Yet Will I Trust Him

In his recent talk in general conference, Elder Joaquin E. Costa said this, “One of the greatest privileges for me and my wife, Renee, is to meet with the Saints where we serve. We hear their stories, we witness their losses, we share their grief, and we rejoice with their success. We have witnessed many of the blessings and miracles that the Savior has bestowed upon the faithful. We have met people who have gone through the impossible, who have suffered the unthinkable.” Underneath this paragraph in the talk is a picture of a couple, which I presumed was him and his wife given what he just said and the fact that the man looks like him at first glance. I thought it was odd that he would put a picture of himself and his wife in his talk, but then I read the next paragraph and discovered the couple is in fact José and Valeria Batalla who served as mission leaders in the Bolivia Cochabamba Mission starting in July 2020. A news article explains that “President Batalla, age 60, passed away… of cardiac arrest after a nearly two-month battle with COVID-19.” It is hard to imagine the feeling of unfairness that his family must have felt knowing that he had offered to the Lord three years of his life in His service only to have it cut short like that. But Elder Costa related, “We have seen the manifestation of the Savior’s power in a widow who lost her husband while they were on the Lord’s errand in Bolivia.” Later in the talk he referred to Sister Batalla again when he said this, “President Nelson taught: ‘The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. … Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest.’ This is the kind of rest and peace I saw in the eyes of the widow, despite the heartache she felt of missing her husband every day.” It takes real faith to trust in the Lord even when He takes away the very things that we cherish most and to say with Job, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord…. Thou he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 1:21, 13:15).   

                Elder Costa referred to another story of terrible pain and loss and the faith to overcome it. He recounted, “We have seen it in a young woman in Argentina who fell under a train and lost her leg, just because someone wanted to steal her cell phone. And in her single father, who now must pick up the pieces and strengthen his daughter after such an unexplainable act of cruelty.” Another news article relates her story in more detail, recounting how Elder Soares visited her in the summer of 2023: “He took a special moment before the gathering to greet Flavia Cruzado, 19, who in January fell onto the tracks of a train after she was robbed of her cell phone. Cruzado lost her right leg and sustained severe injuries on her left leg when the train passed over her lower body. After narrowly surviving the incident, doctors were able to save Cruzado’s left leg.” In a devotional with Elder Soares she shared these words about her experience: “I’ve always had companionship and I’ve never been alone, which is a very important part of a quick recovery. And I’ve always had the Lord’s help. In every moment, I have felt His presence with me. I experienced turmoil, bitterness, anger, and hate when [this happened]. Something that helped me was not to ask, ‘why me?’ but ‘what for?’ This was something that brought me closer to others and the Lord... Instead of distancing myself from Him, I had to cling to Him.” Elder Costa repeated the story of the Savior on the ship with His disciples when a great storm arose. The disciples in a panic found Him asleep and “they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” He awoke and rebuked the storm and then said these words to them: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40). When we become afraid or downtrodden or in despair because of our afflictions and the turmoil around us, He looks at us and questions us, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25) With real faith in the Savior we can be sure that He will help us overcome all our trials, just as the Prophet Joseph Smith encouraged us, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17). His arm will be revealed in our lives, no matter what trials we face, as we put our complete trust in Him.