Day 190 Part 3 Saying Goodbye...

When we left Sister B's house, it was dark outside. It was around 8:00pm. Just enough time to stop at S's house, tell her I'm being transferred and tell her goodbye. S doesn't live too far from Sister B, so we made it in about 5 minutes.

I knocked. S's daughter came to the door. "Elder Pierce!" she said. "I'll go tell mom that you are here."

S came to the door. "Oh, Elder Pierce. I'm so happy to see you! You didn't get transferred!" "Actually, S, I did get transferred. This is my last night in Herndon and then I'm off to a new area."

S got very quiet. She looked like she might cry. I was about to do the same. Fighting back tears, S asked,"So, you're leaving us?" "Yes," I nodded.

S said, "Elder Pierce, maybe you can help me reconsile something. Yesterday, when you all came over to help me stack wood, you told me that you might get transfered. As you know, I've been on a spiritual journey. You've been with me from the beginning. I've learned so much from you."

"Last night," said S, "I said a prayer and asked God if this was right. If the Mormon church was what the Lord wanted for me. I asked God to give me a sign. I knew, Elder Pierce, if you stayed here after this transfer that this was what God wants for my family. You've been able to guide me through and answer my questions. I can't understand why God would put you in my path only to take you away when I still have so far to go. I'm just not sure. Elder Pierce, why? Why do you have to go. I'm not sure yet if there is a true church, but if there is, and it's the Mormon church, why would God send you away when you still have so much to share with me?"

S and I both had tears in our eyes. My companion was just standing off to the side watching us. I said to S, "I don't know why, except I know that our Heavenly Father thinks it's time for me to go." "But what about my prayer?" S said, almost pleadingly. "I asked God, if this is the right way, please don't let Elder Pierce leave me."

"Well, S, it's like you were telling me about the sea turtles. You help to guide them. You make sure they go the right way. But there comes a time when it's up to the sea turtles to continue on their own. Maybe that's what Heavenly Father is telling me, S and maybe that's what He's telling you. You are ready to make it on your own. Your testimony is there. I'm so thankful for the chance I've had to share my love of the Gospel with you." "You've meant so much to me and my family. We'll never forget the impact you have made on our lives."

"Since I have been learning about your church," said S, "there are some things I have struggled with. One of them was the Pre-existence. I could never get my mind around that concept before...but now...," S said, choking back tears,"something about it makes sense. Elder Pierce, I feel like I knew you before I came here. I feel like we were good friends before we came to this earth."

"S," I said, "Can I share something with you?" I then shared with S "The Testimony of a Missionary." (I had it in my backpack at the time because of packing.)

A Missionary's Testimony

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 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 a 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 be 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 out loud. His letter said:

“You’ve been called to go to 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.”

Then 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

"I found MY friend," S said quietly. "Elder Pierce, I want to show you something." S went upstairs and came back down with a painted ceramic sea turtle. "I don't keep this one down with the others in my collection. It's special to me. I keep it on my nightstand." S handed it to me. "Wow!, I said. "Did you paint this?" "Yeah," said S. "Three years ago when we went on our family vacation to Cancun to help the sea turtles find the water, I bought this little ceramic turtle and painted it to remind me of my trip. It's nowhere near as nice as the one you made me, but I want you to have it. "Oh S, I think it's wonderful." A lump formed in my throat. I looked down at the sea turtle and back up at S. "I can keep this?" I asked, my voice overcome with emotion. S nodded. "Think of my family when you look at this, okay?" "I will," I said, tears streaming down my face. "Thank you. This means so much to me." "Well, you mean so much to me," said S. "Please write sometime." "I will," I said. "That's a promise."

I LOVE BEING ON A MISSION!