Changes in September

Our Temple President decided Laurie and I needed to have a change of pace in our Temple Service. That is his distinct privilege as our Mission Leader. Since our senior couple friends, the Ames, had to leave about 5 months or so early, they needed someone quickly to replace them in their temple service duties. They called Laurie to work in the temple recording office and they called me to be a Volunteer Assistant Temple Recorder.

Both of us are now taken off the daily ordinance and sealing schedules. We started this new assignment a couple of weeks ago and we are in the midst of shifting gears towards a new daily routine. I have been asked to help out doing sealings when they are short-staffed. I welcome this invitation also. This past week I ended up getting requested to help do family sealings 3 out of 5 days. The hours now seem to be a bit longer. The schedule changes every other week. The first week our schedule is from 5:30 a.m. (really, I like to get there and be ready to serve by 5:20 or so) to 1:00 p.m. The subsequent week we work from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Saturdays we get off normally 2 hours earlier since the last Saturday endowment session starts at 5:00.) For now, we assume this will be our new schedule for the next year.

It has been a roller-coaster ride since many of the days seem to go longer than the schedule, for various reasons. I hope it will settle down soon, but I feel there is a 50% plus chance this may be the new normal. A week after I was set apart as a new Volunteer Assistant Temple Recorder, the Temple had a new Temple Recorder. He was the previous Assistant Temple Recorder. His name is Lyte Gaviola. He is great to work with and always has a smile on his face. He seems to be about half my age, but most people seem to be that old :).

We are looking forward to the new challenges and seeing what we can do to help support improving the quality of temple service for our temple ordinance workers (who are all volunteers) and for the patrons that come to make both their own covenants with our Heavenly Father and do it via proxy work for their ancestors. This is such a great mission!

Laurie started a couple of days earlier than I did. Her first day she realized she needed her cell phone, so she called me to bring it to her. When I went over there, she stepped outside of the temple for just a minute to get it from me. I decided to snap a quick picture to show you how lovely she looks in her work clothes :). Yeah!, elle est ma belle femme!

Sister Randall, hard at work at the Manila Philippines Temple

This picture of Laurie is taken at the South-facing door of the temple. Most people do not go in this door. There is an Annex on the North side of the building that connects to the North -facing door. The North door is the door most people use to enter into the temple.

The following picture is taken from the vantage point of me turning around after leaving Laurie, facing south. Laurie and I walk up this set of stairs every day the temple is open. You can see the apartments off to the left in the background. We cross the little driveway there and we go down another set of stairs in the apartment complex and we are safe and sound in our apartment on the Temple grounds. We joke a lot with the other temple workers about the traffic issues we have getting to the temple. Since traffic is such a big deal here, they enjoy our light humor. It is so nice to just walk out the door each day to serve and not have to drive to our missionary assignment.

I believe most Filipinos would love to live where we live. We have an estimated 600 square feet of living space in our apartment. It is quite a high-end apartment from their point of view. Laurie and I are happy to have it and feel truly blessed. I believe I have said this once before, but it can easily be said again :), We live on the temple grounds dedicated by His Prophets to do His work on both sides of the veil. This is a blessing for Laurie and I beyond compare.

Facing south from the Temple, the Senior Missionary apartments on the left.

One of the early mornings it looked pretty outside so I took a couple of the following shots. I do love a good morning light.

Whoops! How did the following early morning picture of Mt. Hood make it in here? I took this from Jenny's outbuilding where we were living prior to our departure on our mission. I didn't have enough pictures this past month and I just really liked this picture, so you get to see how lovely the morning looks on the other side of the Pacific Ocean :).

Ok, back to the Philippines. This is going to be a short post. 

I will leave you with this thought about our first 6 months here in the Philippines serving a mission in the Manila Philippines Temple.

Personally, I have grown so much in my understanding of Heavenly Father's plan for me, and for all of us, at a faster rate of increasing knowledge, than at any other time in my life.  I have studied the gospel of Jesus Christ for at least 50 plus years now and I don't believe it has ever been like this for me.

I know that being in the temple for most of my week is the axis point for this welcomed and desired increase. Additionally, combining my daily service in the temple with being a set apart full-time missionary just pours accelerant on my learning. I am not sure what the next 6 month's (or even our final full year) impact will be, but I am excited and willing to find out. 

Simultaneously, there is a lot of change going on in the world and the peace the gospel brings to those on both sides of the veil is so badly needed at this time.

There is much to be happy about, and so much to hope for. I seek daily to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost in my life, which means I strive to repent often throughout the day. As I do, it brings me peace, hope, and happiness.

The Savior said this to all of us:

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."