While our family was visiting Virginia, Kristine and I drove to the Appalachian Trail to watch the sunset together. It was a beautiful site in the mountains. That night, I had a dream from the Lord.
In the dream, Kristine and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail. We were not part of a group, but there were many people hiking around us, and we were all friendly with one anther. Eventually, as the we walked on, we found ourselves alone. Some had picked up the pace, moving on ahead, while others had slowed down and were no longer in site. At that point, we saw a light from the forest, off the trail.
We stopped as the light moved towards us, in the light was what appeared to be a man. He identified himself as “Moroni, also known as Nephi.” He informed us that he had traveled these very mountains on his way to bury the gold plates and other relics. He then took us off the trail to a spot near following water where there was a cave. He invited us to enter.
As we entered the cave, I recognized it immediately. This was the cave I had been traveling to in spirit to translate the plates of brass. The torches were lit, and the plates rested on the table as I had left them in vision. There were other plates, scrolls, and items in the cave, but we were told not to touch them, and we refrained.
Moroni told us that the Lord desired that we take the plate of brass with us. With that, I removed my jacket. We wrapped the plates in my jacket, left cave, and began to walk back to our van. But the plates were very large, and very, very heavy. As we walked, I grew tired. Kristine offered to carry them for a bit to easy my burden.
I want to make clear that this was not an ordinary dream. When I dream, I will understand that there is physical feeling like hunger, exhaustion, physical pain, etc. However, in my dreams I do not feel these. I might run to the point of exhaustion, yet I will not feel tied. My dream self simple cannot run any more. This dream was different. I could feel the weight of the plates, they were heavy. I could feel my feet hurting as I walked, the heat of the sun, the coolness of the breeze, and my thirst for water as I continued on.
Feeling the weight of the plates, I asked Kristine to stop, and she offered to carry them for a bit. I could feel my burden lift as she took them, and I could see how they weighed her down. After walking for a bit, I took them back and we took turns carrying them until we were back at the van. Once there, we loaded them, and drove away. Right as we started to talk about what happened, I awoke.
There were three things that really stood out to me. The first was that Moroni called himself “Moroni, also known as Nephi.” This puzzled me until Kristine reminded me that Nephi was a title for the chieftains of the Nephites. The second part I found interesting was the idea that Moroni had walked a similar path to the Appalachian Trail. Looking up the history of the trail, it appears that it was created from other preexisting routs and paths. I cannot help but wonder if this was literal, or symbolic of the unity of the Saints. We are currently divided into many different paths, some smaller, some larger. And lastly, the idea of Kristine lightening my load by helping to carry the plates.
