Today was our first official work day in the temple. It was a great day. We arrived at 8 a.m. and left at 1:15. It was an easy day for us, as we are used to serving from 3:45 a.m. until 11:15 in the Twin Falls Temple. Tomorrow we will work from 12:00 noon until 9:30 p.m. That will be a long day and one much longer than our Twin Falls Temple shift. The temple isn't too busy yet. That is good. We can take our time, getting things right, before the summer gets going.
The week of April 28 through May 2 was our training week. We sent postcards to our Primary students and told them we were at temple school. After the first day of training, I decided it is temple boot camp. My brain was getting too much exercise. We learned a lot! One day we took a tour of the temple inside and out. There is a great story about the way the temple property was purchased. The Second Counselor in the Temple Presidency is an history buff. He also is a great story teller, so the temple property story was very interesting. Wish I could relate it, but it was the end of one of our temple boot camp days and I did hear it, but I can't retell it. But I do know how it made me feel and I know it was a miraculous event, as are all the events that happened in Palmyra.
Tonight we had family home evening at President Brighton's home. President Broadbent, the Second Counselor in the Temple Presidency told us about Joseph Smith's genealogy. That was so interesting. You wouldn't think it would be, but the way President Broadbent presented it, you were glued to your seats. President Broadbent's ancestor wrote the words to a poem which was put to music. The song, "Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice" was written by Joseph S. Murdock, one of his great great great grandparents. Joseph S. Murdock had come to Palmyra to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith and wrote the poem, sent it home to his family and friends in Vermont, inviting them to come to Palmyra to meet the Prophet.
On Saturday, we drove to Lowville, New York to see what it was like. We are assigned there to go to church every Sunday. It is 156 miles from Palmyra and takes us about 2 1/2 hours to get there. We went Saturday and stayed overnight so we could be at church at 10:00 Sunday morning. The first person we met was a sister who invited us to come and spend Saturday nights at her house. She lives alone and offered us a bedroom and our own bathroom. She said lots of missionary couples have come to stay with her. She even had us over for dinner Sunday afternoon. She is a great lady. She said, "I've been waiting for you to come." That makes you feel good.
Lowville, New York was in the Guinness Book of World Records for making the largest cheesecake ever in 2013. Wonder what they will do to top that this year. There are many dairies and a cheese factory here. We want to tour the factory and eat cheese curds. They have many flavors. We will try them all. They also make pure maple syrup here. We plan to buy some of that for Durg's sour dough waffles. Yummmmmmmm. And yes, he is baking dutch oven bread, even as I type this. So far he has made 10 loaves and given away 8. We can take a loaf, already sliced, for the break room in the temple. Everyone brings things to share there. I know the workers are gonna love his bread!
Our Branch, the Lowville Branch, has 25 active members. Two are moving in two weeks and one is moving next month. I don't know how they will ever function with those three people leaving. One is the Ward Clerk/Executive Secretary. One is the organist and one is the Gospel Doctrine Teacher. I have a feeling we will be doing lots of things in the Branch. But that's what we are here for. We have to speak on May 18th.
One of the Counselors in the Branch Presidency has a cute wife with a cute, familiar accent. I spoke with her after the meetings and she is from Ecuador. Both Durg and I knew that accent. Our daughter-in-law, Sahily is from Ecuador. We felt right at home!
Once again, we felt that we are where we are supposed to be at this time in our life. We will do anything that President Hanno of the Lowville Branch asks us. We are loving our temple service and our missionary service.
When we were contemplating about serving a mission, we really didn't want to give up serving in the temple, but we did want to proselyte too. We know Heavenly Father loves us, because he put us in a place where we can do both. We are blessed.
Nothing to report about lost purses or any other lost item. Everyone knows about the lost purse, so everyone helps me remember!
So, as we press on with our temple service and our missionary service, we leave you in sunny (the first sunny day) Palmyra, New York, home of the restoration of the gospel. Until next time......
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