Dreams

Today, as I was logging in to read my emails, I saw a note on the homepage that said "Optimize Your Naps for Faster Learning." After reading the article (which was actually titled "Can You Force Yourself To Dream?") I was reminded of the serious importance dreams have had in my life and that, therefore, I need to start taking them seriously again.

Before I even knew I would serve a two year religious mission, I had a few dreams that were very memorable, but which I originally failed to appropriately cherish. One of them was of me walking up a hill in a town that I had never been in. On the opposite side of the street was a blue building with slanted roofs under which many kids were playing. There seemed to be a swimming pool there, (but somehow I knew it was a pool only during the time of the dream.) In another dream, I was sitting in a very humble home staring directly at the wall above a doorway thinking about the deep impact this home was having on my life. I didn't know then why it was having such an impact on me, but I was just taking it all in, simply feeling grateful to be there.

In 2005, I made my landing in Costa Rica as a missionary. About six months later, I was sent to serve in an area known to the mission as "Vizcaya." And, more surprising than anything has ever been in my life, in Vizcaya was that hill and building I had dreamed of over an entire year before. The hill was one I had to walk often in an attempt to find the people I sought to reach with Christ's gospel on a daily basis. But I recognized it the very first time I saw it. The building on the opposite side of the street was actually a school, but it was in fact blue and did have the slanted roofs under which many kids were playing. Seeing this, and being able to remember so vividly as if I had seen it only the day before, I knew I had made it to the area God intended me for; it was great to be sure beyond a doubt of my whereabouts and that God truly is the omniscient man. But I also knew this meant that I had a great work ahead of me, so I worked very hard for the next few months.

One day, after walking all over the place and making an effort to talk to everyone we could, my companion and I met a young man named Eduardo. Eduardo was a humble guy who had to do any and all odd jobs that came up, from selling movies, to cleaning peoples properties, to just about anything that came up. He had to, otherwise his aging mom and handicap sister would have nothing to eat or a place to live. And, for one reason or another, thee was not father in the home. After meeting him and feeling his humility and receptiveness, we asked if we could go by his house and teach him our message about Christ's gospel, and he willingly said yes.

Eduardo told us his house was up an extremely steep hill, so he asked us to meet and teach him at the church for "convenience," as he said. So we did. And over the next few weeks of teaching Eduardo, we begun seeing a change in his countenance and even saw him radiate more joy. He was extremely punctual to our lessons and always fulfilled his reading and church attendance assignments. I was so happy to see his progress, but then one day I got a call from my mission President telling me that I was being transferred to another area. It was a sad day for me because I knew I would no longer be able to personally witness Eduardo's progress. So I planned to go and say goodbye to him and encourage him to continue learning and progressing. This time, however, we agreed to meet him at his house.

After walking up that extremely steep and tiresome hill, Eduardo was waiting for us as we had planned. When I finally caught my breath, I told him I had been called to go serve in another area and that I had asked to meet him at his house because I was there to say goodbye. Eduardo replied, "I thought they might ask you to leave, I had a feeling. Come in, I want to make sure and tell you something before you leave as I realize I may never have another chance to do so." It was actually our first time coming into his house, despite the length of time, weeks, that we had been teaching him for already.

Once inside, and after talking a few minutes about the order of the mission and about his progress, he said, in Spanish, "Elder Márquez, quiero agradecerles con todo mi corazón a usted y a su compañero por haberme encontrado. Y más por haberme enseñado el evangelio de Jesucristo." I thought to myself, "Well, that's really nice," and just said to him, "Ah, pues, ha sido nuestro placer, Eduardo. Gracias a USTED por PERMITIRNOS enseñarle." (It wasn't easy to convince people to let us teach them.) Then he replied,

"Pero, no, élderes, de verdad quiero agradecerles lo que han hecho por mi, porque hay algo que ustedes no sabían, al menos que yo no les he contado. El día en que me encontraron, yo le había dicho a Dios que si no me enviaba una señal de que yo era especial para Él y de que mi vida aún tenía esperanza, yo hiba a cometer suicidio. Estaba cansado de vivir, y mis responsabilidades para con mi mamá y mi hermana perecían demasiado pesadas para mí que pensaba que ya no tenía fuerzas para seguir luchando. Y pensaba que Dios no me amaba. Pero ustedes, élderes, literalmente fueron el rescate y la respuesta que Dios me envió para salvar mi vida y hacerme saber que Él sí me ama. A partir de ese día, cambié mi decisión de tomar mi vida, y ahora siento esperanza por el futuro de nuevo".

Cuando Eduardo me dijo eso, mis lagrimas calleron de mis ojos, como lo están callendo hoy. As Eduardo continued explaining such profound words to my companion and I, I looked up behind him, as to look up to Heavenly Father (or to the sky, so to speak) to thank Him for saving this man's life. But just before I turned my sight completely upward, I realized that the wall directly above where Eduardo was sitting was the wall I had dreamed. His chair was just on the side of the doorway, and the wall above him was precisely the one I dreamed over a year before. I was completely mesmerized! Every last detail was just as my dream had shown me before I even knew the town of Vizcaya--or Eduardo--existed. As a result, I knew then why the house had such a profound impact on my life: it was the place where I saw the life of two men impacted to the point where they decided to continue living with faith and determined strength-- Eduardo's and mine. So, after collecting my thoughts, I still looked upwards, and with even more intent, I said silently, "Wow! And thank you, God!"

Our dreams can and ofter are extremely serious! They can indeed be life changing to us and to those around us. So from now on, my negligence towards my significant dreams will stop, and I will put in my part of the work, often hard work, to make them come true. Because when God speaks, He shall not be ignored. After all, a dream is only a dream unless our actions help make it a reality.