Oh the beauties of a day in the temple! On Fridays when we serve, it takes the lion share of the day. We leave before 1 and get home by 10. The two bus rides take us somewhere in the vicinity of an hour...sometimes less if we don't have to wait. If we were to walk it, it would take us about the same amount of time....but it is kind of chilly, and I hate to arrive windblown and out of breath!
We have been expecting snow all week, and so far nothing except the cold....which I don't mind, but SK keeps lamenting the sunshine of Arizona. My brother visited us in Arizona in the Spring many many years ago, and confided that although he thought it was beautiful, he loved the seasons too much to ever leave the colder climes. I think I know now what he meant.
Once inside the temple, we feel light and warmth. The people we serve with brighten my day....the smiles, the hugs, the greetings and the brief conversations all envelop us in warmth. Four of the women who are there when I am are the four from my little Danish class, and each has become a dear friend. They encourage me to speak more in Danish.
And I do speak it more, but if given a chance I will speak my mother tongue. At one point, I was working with two Swedish sisters who were speaking Swedish, one Danish sister who spoke Danish, and of course me....speaking English.
I was in the last session and we had 5 of our YSAs there. One of them, a young woman had been there since the temple opened. She spent from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. serving and just enjoying being in that beautiful place. She is beautiful. Tall and willowy with long honey-colored hair and deep blue eyes that sparkle, I am certain that she makes a few hearts go pitter-pat.
The dedication of so many of our YSAs inspires me. They find strength in the temple and they love the gospel. They hold responsible positions in Church, they attend school and many have jobs that take much time. They stand firm with their standards and their testimonies in a place where neither marriage nor fidelity is highly valued. They study the scriptures and they know the gospel.
The Future is in Good Hands,
Temples! What a wonderful place to be! Your young people never cease to amaze me with their dedication and testimonies. All of the young people in the Church need that in their lives - and the older ones too. We will all have to be strong as we look forward to and prepare for the second coming of our Savior. Thanks for your service & dedication. L&P
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