When the Walk of Faith Requires No Legs: The Journey of Elder Emmett Oakley

Elder Emmett Oakley stands in front of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. He will complete his service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January 2026. Photo provided by Emmett Oakley, courtesy of Church News.

In the quiet corners of Cedar Falls, Iowa, you might run into a young man named Emmett Oakley. He has a smile that fills a room and a handshake that makes you feel like the most important person in it. But if you look closer at his journey—one that spans continents, orphanages, and the loss of both his legs—you realize that Emmett isn't just "getting by." He is teaching an entire community what it means to truly stand.

As Emmett prepares to complete his service mission this month, his story serves as a profound masterclass in resilience, the power of community, and the "higher joy" found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Emmett Oakley, a service missionary from Cedar Falls, Iowa, stands in front of a Christmas tree on December 17, 2025. Photo provided by Susan Sims, courtesy of Church News.

A Turbulent Beginning

Emmett’s story began thousands of miles away in Asia. Born with spina bifida in 1999, he spent the first eight years of his life in an orphanage, facing the world without the traditional support of a family. In 2007, he was adopted by a Latter-day Saint family in Iowa, but the transition wasn't easy.

Haunted by his early childhood and struggling with mounting health challenges, a teenage Emmett found himself drifting. He struggled to understand why a loving God would allow His children to endure such heavy trials. For a time, the distance between Emmett and his faith grew into a wide chasm.

Elder Emmett Oakley, a service missionary from Cedar Falls, Iowa, performs community service in 2023. Photo provided by Emmett Oakley, courtesy of Church News.

The Turning Point in a Rehab Center

In 2021, a severe bone infection led to the amputation of Emmett’s right leg. It was a physical blow that could have easily broken his spirit. Instead, while sitting in a rehabilitation center in Cedar Falls, something shifted.

Emmett realized he wanted his life to look different. He reached out to Bishop Harold Youngblut of the River Forest Ward with a vulnerable request: he wanted to come back to church.

What followed was a beautiful display of "the body of Christ" in action. Members of the local congregation didn’t just welcome him; they became his hands and feet. They offered rides, sent encouraging texts, and sat with him through his questions.

"There were days when I wanted to go to Church and days when I did not want to go," Emmett recalls, "but I felt like I belonged."

Elder Emmett Oakley, a service missionary from Cedar Falls, Iowa, performs community service in 2023. Photo provided by Susan Sims, courtesy of Church News.

A Mission Interrupted—But Not Ended

By 2024, at age 24, Emmett felt a calling to serve. He was set apart as a service missionary, dedicated to helping the community. He threw himself into work at Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, and the Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Valley.

However, the trial was not over.

Shortly into his mission, complications arose that required the amputation of his other leg. Lying in a hospital bed, grappling with the loss of his second limb, Emmett faced a dark night of the soul. He found himself praying desperately

 "Where are Your loving hands?"

The answer didn't come in a thunderclap; it came through the door of his hospital room. A constant stream of friends, ward members, and fellow missionaries flooded his room. The hospital staff was stunned, remarking, "Man, you have a lot of visitors. You must be loved."

Finding "A Higher Joy"

It was during this recovery that Emmett found a specific source of strength in a General Conference message by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled "A Higher Joy." The message helped Emmett reframe his reality. He realized that while his legs were temporal—objects of this world that had failed him—his joy didn't have to be.

"That made me realize that while legs are important, they are temporal," Emmett explains. "In the next life we will receive a perfect body... I won’t have neuropathy or pain."

This perspective allowed him to return to his mission not as a victim of circumstance, but as a leader. He eventually rose to become a zone leader, supervising and inspiring other service missionaries throughout Iowa.

Right, Elder Emmett Oakley, a service missionary from Cedar Falls, Iowa, shakes hands with Brendan Coutu, bishopric first counselor in the Waterloo Iowa Ward on December 17, 2025. Photo provided by Susan Sims, courtesy of Church News.

The Legacy of a Service Mission

As January 2026 arrives, Elder Oakley is finishing his mission with his head held high. His impact on the Cedar Valley area is immeasurable. From the aisles of the food bank to the sacred halls of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, he has shown that service is not about what your body can do, but what your heart is willing to give.

Bishop Nicholas Bailey, who watched Emmett's growth, says it best: "He has let the Atonement of Jesus Christ work in his life. He wants to be a better person every day... This is a person that you want to be around."

What Lies Ahead

Emmett Oakley isn't slowing down. With his mission concluding, he has his sights set on returning to college and eventually earning a master's degree from Brigham Young University.

His message to anyone struggling, doubting, or feeling "less than" is simple: Come back.

"If you leave the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is OK to come back," Emmett says. "Christ’s arms are ever extended and His light is ever reaching."

Emmett Oakley may have lost his legs, but he has found his footing on the covenant path. And in doing so, he has reminded us all that we are never walking alone.