It’s just after 4pm today and I’ve spent the last hour and a half still at the temple after all my crew left. The cleaning people were really ready to get us out of there. We spent the morning touching up furniture, gold pots, teal pots, wood trim and anything else that needed a little refreshing. Before I left to come, I had the thought to put in some Stain & Seal in little containers in case I needed any to touch up the wood trim after we finished painting. That thought was well heeded as I have been able to mix many colors and mixtures to touch up things here. I know the Lord really is in the details.
As I was talking with Marcia and Raelynn (the floral missionary ladies), they told me about a sweet experience they had this morning. They arrived Sunday and they are re-doing all the floral arrangements and trees in the temple here. Their work is amazing and it has been a privilege to get to know them. Geoffrey, from Nigeria, watched as they arranged fern in the pot of a tree. He asked them how they knew about this fern they were adding, which grows in Africa. They did not know that it was an African fern. Raelynn told me that the budget for this project was very tight so prior to shipping they were pulling whatever they could from the floral department and then a designer donated a bunch of his extra flowers and greenery, which was all brand new to the department, so they shipped it all. This greenery was part of that. We talked about how the Lord is so in the details of everything we do…that we are only His hands but that “God doesn’t do random” as one of Danika’s good friends always writes in her missionary letters home. These women have seen so many miracles in the work they do and having the right flowers for each location. It’s been a great experience to share with them the last couple of days.
Marcia had noticed several chips in the pots that they were re-doing and asked if I had any products I could mix to touch them up. At first I thought, no…I don’t have anything in that color…and then the ideas came. I had gold mica powder that was able to be mixed with some stain I had and water to get the 14K gold pots refreshed. Then I remembered the temple president showing me a suitcase in one of their closets with stain sticks for their wood and had the thought that maybe there were other colors in there. Sure enough, powdered colors that mixed with water and paint gave us the teal blue we needed for the other pots.
It was super peaceful for me this morning as we fixed a few more dings in the walls (actually Sunday fixed them for practice under my direction), fixed a few darker spots in the Celestial room walls that bothered us, and helped move furniture, scaffolding and pull up all our dark plastic floor coverings. The temple was starting to come together as they cleaned carpets and put back the sconce light fixtures into our walls.
Some of the spots on the walls in the Celestial room that we needed to fix were of course, pretty high, so the men brought in an extension ladder and I climbed to fix them. At one point I was about as high as you can go (as in I’m out of rungs to climb) and I’m smashed against the wall reaching as high as I can on my tippy toes. Usually this position feels super scary and I’m very off-balanced but I almost felt as if I was secured and balanced today…hard to explain…but not really. The corner needed fixing and it was the only option we had. Stanley held my ladder, Vicky loaded and handed me product and three or four of the other Nigerians were all giving me directions to fix the corner. In the end it was much better and I’m glad we were able to do it. Vicky told me I was balancing super well. I told her it really wasn’t me.
After everyone from my crew had left, I was just getting ready to leave and decided to go see the sealing room finished with the light fixtures, carpet cleaned and furniture put back in. Just as I walked in I noticed a little brown spot on the newly cleaned carpets and was afraid it was from some of the stain we had used earlier to touch up the wood legs on the chairs. Praying that all would work, I was able to remove the brown spot and it looks new again. I noticed one of the crystal chains hanging loose on a wall sconce and noticed it was missing the last gold hook to connect it to the fixture. So, with one of the cleaning sisters and my sewing kit I brought for the sponge rollers, we were able to do a little sewing to put the crystal chain back together and attach it. It took us a long time since many of the crystals had not been put back together in the correct order and it was like a beautiful crystal puzzle trying to figure out what had to move where to get the appropriate lengths, or at least something that didn’t look all wrong. I think the sister I was working with was more excited about fixing the light than I was.
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| Michael's Shoe |
Other memorable moments:
The other day walking back from lunch, Michael was walking funny and I asked him what was wrong. He pointed to his shoe where the sole had come off from the front and it was flapping, as it was still connected at the heel making it hard to walk. He did not know what to do since he didn’t have another pair of shoes for the temple. I told him to come with me and I’d fix him up. I few strips of duct tape later…he shoe worked like new. J Duct tape…such a grand invention. One roll for here and one roll for Nigeria.
Ennuson gave each one of us a gift in a package today. Every one of us got a necklace with matching earrings. Tomorrow night Rose is preparing a farewell dinner for all of us. We are all going to wear our jewelry for the event. Ennuson also started passing around his journal so everyone could write a message to him in it. We decided it was such a great idea that many of us have taken the notebooks we brought and passed them around. It’s a little bit like yearbook day. I’m going to wait to read my entries in my book til we get on the plane. Poor Vicky has been in tears all day as she is not wanting to leave our dear new friends. I just don’t want to think about it…too hard!
Oscar continues to bring me little gifts each day. He’s such a sweet man. Today it was a laminated quote from Gordon B. Hinckley which reads, “We Reach Toward the Unknown, But Faith Lights the Way. If We Will Cultivate That Faith, We Shall Never Walk in Darkness.”
Martin asked Mark if he was going to take his “boots” home with him. Mark wasn’t sure what he meant and he pointed to his shoes. Mark asked if he wanted them and Martin replied they would be good for him for school. Most of these workers have been working in socks, barefeet or temple slippers. Mark took the shoes off his feet and gave them to Martin. He has been giving most of his shirts and shoes away to the men. I’m pretty sure Mark will go home with only his flip flops and the clothes on his back.
Suzie made Mark and Camron shirts. The prints are pretty awesome!
I gave Rose (our cook) an envelope yesterday morning with a thank you card and some cash. Last night I was a little late for dinner and Mark told me that Rose’s granddaughters were waiting for us all to eat so they could leave. I think they were waiting for me since one immediately came up to me to tell me that Rose said “thank you so much” for the card. Then she added, my grandma was jumping up and down for joy when she opened the card. It’s amazing what so little can do to lift their spirits.
The last few morning devotionals we have been videotaping with our phones. It will be so much sweeter than just still pictures since you can hear their lovely accents and feel their giant spirits. Oscar carried his keyboard here the other day just so Michael could play it and we could sing all together with accompaniment. Music really does invite the spirit.
I can plan on what is for every meal. It makes eating simple. Cracked Wheat, Oatmeal or some kind of white rice/mush for breakfast and if you’re brave, crazy meat sandwiches with some kind of fruit. Lunch is always Epa with soup (for the locals definitely), hot spicy rice, cole slaw type salad, chicken or fish and bread (only since we requested it… most of us make sandwiches…thank goodness for shipping PB & Honey and packaged tuna and chicken). Dinner is the same…plain rice, cole slaw salad, more local food that most of us skip due to the intense spices, chicken or fish, and maybe some fruit. At least I would never have to be creative for dinner. I’m looking forward to a wider American food option when we return.
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| Man Ironing |
Kaby brought his weavings in larger sewn together pieces. I bought a blanket/afghan. It’s much cooler than just something I could have purchased at the local market because I know the man who made it…one I have worked closely by for the past couple of weeks.
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| India Temple |
Alicyn
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