What a blessing it has been to be an ordinance worker in the temple. At first, it was kinda difficult with John being on call 24/7 and worrying that he would get called while IN the temple, but we beat that job into the ground and left it for dead, and since then, we've almost been drowning in blessings!
When the temples were shut down because of COVID, John and I had the unique opportunity to return sooner than most because workers were needed to help with the live ordinances. When we get our shift assignments during normal times, we always hope to be hosting someone for a live endowment because it's really the most special thing to do, but because it was ONLY live endowments, we had the opportunity to host a LOT. And if we weren't hosting, we were serving as the witness couple which meant that we were basically doing a session ourselves. What I would have given to have had our children there with us as well.
So while so many people have craved being in the temple again, many of whom would just sit in the parking lot of the temple hoping to feel the Spirit, we have gone at times weekly, and at times monthly, and it's been the greatest blessing, especially anticipating the Detroit temple closing on July 11 for four months.
A few months before the closing, we were told that we could schedule group baptistry sessions! I figured Hannah would like to invite some of her YSA friends, so I reserved a place. But as it turned out, hardly any wanted to come, so I invited several of my friends from Dexter and from Northville, and I had a full house list within hours. We were scheduled for one of the last sessions before the temple closed its doors.
And a week before the scheduled closing, we received notification that the temple would open for appointments for endowments and initiatories and sealings for everyone. We grumbled a bit about it happening with just five possible days to do the work, but we felt grateful as well that at least we had five days to go to the temple with our children.
So, the day the appointments opened up, I got on and made as many as I could for the kids. Mark was already coming for the baptistry session, but the girls wanted to do both initiatories and endowments, so on my phone, waiting in the hospital parking lot for John to take him to the airport, I toggled between all three accounts to get the appointments made. And once John got in the car, I got him trying to make them as well. It was like a feeding frenzy, trying to get an appointment, because if we took any time thinking about the timing or trying to figure out what was convenient, the appointment was GONE! And in the middle of all of this, my friend Natalie texted and asked how she could get an appointment. And while I tried to talk her through the process, neither of her computers were getting through, but John's phone was, so we made an appointment for her and Dan.
In the end, we had a LOT of appointments scheduled (sealings too), and John sighed that it would be a busy week in the temple for us, but he also pointed out that this is our Nauvoo moment. This is our moment to say goodbye to our temple (thankfully only temporarily) and to do as much work as we can before it closes. We were already scheduled to work three shifts, and then I was going with the girls to some of their appointments. And of course, we were working in the baptistry when my group of family and friends was showing up on that final Saturday.
IT WAS WONDERFUL! Getting to be in the temple so much that week, and spending time with other temple workers and especially ALL of the temple presidency, and being there with my children finally? There's literally nothing better. Sister Doot mentioned how much I was scheduled to be there the first night, and I told her that if I could, I would live in the temple, and then the next day, President Doot mentioned to me that I had said I would live in the temple, and I reaffirmed to him that yes, yes, I would. It has a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and even couches in the lobby where I could sleep ;-) And it was so good for Glo to come to the temple again. It has been two and a half years since she attended the temple, seeing that COVID hit near the end of her mission, so I was able to take her and help her feel comfortable before she goes back to Utah.
But Saturday. I won't lie. A six hour shift in the baptistry is a lot of work (I'm usually sweaty and exhausted after two hours on Thursday night), and I said a lot of prayers that things would work out. Well, they did. I had a laundry assistant who took care of that end of things, and I did most everything else.
But my family and friends were our last session that shift, and I couldn't have been happier letting them into the temple to come do baptisms. There were a couple of YSAs, the Hills, the Shurtleffs, the Spencers, Beth and her family, my girls and Mark. No joke, I looked around while everyone was busy doing their thing, and I felt like I had a glimpse of heaven. People whom I love all there together. It was really beautiful.
And just like that, the temple was closed. President Jones sent out an email the following day that I'm going to copy and paste here for posterity:
(From President Jones): Miracles keep coming. Since my June 6 message, we opened in Phase 2B (baptistry) for 3 weeks. Then Phase 3 (proxy ordinances) for 1 week, the last week before our renovation closure. We were authorized to call and set apart some wonderful new workers and were blessed to have them join us in our time of need. Many temple workers and patrons were blessed even in the bustle of busyness—with lots going on, there were still quiet moments of peace and serenity in the temple. Young families came with 11 year olds to be baptized. Others brought recent converts and returning members. Seniors came with grandchildren. Marriages were solemnized. Missionaries and others made sacred covenants. And many did work for those on the other side of the veil. It felt like a great gathering of Israel.
And then it stopped. Or seemed to. By 9 pm or so on Saturday July 10, the last temple ordinances were completed and being recorded. But we weren’t going home. We were heading into a 4-month renovation shut-down. We had so much to do. And only 3 hours til midnight. Could we gather and relocate the paintings, do all the laundry, move all the furniture, and complete all our tasks by midnight? Could the floor coverings and wall protections be in place by then so contractors could start at 3 am Monday morning?
Not without help. And help came. On short notice, about 60 volunteers dressed in white showed up to work from 9-12 pm Saturday nite! It felt like angels and help from the other side of the veil came to lift our spirits, if not the heavy furniture. The work seemed organized, efficient, effective, and exhilarating. I don’t remember anything like it. When I woke up Sunday morning, I asked: “Did that really happen?”
Yes, it did. We got through the whirlwind. One lesson I’ve learned from the temple is help. No one comes to the temple not needing help. Maybe that’s symbolic. There’s no DIY salvation. We all need a Savior. And coming to the temple may symbolize coming unto Him. He helps us directly and through temple workers, for God sends servants into the vineyard to help with the gathering. And sometimes He just brings things to remembrance and helps us know what we must know.
“God Is My Helper”—Psalms 54:4
I’ve found need help through Him at the temple. May that miraculous week live on in my memory until my last breath: “days never to be forgotten.” My thanks to Him and all who served in any way and also to those who were willing but unable.
And then Monday morning was miraculous also. The contractors and their help came very early and began removing carpet, lockers, old HVAC elements and debris, so that by now parts of the temple are completely wide open, waiting to receive something better, something requested and designed years ago by others for our temple, something awaited with anxious anticipation.
When this is done, our temple will be beautiful again. And quiet. The drills and dumpsters will be gone. The hammers, crowbars, and saws will be set aside. Fresh paint and new carpet will appear. The sacred paintings will be restored. Things will be in place and in order. It will be beautiful.
But President Thomas S. Monson has said that the temple is more than bricks and mortar. It’s not enough to have a beautiful structure. We want the outside to match the inside. But what matters most is the inside.
What is the inside of the temple? It’s not just things, not just building materials assembled with fine workmanship. It’s people working together in the cause of gathering Israel. It’s kindness, appreciation, love, and respect. It is, first and foremost, the House of the Lord, a dwelling place for the Spirit of the Lord where sacred covenants and ordinances of the priesthood manifest the power of godliness. (See DC 84:19-23.) As Elder Richard G. Scott taught, that’s the power to do more than we can do by ourselves. It’s a power that comes from divine help.
The Power of Godliness is Manifest
I see in every ordinance some symbolism, that we cannot save ourselves alone, that we must “rely[] wholly upon [Christ and] the merits of him who is mighty to save.” (See 2 Ne. 31:I9.) I see in baptism a newness, born of the spirit, a symbolic death and resurrection. I see in confirmation and other ordinances symbolism of the outstretched arm of God reaching out to bless us and give divine help, including the wonderful gift of companionship to always be with us if we will just receive the Holy Ghost (i.e., what Elder D. Todd Christofferson called the “third special blessing of the covenant path”.) (Apr. 2021.) In the sacrament, I see emblems of Christ’s body and blood, reminding me of the sufferings and sacrifice He endured in Gethsemane and on the cross. I see His teachings from John 6 and elsewhere, that He is the bread of life and sustains us on our quest for eternal life.
In all the ordinances I see an offering of His help and hope for a better world. (See Ether 12:4.) Temples are not just about beautiful buildings. They are about having a place where God may show forth to believers the beauty of His ordinances, which manifest in a special way His sacred powers:
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4.
Miracles happen every day in temples. When you think about it, you realize there are miracles behind every ordinance and every patron who comes. But I hadn’t expected to see so many miracles in a construction/renovation project. Now I’ve seen that too. Another miracle from temple service is getting new eyes to see things differently.
Leading With a Limp
Ten years ago now I had what a podiatrist said was an avulsion fracture. X-Rays showed a small piece of bone broke off my left heel. It became inflamed and painful. I turned to the Bible to learn more about Mephibosheth, who was “lame on both his feet”—a precarious position especially in ancient times.
For whatever faults he may have had, David was—at least at times—a man after God’s own heart. (See I Sam. 13:14 and Acts 13:22.) One time is when David desired to show kindness. (David was a man of action; it wasn’t enough to just think kind thoughts; he wanted to show kindness.)
David asked whether there were any left of Saul’s house to whom David could show the kindness of God (2 Sam. 9:3). Remember Saul had sought to kill David. In ancient times one might have expected David to annihilate Saul’s descendants. But Saul’s son Jonathan had been David’s good friend, and there was a covenant between them.
Devastation befell Saul’s household. Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, “was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan …, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame.” 2 Sam. 4:4. With his father and prominent grandfather gone, Mephibosheth’s future looked bleak.
David apparently hadn’t known of any of Saul’s survivors, but when he learned of Mephibosheth, he called for him:
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
7 ¶And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
9 ¶Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table….[12] as one of the king’s sons….
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet. [2 Sam. 9:6-13.]
What a turn of fortunes when someone shows mercy and kindness! Crippled Mephibosheth was probably destined to be a pauper but now was given a life-time pension of land and servants to till the land and was invited to eat continually at the king’s table!
I have felt God extend even greater mercy and kindness to me. Ten years ago my podiatrist said I had Haglund’s deformity. We talked about surgery possibilities. He said I might not be walking in a few years. But things changed. I feel miracles of healing have occurred. And regardless of physical condition, what matters most is what’s on the inside. Like Mephibosheth, I feel like a “dead dog” with a new lease on life. I’ve learned to put my flawed foot forward. There’s a book called Leading with a Limp, and while I haven’t read it, I feel like I understand something about going forward with divine help despite deformities and brokenness and inadequacies. Help can come not just from doctors or surgeons, but from the Master Healer.
Because of the Covenant
I see in the story of Mephibosheth the healing power of everlasting kindness and the strength of covenantal bonds. David and Jonathan had a covenant. (See I Sam. 20.) Mephibosheth benefited and received a wonderful inheritance because Jonathan was his father and David wanted to honor him.
David desired to show mercy to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake. Our Father will desire to show mercy for Christ’s sake to those who have become the children of Christ—consider these words of King Benjamin: “And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7; emphasis added).
I am convinced that if we turn to Him and become His children because of the covenant, having our hearts changed through faith on His name, He will “adopt” us like David did Mephibosheth and will remember His promises to us and give us a place at the King’s table, even if we are lame on both feet.
Whatever kindness David showed to Mephibosheth will be greatly magnified by our Lord. God’s goodness is sure; He will be our help and salvation, and “with great mercies will I gather thee … [and] with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee.” (Is. 54:7-8.)
We thank you for your devotion to the Lord and pray you will be well and that we can serve together again in the temple when we re-open.
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