"...because thou hast not murmured...I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them...and it came to pass that when my father heard these words he was exceedingly glad..."
I Nephi 3:6-8

2 months to go!

2 months to go!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

I'm Still Becoming

Been home from the temple trip for 5 days already.  I spent a couple of them being sick and not getting what I wanted to write down so I had better do it now.

We had the opportunity to go to the Hamilton Temple on the 8th.  We didn't arrive there until late in the evening because of many frustrating reasons and I was really wound.  Ken and I had received a call previously asking us if we had seen the temple film yet.  The person calling said they had been to three temples on one day and were planning two more temples for that day.  I guess they had forgotten that we live 800 miles from the temple and so it is a big deal to get to the temple just once a year.

Our stake plans a trip every October.  There is housing at the temple but they are closing everything in a plan to take down and rebuild.  Plans for lodging and travel were really tenuous this year and so lots of people couldn't go.  Last year we had 415 going but this year there were lots fewer.  It made a big impression on me how lucky we are at home to have so many temples so close.  It takes many months of planning and the better part of a thousand dollars to take the two of us to the temple for a few days here.

It was a great experience which is likely to be our last here.  We saw the new film which we really loved because of the thinking it allows you to do.  We were witnesses at our last session and Ken got to baptize our branch kids including one of our converts for about 220 people.  That was awesome.  We got many new insights and thoughts from all of this.  We are so blessed.  We went to a wedding today and it was nice out in the open air but it is not the same as a sealing in the temple.  I feel so fortunate to have the blessings of being sealed to our family in the temple of the Lord.

We got to take a couple of days and look around the north island while we were there but it didn't seem of much import when compared with the blessings of going to a sacred place in order to bless so many others.  My perspective has changed so much on this mission.  I have so much more appreciation of all the blessings of the gospel.  I hope that when I return home, I don't lose that perspective too quickly.  It has made an important difference in who I am becoming.