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| Me and Sister Bat-Ulzii |
Something new that we're doing on Temple Square now is indexing. We're doing one hour of indexing each week to help digitize the 1940 census that just came out. It's really fun. I did a batch from Chicago and it was neat to see all of the names and where people came from. It's kind of addicting.
Yesterday we were on the square and we met a man that was taking pictures of the Assembly hall. Sometimes it takes some work on our part for people to start talking with us, but he just started talking after we said hi. It's always a relief when that happens because I don't have to work so hard to get people to open up. He was from Florida and he came out to Utah because his wife had some kind of reunion. He had been to Temple Square a few times in the last few days and had really enjoyed himself. We found out that we were the first missionaries that had talked with him (that was a surprise to me). He told us that he was 70 years old, but he remembered his LDS friends in High School and what nice and genuine people they were. He told us that he hadn't seen missionaries back at home in Florida so I asked him if he would like to and he said "sure!" How great is that! I'm sure that the Spirit worked on him while he was here on Temple Square because we didn't really do much to help prepare him to meet missionaries.
We also had a great tour this week with extended family that came to Temple Square. Part of the family lives in Orem and the other part came from San Francisco to visit. We took them to the Temple Model and there were a ton of people there so it wasn't a good place to really explain things. Then we went to the Tabernacle, which was actually closed because of the organ recital, and talked about how God has called a prophet again. When we show people around Temple Square it is always the best when we get to know people so that we can teach the gospel to them in the context of their lives. At this point I didn't really know anyone in the group very well because there were so many people and it was difficult to just gather them together so that we could talk with them. So I didn't really feel like the tour was going anywhere. One of the sisters/daughters (I'm not sure what everyone's relation was) wanted to show the step-dad God's Plan for His Family. So we scrambled through some history and information about the beginnings of the church and headed towards the North Visitors' Center. It was there that I found out that everyone was a member of the church except for the step-dad. So they had brought him to Temple Square to expose him to some of our basic beliefs. That just tells you how much I knew about this family half-way through the tour, I wasn't doing a very good job. But we walked up the ramp to the Christus and bore our testimonies of the Savior. The tour was getting closer to the heart, but God's Plan for His Family hit the ball out of the park. We took this family through the presentation that speaks about the Plan of Salvation in the context of a family's life. It ends at the Temple where the daughter gets married and it explains that families are eternal. Half of this family was in tears. Sister Bat-Ulzii bore a powerful testimony of how the gospel has blessed her family and how she knows that families can be together forever. I know it's true too and that because my family is sealed in the Temple we can be together forever too. We invited the step-dad to meet with missionaries and he happily filled out his information. Afterwards he asked where he could get a bigger picture of the Salt Lake Temple and a copy of the Book of Mormon. I am so grateful for the Atonement that can help to make up for our mistakes and shortcomings. The Spirit is amazing and teaches to the heart.
I also had another fun coincidence this week. We were walking in the North Visitors' Center and I heard someone call my name, "Sister Smiley?" I looked over and we realized that we knew each other from the Oakland Temple Visitors' Center. She took us through God's Plan for His Family with Leo just a few weeks prior. She had just got off the plane a few hours prior, still a missionary, and wanted to come to Temple Square with her family and show them God's Plan for His Family. I don't think it was coincidence that we took her and her family through the presentation. We let her bear her testimony in the end and share with her family how it has grown. What a tender mercy it was to be there with them. I don't think it was a coincidence.
A random phrase that came to my mind this morning: setting goals is like opening your eyes--you can see where you're going. Thought I might share it.
Yesterday we were on the square and we met a man that was taking pictures of the Assembly hall. Sometimes it takes some work on our part for people to start talking with us, but he just started talking after we said hi. It's always a relief when that happens because I don't have to work so hard to get people to open up. He was from Florida and he came out to Utah because his wife had some kind of reunion. He had been to Temple Square a few times in the last few days and had really enjoyed himself. We found out that we were the first missionaries that had talked with him (that was a surprise to me). He told us that he was 70 years old, but he remembered his LDS friends in High School and what nice and genuine people they were. He told us that he hadn't seen missionaries back at home in Florida so I asked him if he would like to and he said "sure!" How great is that! I'm sure that the Spirit worked on him while he was here on Temple Square because we didn't really do much to help prepare him to meet missionaries.
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| Sister Bat-Ulzii |
2 Nephi 25:23--"...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do."
I also had another fun coincidence this week. We were walking in the North Visitors' Center and I heard someone call my name, "Sister Smiley?" I looked over and we realized that we knew each other from the Oakland Temple Visitors' Center. She took us through God's Plan for His Family with Leo just a few weeks prior. She had just got off the plane a few hours prior, still a missionary, and wanted to come to Temple Square with her family and show them God's Plan for His Family. I don't think it was coincidence that we took her and her family through the presentation. We let her bear her testimony in the end and share with her family how it has grown. What a tender mercy it was to be there with them. I don't think it was a coincidence.
A random phrase that came to my mind this morning: setting goals is like opening your eyes--you can see where you're going. Thought I might share it.
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