I was sleeping soundly on a Saturday morning, June 23, 1990, when I was awakened by the telephone at 6 a.m. My wife, Kendra, was still at the hospital working her graveyard shift as a registered nurse.

"Hello, Mr. Moss." It was a woman's voice. "This is the transplant coordinator from the University Hospital."I immediately woke up.

She said: "A little 5-year-old boy from California has drowned. It looks as if we have a kidney for your son, Bryce."

Mixed feelings flooded my heart - joy as I thought about the possibility of Bryce living a normal life and not having to be on dialysis any more, fear and anxiety as I thought about Bryce possibly rejecting this third transplant and all the suffering he had already gone through, deep sorrow and gratitude as I thought about the family who had lost their little son but had given Bryce this special gift.

We had waited for over two years for a kidney to become available. Bryce had just turned 7 years old. Going through dialysis three or four times each week was very traumatic for him.

After I hung up I quickly called my wife to inform her of the news. With all of the emotions I was feeling it was difficult for me to communicate coherently with her. I then woke up Bryce and told him about the kidney. He was quite excited. Prior to leaving for the hospital I knelt down and offered a heart-felt prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father for the kidney. I fervently prayed all would go well for my son. I also prayed the family who lost their son would be comforted and know that a family was grateful for their willingness to donate their son's organs.

We arrived at the hospital, got all the papers filled out, the lab work completed, and then the inevitable wait began. As we sat there anxiously waiting for the time of Bryce's surgery, I reflected back on how much he had gone through during his short life.

Bryce at 9 months was pale, lethargic, and lacked appetite. At 11 months, he was diagnosed as having kidney problems. The diagnosis was a congenital urinary system blockage. We were shocked. Bryce had chronic kidney failure! We took Bryce to the hospital where he was scheduled for surgery to remove the blockage. When the doctors found the damage to his kidneys was irreparable, they sent him home on medications and a special diet. They predicted the future requirement of a kidney transplant. We rejected the idea. We had faith the Lord would bless Bryce so that a transplant wouldn't be necessary.

As time went on, we felt great hope when he did so well. Then when Bryce was 2 years old his lab results deteriorated. The doctors were less than optimistic. They asked my wife and me if either of us could donate a kidney to Bryce. Testing eliminated me as a donor, but Kendra was accepted.

Surgery was scheduled for December 1985, when Bryce was just 2 1/2 years old. The doctors were optimistic that the transplant would be successful. They thought Kendra and Bryce would both be home by Christmas. Their optimism, along with the spiritual experiences we had through fasting, prayers and priesthood administrations, plus a special fast our ward held, gave us confidence that everything would go well.

The day of surgery came quickly. It was difficult to let go of Bryce as they wheeled him to the operating room. An hour and a half later they took Kendra to surgery. It was so difficult for me to let go and say goodbye to her. During the hours of waiting I prayed constantly for my wife and son.

The doctors told us the surgeries had gone well. They had removed both of Bryce's kidneys, which they said looked terrible, and they put Kendra's kidney in his lower abdomen.

I felt optimistic. Then disaster struck. The kidney wasn't working! Bryce's blood pressure rose to a critical level. The doctors rushed him back to surgery. He underwent five major surgeries - one on Christmas Day - in the next four weeks as they tried to save the kidney.

In the surgical intensive care unit Bryce looked so tiny in the crib with intravenous tubes sticking in both arms and feet. Tubes, lines and bandages practically covered his little body. His eyes, as he looked up at me, reflected his terrible pain.

Then more disaster struck. Kendra developed toxic shock! She was in critical condition. We were fearful we would lose her. The doctors put her next to Bryce in the intensive care, which solved my problem of where to spend my time.

In the little hospital chapel I knelt and pleaded for the welfare of my wife and son. I asked God: "Why? Why, after all of our spiritual experiences preparing for this transplant is the kidney not working and my wife is in critical condition? Why do we have to go through these trials? Why do my little boy and my wife have to go through so much suffering?"

I struggled with these questions. Was it because my faith was not strong enough? I had difficulty understanding and accepting everything. Some relief came to me as I read Prov. 3:5: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." I also gained understanding and relief from reading in President Spencer W. Kimball's book, Faith Precedes the Miracle. Finally, I decided to fully trust in the Lord and put everything in His hands. When I did so - and remembered all of my other blessings - I felt His peace and comfort.

After four difficult weeks, the doctors removed the kidney. It had never worked. A tube was surgically inserted into Bryce's lower abdomen for peritoneal dialysis. This required him to be hooked to a machine at home each night for twelve hours.

The Lord blessed us. Within a few weeks Kendra recovered from her toxic shock and surgery, Bryce did well on peritoneal dialysis, and I was offered three different job opportunities - each of which would double my income.

Eight months later, when Bryce was 3, we received a phone call that a lady - a donor - had died in an automobile accident. We had just moved and our new ward members immediately gave their support. This kidney worked great for two weeks. Then rejection! After four months he finally lost this kidney.

Bryce was again placed on peritoneal dialysis. Initially this went well, but then he got peritonitis - a life-threatening infection people can also get when their appendix ruptures - which continued on and off for several months. He continually cried out with pain. His only relief was to have someone continuously rub his tummy. Back in the operating room the surgeons tried to put a new tube in his abdomen. There was so much scar tissue that peritoneal dialysis was no longer possible. We had dreaded the thought of hemodialysis. Now it was our only option. A hemodialysis machine, to which he was hooked for four hours, three to four times a week at the hospital, cleaned his blood.

One day was especially bad. Dialysis often caused bad headaches and sickness, but this day was much worse. As we drove home from the hospital, he said: "Dad, this is the worst day of my life. Why do I have to go through all of this?"

What could I say? How do you tell a child, not quite 7 years of age, why he has to suffer so much? "I don't know why," I responded, "but I know God loves you. Even though your life has been difficult, the Lord has still blessed you very much. Many children, such as those with terminal cancer or severe handicaps, can't run and play and go to school like you can."

A few weeks later, after family prayer, Bryce said, "Dad, it's OK if I don't receive a kidney."

This shocked me. "We've been waiting and praying for a kidney for over two years. Why do you say it's OK not to receive a kidney?"

He said: "Dad, remember the talk we had a few weeks ago about my blessings? That's why."

Tears welled up in my wife's and my eyes when he said this.

Now here we were just two weeks after this conversation, sitting in the hospital waiting for Bryce's third kidney transplant. The transplant surgery was successful. The kidney worked. Within a couple of weeks Bryce was home. For two months this kidney worked well. Then rejection again! Though we were afraid Bryce was going to lose this kidney, we felt at peace. We were given approval to take Bryce to Pittsburgh Children's Hospital to receive a new, experimental, anti-rejection medication. Plane reservations, tickets, lodging were all arranged.

Late in the evening the night before we were to leave, a knock came at our door. We opened our door to find some ward members. They handed us an envelope and said, "This expresses in a small way the love we have for your family." The envelope contained $1,300 in cash, collected in a few short hours. Kendra and I, humbled by this demonstration of love and support, cried as we felt deep gratitude for our kind friends who sacrificed greatly to contribute this money.

That night at the hospital Bryce got sick, forcing the postponement of our trip. Meanwhile, the Lord blessed him. The rejection reversed itself. We cancelled the Pittsburgh trip.

Nearly five years have passed since Bryce's last transplant. He is now 12 years old and was ordained a deacon in May. As we watch him play sports we sometimes think about that gracious family who through the loss of their son has allowed our son to have a normal, active life. We also feel gratitude to the Lord for how He has blessed Bryce.