There is soooo much yet soooo little i have to say about the temple. I just did what i needed to to do there, felt an amazing spirit and absolutely enjoyed it. I have been reflecting on the gospel principle of "enduring to the end" recently, and I feel i have a better understanding of it at this point in my life. The concept of enduring to the end is taught to investigators as the step that follow baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost. I think that enduring to the end means that while we understand a very small portion of the gospel at the time of our baptism, and we know that there is so much more to understand after baptism, enduring to the end is having the faith that further knowledge will be revealed to us as we continue living worthy and true to our baptismal covenants. I feel the same way at this point about the temple endowment. I understand a wee bit of what happened, and i know there is gigantic amounts of symbolism and importance that i don't understand yet, but i know that what I felt was the spirit there testifying to me that is was true and i will continue to learn as i continue to ponder and live my life worthily. Thus, enduring to the end.
Okay, but aside from spiritual stuff. We walked into the St. George temple and once I told the man at the front desk my name, he said, "Oh, Sister Little, you are going on a mission! to the Ukriane! We're so excited for you!" It felt so awesome and i felt so welcomed and the people there expressed their excitement for me to serve. The matrons and temple workers there were so bubbly and sweet. One of the first things i did was to go to the back offices so that they could sit down and check over my record information to make sure it was correct. As i was waiting for the matron to assist me, a male temple worker, older, around 60 approached me and started talking to me about my mission and how excited he could tell i was. (the whole day i had a smile ear to ear that i was at this point in my life-worthy and ready!) Well in the middle of our conversation, he says, "well, I am really sorry sister, but I'm afraid..." my heart sunk to my stomach thinking that something administratively had gone wrong and listened as he said, "... I'm afraid youre going to be distracting all the missionaries in the field with your beauty, they aren't going to be getting any work done!" i smiled and said i think that my physical attraction will disappear when i am set apart and i will only be spiritually beautifully for my mission, because that's what's important. He said, "Oh, I don't think that's whats going to happen" with a big smile on his face :)
so next i went to get changed and i was escorted to the "bridal changing room" and as i passed through the hallway i saw like three beautiful wedding dresses hanging up waiting for their brides to return from their sealing. Okay, honestly, for half a second i was sincerely sad that i wasn't there to be sealed to a companion, or even have a male counterpart to go through this, my first temple experience, with me and feel what i am feeling-nervous, excited, just all the emotions. So i stopped in my tracks and stopped the matron that was leading me and told her that today, for me, it wasn't call the bridal changing room, but the sister missionary changing room. She agreed to call it that for me and i was ready to continue on.
As i said the matrons were so nice and were feeding off my excitement and smiles, and i was told multiple times throughout the day that i am going to be a great missionary because i am energetic and excited about going. WHY NOT be excited about going?!!! I made those matrons just as proud of me as any of the brides coming through which helped a lot with my little pains of loneliness.
So many people from my home ward came to support me, more than i expected given the hour and a half drive to the temple, but it was seriously a ward party in the celestial room. I didn't realize i was supposed to whisper and be quiet until we were about to leave, so hopefully i didn't distract from someones introspection and reflections, but whatever, i was soooo excited to be there and doing what i was doing.
So this evening i was set apart...and it was such a cool experience. I initially wanted it to be just me and my family in the room, but my bishop advised that more people come. I had twenty people in the room to support me and nine honorable, melchizedek priesthood holders who are close to my family and my heart in the circle as i was set apart (usually it is just the stake pres and the dad), but I couldn't turn down more priesthood authority surrounding me as i was set apart...it was so powerful. Two people in the circle are men who are preparing to serve their missions in S america and australia and what an opportunity for them to exercise their priesthood authority to help set me apart! so cooool!
I am so ready. I can just feel it. I am a missionary now. No if ands or buts about it. and the most important part is that i am absolutely certain in my mind that that is true. I am ready to go out and touch the lives of those i meet in the mtc and then in the ukriane with the light of christ emitting from my heart. I cant hardly contain it all in the confounds of my physical body. I am so excited! I can't wait!!!
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