Feet to the fire

The best of our experiences here involve the people we meet and the ones we work with.  There are two "shifts"  a day.  The first one begins with a preparation meeting at 7am with sessions at 8. 9. and 10 am.  The afternoon preparation meeting begins at 5 pm with s emissions at 6, 6:45, and 7:30 pm. A little bit like Rip Van Winkle, we came back to the same place we had served after almost four years absence.  It was like we had never left,..almost.  More than half of the temple workers we had been with 4 and 5 years ago were still there.  Many of them seemed not to have aged, with some exceptions of course.  Brother Lozano and others have changed a lot.  They are very friendly, and kind in their welcome to us.  

Our first few days were challenging.  We have known the ordinances in Spanish for a long time, but the  procedures of the temple and the responsibilities of the presidency are new to us.  Giving instruction to people receiving their endowment, conducting preparation meetings, and sharing temple policies and procedures with co-workers is daunting for us.  This should be less of a problem for us as times goes by and as we study. 

 Some of the highlights of the past week include greeting fifty missionaries a day for three days from the Guayaquil, Ecuador North Mission, and meeting with five new missionaries who were receiving their endowment before heading out to serve in Columbia, Peru, and Brazil.  

The days seem to go by quite rapidly, especially when we are busy. But isn't that the way it is with all of us?  Usually holidays are special days for the members to come to the temple.  That makes it a busy time for us.  More about holidays in later posts.