is now playing at movie theaters across the U.S. This fascinating event is closely related to near-death experiences. The description of the event is riveting. T.C. Christensen has interviewed most of the survivors of the event, their parents, town officials and many others.
Lori Conger
As a young girl, Lori Conger, attended at the Cokeville grade school as a student and was present in the classroom when the bomb exploded. She will give a first-person account of what happened.
August 2015 – Brendon Rackham.
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our August 28th IANDS meeting will be Brendon Rackham. Even before Brendon’s NDE as a result of an ATV accident he had some brushes with the dark side, that helped him realize there were other dimensions beyond mortal life, but that didn’t necessarily keep him on the path to “righteous living,” in fact as a teenager and young adult he experimented with a variety of “bad” things before his NDE. But through his NDE he came to know the reality of God and Christ and their amazing love, forgiveness and acceptance. As with many other NDErs this extraordinary experience changed his life. Come and learn, how and why, what he saw and learned about the light and the dark side of life, and about the new mission he was given, that your attendance may help to fulfill. Some of his experience was witnessed by others as well. A great fresh, credible NDE for anyone who wonders if there is a God, if evil exists, or any who could benefit from knowing that they are loved and accepted despite past misbehavior.
In addition to Brendon Rackham, we will also be hearing from M Bridget Cook. Bridget is a national bestselling author known for her riveting tales of transformation. She has a gift for bringing light into the darkest places of humanity, to illuminate paths that awaken readers to their own magnificent potential. Her work has been showcased on Oprah, CNN, and Good Morning America.
September 2015 – David Herard
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our September 25th IANDS meeting will be David Herard. David Herard had a difficult childhood, which left him more intense, harsh and angry than most. David often took out his frustrations and anger during his two tours of duty in Vietnam. As a soldier, anger and intensity were valued.
David was injured in his first tour of duty when three hand-grenades exploded in his group of Marines. Two others were killed. David was seriously injured and was evacuated to a hospital in Okinawa, Japan. David wanted to return to Vietnam, so he waived his rights for a one-year tour of duty in the states.
David arrived back in Vietnam in February 1968, just after the beginning of the Tet offensive a month earlier. Fire fights were frequent and intense. During the Ted offensive, American units were suffering 50-60% casualties.
In the last week of June 1968, David was on Hill 881-North, near Khe Sanh, as part of a 250 man unit, which had lost 30% of their men. Just before Hill 881-North was over-run by the North Vietnam Army, on July 6th they were evacuated to Hill 681, about five miles away. That same night, they came under heavy fire. It turned into face-to-face fighting. In the morning, everyone who survived was running low on ammo. Everyone said it was time to stock up on more ammo, but being so tired from the intense all night fighting, no one wanted to go to the ammo dump.
David got angry at this and decided to get the ammo himself. He ran nine or ten trips to the ammo dump, each time bringing back as much ammo as he could carry. On David’s last trip, an enemy 122mm rocket landed about 20 feet behind him. When it exploded, the intense force threw David into the air and down the hill a considerable distance. Despite massive injuries, somehow David got up and ran back to his fellow-soldiers and cover. He had severe wounds in both feet, both legs, both cheeks, both arms, both hands, the back of his neck and small of his back. The medic didn’t give him morphine because he said “it would just leak out.”
Hearing the medic describe his wounds, David was sure he was going to die because he had seen many soldiers with fewer wounds not survive. Then David started to feel so very tired, sleepy, and completely exhausted.
He saw a light, distant and small at first, but continually brighter until it was seemed blinding in its intensity, but it didn’t hurt his eyes. Drawn into the light, David saw a beautiful river, and on the other side a number of people dressed in exquisite robes, waiving at him, gesturing David to come across the river to join them. Just as he decided to cross over, David felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a voice say, “No, it’s not your time, go back!”
David felt great love during his near-death experience, which changed the very essence of who he was from harsh and intense to caring and loving.
Especially in times of difficulty, David looks back on his near-death experience to put the difficulties of life in perspective and help him make decisions. His oldest daughter’s husband served in Iraq. David’s near death experience helped him reassure her in times of worry.
October 2015 – Audy Wayman
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our October 23rd IANDS meeting will be Audy Wayman. A knock on the bathroom door by an invisible visitor may have saved 3 year old Audy’s life. She was nearer to death than anyone expected because during her crisis she left our world and visited a beautiful place she never would have imagined existed. When she returned to her little body and jumped up from the tub she blocked the experience from her memory. After many years of struggle she suddenly remembered the entire event that had sent her spiraling down into the depths ultimately learning that it was the most beautiful thing to happen to her because through darkness she had seen the Love and light that exists in all of us.
November 2015 – Ted Whiting
We are pleased to announce our speaker for our November 27th IANDS meeting will be Ted Whiting. In 1981 Ted Whiting had exploratory surgery on his back due to complication from a motorcycle accident he was in. The operation was at St. Mark’s Hospital. It was scheduled for two hours, but due to the complexity, it took five hours and Ted died on the operating table.
Ted didn’t go through tunnel. He saw his father who he had only seen a few times in his life. His father had drowned many years earlier. The setting where Ted saw his father was beautiful. It was perfect. Ted will describe it in detail when he speaks. Ted spoke with his father who told him he shouldn’t be there. They took a walk and had a conversation about many things. Ted’s father told Ted he had to go back He told Ted he was going to have two sons. He said, “They are great boys, I’ve met them.” Ted was not yet married and didn’t even have a girl friend at the time, so this was somewhat of a surprise.
Ted’s father pushed him back towards this life and Ted ended up in his body, in great pain. Ted spent five days in ICU, but due to his low blood pressure, could have no medication for the severe pain. When Ted told the doctor and nurses, he knew I had died, they looked sheepishly at him as if they knew it too.
Eight years later, in 1989 Ted had an industrial accident. He was a diesel mechanic at a place called Overnight Transportation, which was later bought out by UPS. Ted was on top of a truck fixing an air-horn. He slipped and fell off the tall truck, landing on the cement floor. He was knocked out for a while. The accident seriously damaged Ted’s sinuses, which would not drain properly and Ted developed a serious sinus infection.
While Ted was attending Salt Lake Community College the pain from his sinus infection increased to the point he could hardly stand it. He called his brother who took Ted to the emergency center at St. Mark’s Hospital. Ted was wheeled in on a stretcher. The pain was so severe Ted finally gave up and died. Again, he didn’t see a tunnel or a light. On the other side, Ted saw many people who knew him. His aunt told him, “You’re not supposed to be here. You have to go back. You have things to do you haven’t done yet.”
Ted remembers vividly the setting, weather and details of the surroundings where he talked to his aunt. Ted told her the pain was unbearable and he didn’t want to go back. Like with his father, Ted’s aunt pushed him back and Ted woke up in his body.
Ted learned from his experiences there is nothing to fear from dying. There are people who are waiting for us. It seems like a short time for those on the other side. Here it seems like a long time. Ted learned other insights he will share with us.
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