Dear Family and Friends (all of you are family),
I'll start my report with two little brothers (about 2 and 4), all dressed in white being escorted from the Annex building over to the side door of the temple to be sealed to their parents. Then a picture when they got back to the children's waiting room.
I can't think of anything more emotional than that when you think of what transpires during that saving ordinance.
I've had a couple of things I'm happy about this week. I complained a little about not being asked to officiate in initiatory ordinances or to be the officiator in the sessions. I was given some additional training with the dialogue and watched in a session or two. The good thing is that I'm now officially passed off and I am getting the opportunities I wanted. I've made a few mistakes, but they are going away now. It's still intimidating though, to lead the prayer circle and to express something correctly and appropriately in Spanish. I'm looking for vocabulary to make that easier.
The other events that I'm excited about are opportunities that came while we are off shift and/or Saturdays. There are often large groups (or small) that visit here and would like a discussion about the temple. We are the missionaries that are called to meet with them. I feel more relaxed doing that and I value those experiences.
One group that came was from Retalhuleu (about 2-3 hours away). The sister missionaries came with them and they brought their investigators on the bus with the ward members who had been endowed. I was able to meet with and teach the investigators. They seemed very enthused and I think they felt enlightened when we talked about the temple when they were right here.
Another group came in from a local ward. The mission leader gathered up all of the new converts and all of the current investigators and brought them here to the temple annex. I've never seen a mission leader so effective. We talked about the temple purpose and had the new converts talk about their involvement doing baptisms and how they, too, could bring the names of their ancestors who have passed on and start the temple work for them. If the investigators are baptized they can begin the same process. The ward mission leader had already taken them thru the front door of the temple and into the waiting room. All in all I just felt the power of talking about the temple, while being here at the temple. There are many such opportunities just from walking around and visiting with people outside. They will almost always open up about family circumstances and ask about the temple. It has been wonderful.
I can't think of anything more emotional than that when you think of what transpires during that saving ordinance.
I've had a couple of things I'm happy about this week. I complained a little about not being asked to officiate in initiatory ordinances or to be the officiator in the sessions. I was given some additional training with the dialogue and watched in a session or two. The good thing is that I'm now officially passed off and I am getting the opportunities I wanted. I've made a few mistakes, but they are going away now. It's still intimidating though, to lead the prayer circle and to express something correctly and appropriately in Spanish. I'm looking for vocabulary to make that easier.
The other events that I'm excited about are opportunities that came while we are off shift and/or Saturdays. There are often large groups (or small) that visit here and would like a discussion about the temple. We are the missionaries that are called to meet with them. I feel more relaxed doing that and I value those experiences.
One group that came was from Retalhuleu (about 2-3 hours away). The sister missionaries came with them and they brought their investigators on the bus with the ward members who had been endowed. I was able to meet with and teach the investigators. They seemed very enthused and I think they felt enlightened when we talked about the temple when they were right here.
Another group came in from a local ward. The mission leader gathered up all of the new converts and all of the current investigators and brought them here to the temple annex. I've never seen a mission leader so effective. We talked about the temple purpose and had the new converts talk about their involvement doing baptisms and how they, too, could bring the names of their ancestors who have passed on and start the temple work for them. If the investigators are baptized they can begin the same process. The ward mission leader had already taken them thru the front door of the temple and into the waiting room. All in all I just felt the power of talking about the temple, while being here at the temple. There are many such opportunities just from walking around and visiting with people outside. They will almost always open up about family circumstances and ask about the temple. It has been wonderful.
No comments:
Post a Comment