How Beautiful Upon the Mountains

As we were considering the possibility of serving, assessing family needs, I approached my father and mother.  My parents had just returned from serving in New Zealand.  Dad was struggling with a condition akin to Parkinson's.  "Well, if you and Val are going to jump off a cliff, you might as well do it sooner than later," was my dad's appraisal. 

Going on a couple's mission in some ways has been a little like my dad's words:  maybe a little more like jumping off a high dive.  You consistently practice swimming, then you work up courage, and close your eyes and jump.

Some time before our mission, our Spencer ward had a temple night.  As I sat in padded seats with ward friends looking up at the beautiful temple workers, I noticed one looking down at us all.  Her eyes were ever so kind, peering into our very souls.  Her gaze was so piercing, I had to look away.  My friends also noticed, and I made a mental note.  I wondered how it was possible to have that type of countenance.  Months later, Val and I accepted a call to serve in the Bountiful temple.  I found myself in one of those very seats, looking down, wondering again, if I could ever feel as totally kind and good, through and through, as the woman who had looked down upon us that night. 

Researching opportunities all over the world to serve in the temple and elsewhere, Val and I were invited to learn more about a new temple in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  "The harvest was great...the workers were few."  "Could you be ready by May 1st?" We completed our application on 31 March, Easter, and Val's birthday.  (Could you be ready in one month to leave all of your affairs?)  We placed our hat in the ring and waited.  A month went by.  And a few more days.  Finally, Friday, May 3rd, we received the mission call to enter the Salt Lake temple for training 10 days later, and arrive to serve in a radiant, light filled edifice.

Researching US state department warnings, we learned our temple was situated in a relatively dangerous place.  We can count on more than one hand friends who had lost loved ones in unthinkable ways.  But the scriptures teach us that light chases away darkness.  Suffering families now were offered a haven, a refuge to find sanctuary.  One sister sat with me in the sister's dressing room waiting her turn, pointing to her cards.  "How did you meet the missionaries?" was a favorite question of mine.  This woman's 15 year old sister's life had been taken.  In search of a church who offered vicarious ordinances, this sister visited church after church until she learned of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and temples.  Her sister would not be left in limbo for the eternities. This woman had chosen to become a member.  Now her daughter was researching family names and I looked down to see a hand was filled with pink cards filled with names of grandmothers and great aunts. 

Other sisters, folding baptismal overalls, shared dreams that helped them make choices to be baptized, stay active and find joy serving in the House of the Lord.  A grandmother to some babies that cooed at each other over the altar as they were sealed to their parents, told of a dream that she had had while she was taking the missionary discussions.  She saw herself in a beautiful building dressed in white, with groups and groups of people waiting for her to help them.  She had been told of temples before, but would not realize what was in her dream until she was baptized and sometime later presented her recommend at the front desk. 

Some of our favorite days in the Honduras temple were when groups of visitors from Nicaragua and outlying cities and towns requiring hours and hours of travel mixed with groups of full time missionaries.  President Benson's quote of heaven being filled with "no empty chairs" crowded my thoughts as we looked for folding chairs and helped brothers and sisters one by one, as the Savior did in 3 Nephi--also on the grounds of his Father's house. 

I prayed to know what to pray for, looking out at the cleanly groomed young men and young sisters helping one another fix a collar.  I could pray for their investigators; I could pray for their parents, their companions, their grandparents and ancestors, their children and grandchildren.  I peered through the rows to see children of Lehi, that were lifting themselves from poverty and suffering.  I could pray that they might have prayer in their homes and scripture study, that their children could be kind to one another.  In a place where  the earth meets the heavens.  I could feel in my countenance something I have described that I once wistfully thought not possible...love, flowing, pure and real.  And it was not really me.  It was emanating from the source of righteousness, something all could feel, as each of us worked to receive it unto ourselves. 

When we were invited to tell about the state of the Church in Honduras, I thought of when I heard in institute that when a family lives the gospel, and teaches their children truth, the children stand on their shoulders.  And the children's children perch on their shoulders.  As habits of holiness, traditions of truth are built, it is from these foundations that prophets are born.  On my fourth time through the Book of Mormon, I found a nugget teaching this:  "And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—

And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded. " (1 Nephi 14:1,2 see also 2 Ne 30: 5,6   and Alma 9:16,17)

Though no budding, rooting gospel branch can grow without challenge... I can share my story about a couple of families in our little ward, split from a burgeoning one.  Maria Torres explained that her three year old son whistled to hail missionaries from across the street.  A five hour visit happened night after night, until eight days had passed.  The family was baptized.  Fifteen days later, Maria's husband Roger accepted a call to be bishop and Maria as Primary president.  Today, their two daughters are working to finish advance degrees in education and have held nearly every leadership position possible.  Maria and Roger serve in the temple, praying to serve missions someday. 

In our "guardaria" or temple nursery, I watched a young mother sing to her children from memory practically every song from the Primary Songs for Children.  As melodies lilted from "popcorn popping" to "roll your hands," I watched the toddlers and preschoolers respond by sharing and singing, putting away fists and pulling of puzzle pieces that was wont to happen in the hours of wait before crossing over to the lighted sealing room. I testify songs of goodness are planting themselves permanently in the hearts of our brothers and sisters in the countries of Honduras and Nicaragua.  

And it is easy to smile upon others as the Savior did with people in the Americas of ages past ( 3 Ne 19:25)

So taking a leap off our high dive, the waters have been warm and inviting in a fountain of righteousness, offering the taste of a wonderful fruit.  We are presently tasting a piece of the promise in 1 Ne 13: 37 "Blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost, and if they endure to the end, they shall be lifted up at the last day and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb and whoso shall publish peach, yea tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."

Loving our beautiful friends, they loved us back (see 1 John We loved him, because He loved us first.) Somehow our gaze has easily grown a little more kind and penetrating, with the love of the Savior.  By diligence unto prayer until the end shall come. (Moroni 8:26)

 And if it is possible to continue serving, and leaping, perhaps when we see Him, we will be like him, and it will be well with us.  (Moroni 7:47,48.)