I've decided to share this little bit more.
On Christmas morning I woke up to a dream. In my dream I realized that I hadn't seen David in a long time and that it was time for him to catch the bus to go to school. So I went to the bus stop and waited for him. He arrived at the bus stop and was his younger self. He said to me, "You have been gone a long time." I said, "I'm sorry that I was away, but I came straight here so that I could see you." Then his hair was awry so I reached out to straighten it and we talked for a few minutes, but I don't remember the conversation. Then he said, "Oh No! I have just missed the bus." For a moment we both felt alarmed and then I recalled all the times that he had missed the bus in his youth, as he was our youngest child and the only one at home, I had often taken him to school. So I looked into his face and said, "Don't worry, I'll take you." Then I woke up.
At first the dream seemed so innocent and brief that I thought nothing of it. But then I realized that I could still feel how his hair had felt when I was smoothing it, and I realized that the conversation had been direct and personal and that we had been face to face together. I carried the dream around in my heart and found it very comforting through Christmas morning.
In the afternoon we were surprised when our eldest son called us and said, Come to skype quickly, David is on. We were in shock because in our mind David was safely back in Nikunau and we were very settled about him being there. But, there he was on the computer screen. So his story to us was that he and his companion had gone to the airplane last Monday only to find out that the flight had been canceled. Pilot was either too tired or some reason like that, but the whole flight had been canceled. David was beyond discouraged. There was usually another airplane that could be chartered, but that airplane needed to be inspected and the inspection person lived in New Zealand and wouldn't be back until after the New Years. This flight only flew once per week and next Monday was already sold out. (The airplane holds 20 passengers and goes to other islands a long the way, like Beru.) They have tickets for January 4th which will make it 1 month since he was away and left the island without any leadership. Elder Jenks, the new Senior missionary had already called all of the 20 passengers on the flight and asked them to give up their seats for our missionaries. Even offered them a monetary award if they would give up their seats, but they were all waiting to get home as well and said no.
David was worried that because the congregation is so young in the gospel and the persecution so great on the island that in their absence that some might be led astray. In the mean time he and Elder Tonini had requested their own area in Tarawa so that they could work freely and not be reliant on the zone leaders. Also, in the mean time, he had been able to see Elder Weir every day of this week, which was a great privledge having not seen him much at all his whole mission.
So, I guess that yesterday all the other Elders were skyping home and Sister Sue Richins Alldredge had offered to him to get on the computer and tell us Merry Christmas. He told her that he already had had his skype and she said, (bless her heart) that he could just quickly tell us Merry Christmas if he wanted to. So when we saw him, we were actually kind of sad, because we wanted him so much to be able to be on his island doing his work. At the end of the conversation, I told him about my dream. Then he said, "But Mom! I did miss my bus!" and then his dad said, "Well, David there must be a reason for it."
So, last night and this morning, I pondered everything and it came to me that in the dream, I helped him to get to school, so then there really was something that I could do this time. I could pray for him. So this morning, I have prayed for the Lord's will to be done. I have realized that the Lord might have a larger purpose in mind in keeping David on Tarawa, but that if it was His will that he be allowed to finish his purpose on Tarawa and return quickly to Nikunau. I'm feeling really centered in the fact that I can not do anything my self personally, and that the Lord knows the situation exactly and that all will be right. Also feeling very grateful that David was able to see his mission president this week. He loves Pres. Weir so much. This story does not have a resolution, but it does show the tender mercy of the Lord in sending me a dream that had the purpose of helping me direct my prayers.
I asked David to thank Sister Alldredge for me. He said, "Of course mom!" and I also saw Elder Carrington and Elder Hilliard briefly during the skype, recognized them, called them by name and said Hello to them. Wow, what a crazy mission.
Jennifer Seguine, Miwako Farley, Gaye Anne Edwards Hilliard, Koreen Carrington
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