Some days we "feast" at the temple, and some days are more like famine. The afternoon of Friday, October 3, 2008 was a feast in many ways. By sharing this spiritual feast with family and friends as we have been counseled by Pres. Eyring, it will help me remember this special day.

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him.
Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 66–69

I wish I had pictures of some of these special times, but taking pictures isn't part of our job description at the temple, so these representations aren't the real people; however, the pictures are recorded in my head and the feelings in my heart.

This busy time required preparation. We had scheduled 6 new people coming for individual ordinances with 3 couples being sealed, 2 of them with children and the Chuburná ward members were coming to the session to share this happy time with them. The Zazil-ha and Arboleda wards from the city of Merida made appointments for youth baptisms, as did the branch Jose Ma. Morelos which is in the state of Quintana Roo but is part of the Misión Mérida.
Those who had come for the session at 7:00 P.M. participated in the sealing of a young returned missionary to his parents and then did some sealing from temple lists.

Gerhard began making preparations to have sufficient workers available from 3:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. He called people who don't usually serve on Friday nights and most were able to arrange their evening to be able to come. Many have been at the temple for many years, and they did a tremendous job of managing the flow of people with love and reverence from one ordinance to another so they would all have an opportunity to participate in a timely manner. The office staff was a tremendous help to have all the paperwork prepared and the completed ordinances recorded. In order to visualize what would be happening, we made charts by hours and wrote what would be done, who would do it and what materials we needed to have ready.

The learning curve continues as we develop technology and communication skills. Each new assignment requires use of temple procedures, computer programs, language skills, and building relationships to help us be more effective at our main responsibility -- ensuring that the people who come to the temple have a spiritual experience and are strengthened in whatever they need in their personal lives.

Being with those who come for the first time is such a blessing for me. I remember being with my daughters as they entered the temple, so I try to make these women feel welcome and reassure them that the Holy Spirit will help them understand what they learn on this occasion about Heavenly Father's love for them and their families. I encourage them to return to the temple often to hear the wonderful promises that are given and to appreciate more the covenants they will make.

I had the opportunity to be in the sealing room when two little children were brought in to their parents to be sealed to them. I was standing where I could watch the father's eyes fill with tears, and see his emotion increase during the ceremony. At the close when the family stood together in front of the big mirror and saw their reflection in the mirror behind going on as if into eternity, the parents beamed.

I also was able to bring a young boy to his parents in the sealing room. We had to wait in the hallway for a while, so I talked with him about the pictures from the life of Jesus that we saw on the walls as we walked.
He understood that Jesus wants us to come to Him; the concept of resurrection and eternal life was fascinating; but the picture that he liked the most was that of Jesus visiting with children. I talked with him about remembering the events of this sacred evening. He thought of friends and wanted to know what happens to children if they are not sealed to their parents.


When I mentioned that when he was old enough to go on a mission he would come again to the temple and learn more, his question was "What if I don't go on a mission?" Before he went in to be with his parents, I encouraged him to plan for a mission because it would be a wonderful experience that would help him learn very important lessons and help him all his life.