The Dream Seemed Meaningless

The Dream Seemed Meaningless

By Johann Schneider

One morning my wife said to me, “I dreamed something very strange last night. Two young men told us about a different church, and we joined it. What do you think about that?” she asked hesitantly. We agreed that the dream seemed meaningless because we would never want to leave our own church.

The dream had long been forgotten when, nearly a year later, my wife greeted me after work saying, “Two young men were here today to tell me about their church.” I could see a trace of worry in her face.

“But we are going to stay with our church,” I responded confidently.

“Well,” she said, “they want to come back to talk with you.” I wasn’t happy that I would have to talk with them.

A few days later, I opened the door to see two young men. They introduced themselves as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the conversation that followed, they asked, “Do you believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today?”

My wife and I had already considered this question while studying the Bible. We concluded that a true church would have to have all the doctrines Jesus taught. The churches we knew, including our own, were not complete. “A true church does not exist,” I said.

The missionaries said that the church they represented was organized the same way as the church at Christ’s time. They added that their church had continuing revelation from Jesus Christ.

I felt that the missionaries had been misled, and I told them, “I’m sure that just as our church has errors in its doctrine, so does yours. Someone has added, changed, or taken something away.” Again they testified that their church was Christ’s own church, organized with his authority and directed by him.

Soon after that, I told my mother about the missionaries. She gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon she had received long ago and said I could have it.

I began reading the Book of Mormon with a curious but negative attitude. As I read the first page, I thought angrily, “This was written by a man with a vivid imagination who knew the Bible well.” I read two more pages, slammed the book shut, threw it on the table, and exclaimed, “What a fake!”

During the missionaries’ next visit, I told them that I thought the Book of Mormon was a hoax. Undeterred, they easily handled the questions my wife and I had—then and in subsequent visits. I could find nothing wrong with what they taught us, but I could not accept the Book of Mormon.

However, the missionaries testified that I could know that the Book of Mormon was true if I followed the admonition of Moroni and sincerely sought for divine guidance. (See Moro. 10:4.) When I followed their counsel, I received a spiritual witness that I have never been able to fully describe. A realization that the Book of Mormon and the Church were true penetrated every part of my body and soul. Happily I exclaimed to my wife, “Margrit, Margrit, I know it is true!”

Margrit continued to seek her own witness, and within a few weeks she also knew the truth. We set our baptismal date.

On the day of our baptism, just as I was about to go into the water, I experienced the power of Satan more strongly than I had ever imagined possible. I wanted to run away and escape. For a moment my breathing stopped, and I thought my heart would also. I was tempted to give in, but I realized that I could never forgive myself if I denied the truth that I now knew. I fought against the evil influence with all my strength, and it left me as quickly as it had come. Knowing my decision was the right one, I entered the water with a calm assurance and a happy feeling in my heart.

A few days later, Margrit said, “Hans, can you still remember my dream?”

“What dream?” I asked.

“The one I had about the two young men who visited us. They told us about their church and we joined it. Remember?”

Memory of the forgotten dream returned. Joyfully we realized that the dream was a revelation of what was to come, and its memory was a confirmation of our testimonies. It was a dream that came true.

Johann Schneider is president of the Trier Branch, Mannheim Germany Stake.