I found my friend!

This is my friend!

    One day... One day and I am out a year. I cannot believe it. It has gone so fast! I do not know where the time has gone! How much I have changed... holy cow. It was a very fun week and so much happened. Including my comp going to the hospital on Monday, (which is why I am writing today) but he is okay! But there was a blessing from that experience, because today.. I am going to Costco... I am going to eat Costco pizza... Just another testimony builder for why I am supposed to be here I am sure of it. Haha just kidding but only a little bit. But all joking aside, on to the spiritual side of things...

     The following event took place in a ward in Salt Lake City in 1974. It occurred during a sacrament meeting and was told to me by a Regional Representative of the Twelve who was in the meeting. A young man, just before leaving on his mission stood in sacrament meeting and bore in essence the following testimony: 

Brothers and Sisters, as you know, the past two weeks I've been waiting for my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream. I knew it was not an ordinary dream. I dreamed I was in the pre-existence and awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same anticipation and excitement that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream I was talking to a friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter. I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born to the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America." 

My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call, and while we were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties - which will hinder the work of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica." We wept, my friend and I, as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, please come and find me." 

The this young missionary, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica." 

There is a sequel to the story. About a year after the sacrament meeting, the bishop received a letter from the missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it and on that sheet written in capital letters were four words: 

I FOUND MY FRIEND! 

     This past week held one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I truly did find my friend, and just as this story, it was just around my one year mark. I could not of asked for a better way to celebrate my halfway mark than to baptize Rose just 5 days shy of it. It was such a special experience for me. When Rose came up out of the water she quietly gasped. 

Rose's baptism!

     Only I heard, but I did not ask her why because I thought it was just because she was a little nervous because I made sure she went low into the water so her hair or dress did not come out. But later that night we went and visited her and we talked about her baptism and just how happy she was and I just felt that I should ask about the actual experience. She asked me if I heard her gasp and I told her I had. She told me the reason. She said that as she was lowered into the water, it was as if all of the anger, heartache, and despair she had felt from her divorce and from just all of life's challenges, along with her sins, mistakes, and bad feelings, could not enter the water with her. She said that as she lowered beneath the surface, she could literally feel them leave her body as if a weight was lifted. She said that she felt as if her past could not enter the water with her because she was being reborn and beginning a new life. It was one of the most beautiful and amazing descriptions of baptism that I had ever heard. She was so happy. During her baptismal service, I sat beside her up on the stand the whole time. We did it the hour before Sacrament meeting so a lot of members were there and it was so powerful. When the service ended, 40 or so members lined up single file with flowers, chocolate, or gifts  to give to Rose and congratulate her. I was next to her and tried to move away because it was her big day, but every single member came up to me after talking to Rose and thanked me. Just a sincere thank you for what I had done. I had truly only been an instrument in the hands of the Lord and it was not anything I had done, but the members were so grateful that they could have a baptism in their ward, partake of that spirit, and have a new member come into the fold that their joy was bursting! It truly was such an amazing sacred experience. I could not have asked for a better week to reach my year mark. 

     Can't we all do as Rose did this last week and lower ourselves back down into the waters of humility and change? Start anew through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ? Cannot we all gasp at the glory of our Savior as we find ourselves clean and renewed? I know and testify that we can. Because our Lord has promised us so, He Always. Keeps. His. Word. Let us all be willing to lower ourselves down to where he can lift us up. Let it be down on our knees. The more you bend your knees and lower yourself to the ground, the higher you will leap as push yourself off the ground, upward. Let us change ourselves! Let us allow ourselves to put ourselves lower in humility and also accept the low times of life, knowing that the lower we get, the more force and strength we will receive on our next upward leap. As our lows get lower, our highs are magnified. 

     I love you all!

Elder Trevor Aiken