The temple is dedicated!

Sunday, June 13, 2010 Today was a glorious day. Truly, “the House of the Lord is completed” just as the choirs sang at the dedicatory services. At 5o Clock we wakened, dressed and hurried down to the kitchen to help with breakfast preparations. We were feeding 71 rather than our usual 45 today since we had all the technicians here from Salt Lake who have set up the audio/visual equipment to broadcast the dedicatory sessions throughout the temple and the stake centers in this area of the Philippines. NO one realizes all the work done behind the scenes for a temple dedication. We had a production line to assemble the breakfast burritos, and amazingly everything was delivered on time. No sooner was food delivered than we started washing grapes for the snack between the first and second sessions. When I finished the grapes I made the black bean avocado salad to be served with the grilled chicken and pesto sandwiches for the temple lunch which was served between the second and third sessions. Everything had to be delivered and set up just before the end of each session so the General Authorities and media people could eat immediately and have time to rest and prepare for the next session. The process had been timed to the minute, and the routes the food was to be taken mapped out so we would not be seen by those attending the dedication. President Monson’s food was delivered to the temple president’s office, President Eyring’s food to the counselor’s office, the area presidency’s food to the matron’s office and so on. Elder and Sister Reed have done an amazing job planning and coordinating this venture. Those who attended the first and second sessions were responsible for cooking the Sunday dinner served at 5:30. Since we attended the 3:00 session we didn’t help with that meal. Because we were already in the temple, we had the advantage of picking which room we wanted to sit in for the dedicatory service. WE chose the Creation room and sat close to the door so we could see people coming and going in the two halls. You had to have special tickets to be seated in the Celestial Room which was filled with Stake and Mission authorities along with the temple presidencies and their families. AS I sat in the quiet contemplating how I was blessed to be here in this beautiful temple with these beautiful people, tears of joy welled up inside me and I could not contain my emotions. President Eyring conducted our session. All of the area presidency spoke and President and Sister Byram of the temple presidency spoke. All of the talks were very personalized. President Byram told of his son who served a mission in the Philippines and had a family all ready for baptism. They were riding on a motor bike with all of their family (not an uncommon occurrence here) and were just pulling into the church parking lot when a big truck hit them. Byram’s son cradled the mother in his arms as she died. President Byram said he didn’t know where that family was now, but that the temple sealing would make it possible for that family to be reunited eternally. President Teh of the area presidency told about being sealed to his family as a young boy in the Manila Temple, then later receiving his own endowments, growing in his knowledge of the importance of temples, until he as a returned missionary went to the temple to be sealed to his beautiful wife and realized the immensity of the blessings given through the sealing power. President Ko recounted the experiences of the open house and the opportunities for the youth to grow in their testimonies as they served. President Monson was the concluding speaker and spoke of his eternal companion and how they met. He shared so many personal experiences from his life. He expressed gratitude for the youth who had participated in the cultural celebration the night before and told them to always remember the feelings they had, that they were to be proud of their heritage, that they were to hold the temple close to their hearts and prepare themselves to return there to become the leaders of tomorrow. He talked for almost an hour. Our session lasted longer than any of the others. No one wanted it to end, but it finally did with the majestic strains of “The Spirit of God Like A Fire is Burning.” The Prophet walked by our door and leaned in and waved to all of us. We were not more than 3 feet from him. A young sister who works in the laundry in the temple with us was the hostess for our room and was standing by the door. President Monson reached in and drew her to him in a big hug. An older sister had moved closer to be able to see him as he passed and he encircled her in his arms in a twin hug with Sister Talmo. All in the room were touched and wept tears of joy. The older sister wept uncontrollably. President Monson said as he released them, “Now you brothers go home and do likewise!” He seemed so full of light and energy. AS I talked to Sister TAlmo later she said she had prayed that she would be able to just touch the Prophet, and that if she could, she would become pregnant; she has been married several years and has not had children. I laughingly told her she was going to have twins now! People congregated outside the temple doors waiting for glimpse of the General Authorities. Larry hurried over to help with the clean up, but I positioned myself for a perfect shot of President Monson as he exited the door. AS he did a very large man stepped in front of me and took several pictures. Hopefully he got some good ones because I did not. The Spirit was electrifying. There was such great love being poured upon all who were there. I would like to have that same feeling with me all the time. Man is that he might have joy—and we certainly did ! Monday night, June 14, 2010 The temple was dedicated yesterday, and today we spent the morning training new workers and volunteers. These Filipino saints are so anxious to learn what to do. WE need to do more hands on rather than just explain but it is so difficult because the training needs to be done one on one and there are so few of us trained and because we are a small temple, so few spaces to use. We held the first three sessions today. They were jam packed. The endowment rooms should hold 48, but today we crammed about 60 into each session and still had to turn people away. We put names on a register so those who missed out today will for sure get to do a session tomorrow. The last session was limited to the Area Presidency, the mission presidents from all the Philippine missions, the Stake Presidents and all their wives and again we were packed! The other temple missionaries went out to eat afterwards, but Daddy just wanted leftovers so we could eat quickly and go to bed. We have been going non-stop with nothing to eat since 4:45 this morning and are worn to the bone! Wednesday, June 16, 2010 We are exhausted! Yesterday we spent 15 hours in the temple. I took 15 minutes to eat a peanut butter sandwich and an apple and 10 minutes to put my feet up, but Daddy didn’t take any time off at all; he was going 15 hours straight without any food—someone else had eaten his lunch. I had made a sandwich for him and when I went down to the break room, one of the sandwiches was gone—I assumed that Daddy had eaten it, but he hadn’t had time to go down. WE are so short on trained ordinance workers which means that 20 people are doing all the ordinance work in the temple. When we left our apartment at 6:15 am there were crowds of people lined up waiting for the doors to open. The temple yesterday was definitely not a house of order. It was the first day we were to do personal initiatory, endowments, marriages, sealings and baptisms. WE spent the day Monday trying to train about 50 ordinance workers plus we held three special endowment sessions for visiting dignitaries. WE were running, literally, for 12 hours and then came home and spent two hours moving back into our apartments . Yesterday was truly the endurance test. WE ran out of some of the clothing. The drains in the laundry backed up which stopped the washing for a while. People were supposed to have made appointments for their own endowment but we had so many walk-ins that it threw order out the window. Not to the point of chaos but there was confusion—like one bride went on a different session than her husband to be! This morning, President Mortimer informed us that we couldn’t take walk-ins at all for a while, that everyone had to have an appointment and that the size of the sessions was going to be smaller even though it meant we would not have full sessions. Extra time was needed because of all the inexperienced patrons and the few qualified workers. And yet when I took a man from Singapore to President Mortimer, who had come to do the work for his uncle and had done the baptism and confirmation and wanted to do the initiatory and endowment, President Mortimer bent over backwards to see that he had that opportunity. My last assignment tonight was to care for the 5 children of a family that had come to be endowed and sealed. They were told initially that they would not be able to do their work today, that we were full with 16 weddings and sealings. But when Pres. Mortimer discovered they had spent all their money on a round trip boat ticket, had no place to stay or money for food, he fit them in. The children were wonderfully behaved for the two plus hours they had to wait. They were angelic all dressed in white. Sister Mortimer brought a large package of soda crackers . They devoured nearly the whole package; I think they had eater nothing all day. I accompanied them to the sealing room. After the sealing I don’t know who cried the most, the mom or the 13 year old daughter (or me?). There was a 12 year old boy, a 6yr old boy and a 7 yr old boy and a darling 3 old. I forgot how tired I was when I thought of their sacrifice! WE had wonderful experiences in the baptistry yesterday and today. WE had 39 youth from one stake on a neighboring island come yesterday. Their leaders were great and took over handing out clothing, taking care of towels, helping kids in the dressing rooms, etc. as well as do the baptizing and confirming. Today one man brought 500 names he had personally researched, and several people to do the work, but we also had several walk-ins with family names and they stayed to help. Everyone is so anxious for as much work to be done as possible.I’m falling asleep again==and it’s 10:30! WE love you. Pray for us! We think of all of you every day and pray for you. Love, Mom, Grandma, Mary (and Dad, Grandpa, Larry)