DC Temple Roadtrip

Jaden and I feel extra grateful to have grown up with temples so close to home after roadtripping 4.5 hours to take the youth to do baptisms for the dead at the closest temple to us: Washington DC. We had three girls in our car and one of our new young women's leaders that all made the journey with us. I took a page out of my mom's book and found 8 little crafts and activities and wrapped them up and gave the girls one to open every hour of the trip. It helped pass the time and encouraged conversation and laughter from girls who tend to be very shy. There was a drawing game, love bug craft, hearts to heart attack cars in the temple parking lot, sticker coloring book, bookmarks that had them write down their divine qualities, get to know you questions, glow sticks and candy. Before we left at 6:30 a.m. our bishop said that we were taking the non-toll route to save money because we wouldn't be reimbursed for tolls. After several of us, including myself about lost our breakfast on the windy forest roads we decided on the way home we'd take the toll route back which was a straight shot on the freeway and cut a half hour off the drive time. 

After 4.5 hours we arrived at the temple. We spent some time at the visitor's center which everyone loved and then we entered the temple. I was surprised to see my friend from the ward Nadine volunteering n the same shift. Tender mercy number two was my mission companion Julia Horman also happened to be volunteering on the same shift and was able to sneak down to the baptistry where we were and say hi. It was one of our girl's first time attending the temple which was a really neat experience to be apart of. Reminded me of the first time I entered the temple at 12 years old. I remember I changed into the jumpsuit that you do baptisms in so you don't get your clothes wet and I walked out of the changing stall with it on backwards. For some reason I thought the zipper went up the back like a wetsuit. If you ask my mom you'd know that as a kid I'd constantly put things on backwards, sometimes I still do. After we did baptisms the temple workers let us know that they recently put prayer rolls in the baptistry which I thought was awesome. It was a neat experience sharing with the girls what a prayer roll is and inviting them to write down someone's name that could use some extra prayers. The prayer roll always reminds me of prayer chains that were common in my mission in TN. 

The church website explains the prayer roll well when it says, "when members of the Church become aware of those in need, whether that be because of illness, afflictions, or other challenges, they are invited to place the names of those people on the temple prayer roll. As members participate in temple ordinances, they come together in a prayer circle and unite their faith in behalf of those individuals. Prayer rolls are a special way for Latter-Day Saints to follow the Savior's teachings to pray for each other as they pray in temples around the world."

I think it is so powerful to think about uniting in prayer around the world for specific people that church members have submitted in need of extra thoughts and prayers. 

After the girls wrote down names and dropped it in the prayer roll box we walked back outside and took some pictures on the temple grounds. One day I'll get a pic of the girls actually smiling but today was not the day. 

After a faster drive home and a meal of Subway sandwiches we climbed up the stairs exhausted and glad to be back home. I swear I'll never take for granted living so close to temples again. Even when we're in Dallas we'll be within 30 minutes rather than 4 hours! I am so excited for church members in Pittsburgh to have a temple outside the city completed in another year or so. They deserve it so much. 

Which reminds me, I neglected to write about an experience I had back in October to be the representative from our ward's Young Women's organization who attended a zoom call interview for the church historians documenting the construction of the Pittsburgh temple. At first I felt really undeserving because I am not a Pittsburgh native but it was neat to meet with other ward leaders and missionaries based in New York who were recording thoughts from different people in the Pittsburgh area. They specifically asked me where I was when I first heard that Pittsburgh was getting a temple and I was able to share that at that time Jaden and I were living in Utah and going to school with the goal of attending a graduate program in Pittsburgh so when we heard a temple announced it was exciting because our goal was to come out here. And then I shared that after moving out here and getting to know the members of our ward and stake I am so excited for them to have a temple close by. I know we won't be here when it is completed but I am so happy that this community will have the blessing of temple that isn't 4+ hours away. 

Peaches

• Going to the temple
• Getting to know the girls and Simone better
• Seeing Horman and Nadine
• Randomly remembered an old favorite YouTube video from junior high and showed Jaden who had never heard of it and thought it was hilarious. Do yourself a favor and look up Marcel the Shell. It is so random but so funny we now quote it all the time

• Krew's constant concerned eyebrows. He is so stinking cute!

• I hopped on a call this week from my living room and my boss wondered where I was. I told him a different room in our apartment and he proceeded to tell me that he didn't realize how nice and spacious our place is and that it isn't a shoebox like my office makes it seem. It made me think about why Jaden got the nicer room with better lighting and backdrop for videos. In all honesty it's mainly because my office has a door and our main living room does not. But for anyone else who has been concerned about our living conditions we have a large, bright and cheery space. 

Pits

• Thinking I was actually going to throw up in the car
• Having to drive so long to get to the temple
• Homework