Joy in the Lord's house



Meet Alex with us at the temple, after we were done yesterday.  We had such a blessed day!  The Spirit was truly with Alex and each of us from the ward who were able to come on a Wednesday afternoon.  My husband and I have had the privilege for more than five years now to teach those who are preparing for that sacred opportunity, to go to the House of the Lord, to be instructed and covenant with Him to so live that they may receive all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and be worthy to return to our Father in Heaven.  He has promised that we may gain all that He has if we will be His people and follow Him to be our God.

Alex had come several times to the temple to do baptisms on behalf of the dead, and felt the spirit there, and the spirit of the work.  He has anxiously awaited the opportunity to, as he put it, "go upstairs," to the "whole temple" for the full ordinances, and he was rejoicing that the day had come.  He said to me at the end that it was so many times more amazing than he even imagined.  It was glorious to his soul--which is how we always hope it will be.

The missionaries who baptized him were able to be there also.  His designated escort, to personally shepherd him through the process, was also one of our 'students,' whose life the Lord has transformed in the couple of years since he made that commitment, and he was glowing.  A reminder that coming to the temple is not the endpoint, but the beginning of a new life, and we will see what the Lord will bring to pass.

We were all glowing, are still glowing, and feel very blessed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We love you too, Hugh

Image
 Maybe four or five months ago, a brother who had become a friend of ours here got up in testimony meeting; he said that he and his wife had lived here for 21 years (if I remember correctly) and this was only the second time he had stood to bear his testimony.  He talked about how, growing up in Kentucky hill country, everyone worked hard, they had a roof over their heads and food on the table, but no habits of open affection.  He said none of them really expressed the thought, "I love you" to anyone else.  It took time for him to learn to say such words, and he mostly only said them to his wife. He commented about hard times of various kinds...and how much life had changed with finding the gospel through finding his wife, and his gratitude for friends and his ward family. He was kind of looking down at the podium as much as out at all of us; then there was a quiet declaration that will touch my heart forever: looking up, he said, "All you people out there--I proba...
Read more

The apple tree's tale

Image
Once upon a time, there was a kind master gardener who offered us a little baby apple tree for the front yard.  It was planted and tended, and we anticipated delicious apples , knowing that it would have to grow at least a year or two before it could bear fruit. Then one day in its second season, a foolish boy from down the block decided to play Jack-be-nimble with our treasured little tree.  Leaping as tall as he could, he utterly failed to clear the top of it; in fact he broke it in two, leaving the upper portion, which included every tender branch it had, dangling by a thin strip to the ground.  The householder was very angry, and almost breathed out fire when he returned home that night and discovered what had been done.  This little tree had been a gift, and its apples would be truly used for pies, cakes, and applesauce through the years to come.  Now it was destroyed through a childish, thoughtless impulse. However, on careful inspection, th...
Read more

Goodby, cont.

Image
I didn't get back the second day, didn't finish this, did I? From last April.  I just haven't been here, life has been swamped.... Now a second Christmas has passed for Clark ('Fluffy' in her blog writings). So here it is. I miss Kathy Kidd's presence across the country.... How do I begin (humming the music intro in the back of my head)...to tell the story... I had read Paradise Vue and loved it.   I saw Kathy's name at her previous spot and started reading "Circle of Sisters" there and writing in a couple of times; I dared add something personal as an accompanying note the second time because she sent more than the minimal "your post will be included" message. This turned into an ongoing personal correspondence as I followed her to Planet Kathy when she started that blog.   The pic she used  as my first follower   Kathy was the impetus for me to start writing, to take the thoughts that always composed themselves i...
Read more