Elder Bushman and I serve six shifts a week in the temple. We usually do ordinance service for four days and office service for 2 days. Two of our shifts each week are evening volunteering, two afternoon and two morning, so we can manage each. Sometimes we serve in the office together. Elder Bushman serves as a Sealer on the Wednesday noon shift.
We usually serve in the Records Office for 5 hours on our shift. We are responsible for recording ordinances. We record between 150 to 200 ordinances in that time slot. We expect this to greatly increase as the summer visitors attend the temple. We are qualified to scan, date stamp, file the names in the patron drawers. We are responsible to take live endowment and sealing appointments and we do the paper work for each of these. We send the patron letters and we prepare the paperwork so the matrons can perform the "verifying activities" for all new patrons. There are generally two volunteers assigned each shift in the office. We answer phones and take proxy and baptismal appointments along with the above assignments. The total daily numbers vary with the ordinances and range between 400 to 600 a day. For a small temple we stay BUSY! In that five hours we get a total of 5-10 minutes breathing time or break time. We have a really good shift if the computers are up and running and the internet is not slow as a turtle, which it usually is (do you think it's because we are winning the race?).
SINCE WRITING THIS OUR DAILY ORDINANCES HAVE SHRUNK TO 200-300 AND THE COMPUTERS KEEP FREEZING AND HAVE TO BE REBOOTED! I HAVE HAD "GRAZING TIME IN THE KITCHEN" MORE THAN ONCE A SHIFT...BURP...AND HAVE HAD THE MOST RELAXING WEEK...CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW CALM THE WINTER SCHEDULES ARE...I KNOW SUMMER HAS JUST BEGUN..YAWN!
Four times a week we serve as ordinance workers for five to nine hours, depending on the day. When we are assigned to be ordinance volunteers we have a coordinator that assigns us to various activities during our shift. Since this is a small temple we do everything that is required to run the temple proper. Sometimes we are assigned in baptistry to work with the youth and other times we are in initiatory, endowment or sealing's. My favorite assignment is to sit in the Celestial Room for a time. It is so quiet and beautiful in that room. However, I have also been assigned to do laundry, clean the kitchen, the bathrooms or the entry way. I especially enjoy being assigned to sealing's when Elder Bushman is the sealer. I love the kindness he shows as he performs this sacred ordinance for The Lord. I get to see the tender side of him in action!
So, that is what we do for activities in the temple. You know the good feeling that you get when you help someone? That is how we feel each time we leave the temple after serving there. I will add to my feelings this week as King Arthur and I experience the final week of MAY!
This is so all the Oklahoma people can see the beautiful flowers that are being put into the flower gardens at the Palmyra temple by a local nursery...I noticed there were a couple flatbed trucks that came in and it took them two days to plant. The flowers that were so beautiful last week have all been uprooted and discarded for these new plantings. The Gardner is at work on these grounds.
Then each weekend we travel 100 miles to Cortland New York to attend the Cortland Ward. Our Bishop assigns us families to visit after our Sunday meetings. And as you have seen we enjoy our travels there. We especially enjoy traveling by the fingerlakes on our way.
Last Sunday I borrowed a book from Brother Hutchinson to read on our travels on Monday.
"From Mafia to Mormon" was written by Mario Facione
I could only find the Spanish version at Deseret! It was a quick, awesome read about the conversion of Mario. He was so afraid he would be killed if he gave up his life of crime, but with the help of the missionaries and of his Priesthood leaders, his Bishop & Stake President he changed his life. They helped him through his fear. He conquered the underworld and now, many years later, serves as a Temple Volunteer. If you can find a copy in English, I know you will enjoy this book. I am so thankful for the gospel and the protection it gives to us when we choose to follow The Lord's plan. Lets be true and faithful as we travel through this earthly journey.
So today May 27th I was an office volunteer with Sister Weaver. We began our shift with prayer and Sister Weaver asked The Lord to help us do perfect paper work. About an hour into our shift a man phoned in and asked to have his name put on a sealing apt. as a guest. In this temple they require us to get the names of all the guests that will be attending. So when we looked up this wedding to add the guest's name to their list, we could not find the appointment in the computer. We found the paperwork and the wedding was scheduled for March 20, 2014. We finally found the wedding appointment in the computer under March 20th. We changed it to be on July 17th and then called the bride to see what time it was to be...just to make sure. She said it was to be at 1:00 pm. We got all the paperwork finished and added the guest to the computer list. If this person had not called in his name, this paperwork would have been total chaos the day of the wedding...now it is all correct. I believe in prayer...do you? These kind of occurrences happen frequently in the temple to help the temple run correctly despite our human errors. Hurrah for Israel!
Yesterday Sister Weaver surprised me with a white crocheted scarf. Elder Bushman said it looks so delicate that it looks like I have snowflakes around my neck. It is beautiful and she made it herself. I am very grateful to her for sharing her talent with me.
I have always been touched how Heavenly Father has us do each person's work individually. It seems that we could just really move this work along if we could do like 30 peoples covenants at a time. But The Lord requires we do one person at a time. I have watched older people come and do proxy endowments and they really struggle with being there. We can tell it is difficult for them to stand, walk and just do the ordinary everyday assignments. Yet they come week after week and bless their departed families lives. They could remain home where they are way more comfortable in their own surroundings, but they choose to be in the temple helping others despite their pain and own awkwardness. I see this kind of sacrifice daily. I am so touched at the love shown to Our Heavenly Parents in desiring to help them have all their children come home...I will be forever grateful to have been in the temple environment on this mission and witness so much sacrifice and love that people show by their examples. Hurrah for Israel!!!
I NEED TO REQUEST THE INDEXING PROGRAM ON THE OFFICE COMPUTERS...SO MUCH INDEXING COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THIS LAST WEEK.
So today May 27th I was an office volunteer with Sister Weaver. We began our shift with prayer and Sister Weaver asked The Lord to help us do perfect paper work. About an hour into our shift a man phoned in and asked to have his name put on a sealing apt. as a guest. In this temple they require us to get the names of all the guests that will be attending. So when we looked up this wedding to add the guest's name to their list, we could not find the appointment in the computer. We found the paperwork and the wedding was scheduled for March 20, 2014. We finally found the wedding appointment in the computer under March 20th. We changed it to be on July 17th and then called the bride to see what time it was to be...just to make sure. She said it was to be at 1:00 pm. We got all the paperwork finished and added the guest to the computer list. If this person had not called in his name, this paperwork would have been total chaos the day of the wedding...now it is all correct. I believe in prayer...do you? These kind of occurrences happen frequently in the temple to help the temple run correctly despite our human errors. Hurrah for Israel!
Yesterday Sister Weaver surprised me with a white crocheted scarf. Elder Bushman said it looks so delicate that it looks like I have snowflakes around my neck. It is beautiful and she made it herself. I am very grateful to her for sharing her talent with me.
I have always been touched how Heavenly Father has us do each person's work individually. It seems that we could just really move this work along if we could do like 30 peoples covenants at a time. But The Lord requires we do one person at a time. I have watched older people come and do proxy endowments and they really struggle with being there. We can tell it is difficult for them to stand, walk and just do the ordinary everyday assignments. Yet they come week after week and bless their departed families lives. They could remain home where they are way more comfortable in their own surroundings, but they choose to be in the temple helping others despite their pain and own awkwardness. I see this kind of sacrifice daily. I am so touched at the love shown to Our Heavenly Parents in desiring to help them have all their children come home...I will be forever grateful to have been in the temple environment on this mission and witness so much sacrifice and love that people show by their examples. Hurrah for Israel!!!
I NEED TO REQUEST THE INDEXING PROGRAM ON THE OFFICE COMPUTERS...SO MUCH INDEXING COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THIS LAST WEEK.
We just learned our little grandson Brandt, in the orange shirt, is going through a very rough time right now. He has had a difficult time with his bowels since birth and now he is again losing weight and suffering. We love this boy with all our heart's. Our love and prayers are with him as he goes through the pocking and prodding the doctors need to do to help him get some strength back. These four little boys are such a delight. We pray his cousins can help with their prayers to bring our little Brandt through this difficult time. We love you Brandt!
Elder Bushman and I went to lunch with my cousin Bruce Nickell & his physician wife Karen. It was fun to get to meet her and visit their home. Karen went back to medical school while having 6 children at home and she was a divorcee. Their children introduced Bruce to her at church. She is quite the woman and they are so kind and good to all. We discussed our little Brandt. She gave us hope. Family is so important in this life and it is awesome that I have a cousin so close by who loves my Grandpa Lyn as much as me. They live just up from The Sacred Grove!
Sunday June 1, 2014:
We went up to the Hill Cumorah last evening as we began our fast for Brandt today. I felt like Moroni was smiling down at me and saying, "I promise the teachings in the Book of Mormon are true". Nothing like a golden Angel's smile to bring this gospel into prospective.
Looking down the hill at all the green grass, from the top, makes for an awesome view. By the middle of this month this will have a stage built upon it and the Pageant will begin. We are looking forward to this summer event. A little toddler came from around this monument and grabbed my leg and wrapped himself around me and said Grandma! It took me by surprise and I almost cried...he just made my day.
Malcolm's sister Dorothy sent me the Genealogy I requested last blog, so now I am busy linking Malcolm to his grandparents. Thank you Dorothy. I have found Thomas F. Brown and now have his birth & death date thanks to the information you sent! Onward and upward we go!
Brother Halladay, 1st counselor in the Bishopric, called us to teach the temple preparation class for the coming few months. He said they will have about 8 couples enrolled. This should be a fun class to teach. We went and visited two different families with the missionaries today. We then went to the cemetery in Cortland and found a shade tree to park under and had a prayer for our precious Brandt that he can be healed. We then broke our fast with apples and crackers. There was an elderly man who came in a pickup and carried 4 gallons of water to the middle of the headstones. He poured them into a watering can and watered the flowers around a certain headstone. He was so reverent about it and we were so touched at his countenance that we did not disturb him. We watched and learned how to love more graciously from him.
It's Elder Bushman's Birthday week....He will be 68 on the 7th of June!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COMPANION!!!
SMILE!!!!
Sunday June 1, 2014:
We went up to the Hill Cumorah last evening as we began our fast for Brandt today. I felt like Moroni was smiling down at me and saying, "I promise the teachings in the Book of Mormon are true". Nothing like a golden Angel's smile to bring this gospel into prospective.
Brother Halladay, 1st counselor in the Bishopric, called us to teach the temple preparation class for the coming few months. He said they will have about 8 couples enrolled. This should be a fun class to teach. We went and visited two different families with the missionaries today. We then went to the cemetery in Cortland and found a shade tree to park under and had a prayer for our precious Brandt that he can be healed. We then broke our fast with apples and crackers. There was an elderly man who came in a pickup and carried 4 gallons of water to the middle of the headstones. He poured them into a watering can and watered the flowers around a certain headstone. He was so reverent about it and we were so touched at his countenance that we did not disturb him. We watched and learned how to love more graciously from him.
It's Elder Bushman's Birthday week....He will be 68 on the 7th of June!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COMPANION!!!
SMILE!!!!
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