Each mission in which we have served has brought us joy, eternal relationships as well as real challenges. During difficult times we have learned to rely on the Lord and He has lifted, guided and comforted. The greatest peace we have ever known was during our recent temple assignment as we went from the cold and darkness of the world into the light, warmth, peace and beauty of the temple. As we followed our daily schedule, dressed in white, speaking reverently and marveling at the teachings, ordinances and their beautiful promise we felt the love that inspired them, experienced a bit of Heaven. Concerns of the world with its problems, suffering, wars, tyranny and injustices were swallowed up in the knowledge that the justice, love and mercy of our Father-in Heaven will prevail.
I appreciate these messages from the dedication prayer in Doctrine and Covenants 109:13,16, and 22: "And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel Thy power and feel constrained to acknowledge that Thou has sanctified it, and that it is Thy house, a place of holiness. And that this house may be a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even Thy house. And we ask Thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that Thy name may be upon them, and Thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them."
One sacred privilege I had was to gather the names for the prayer list to be put upon the altar. As I carried them in my hand I thought of those who had great needs and I appreciated those who loved and cared about them enough to submit their names. It was a very powerful experience for me. I often thought of the poem by President Kimball:
"Enter this door as if the floor within were paved with gold.
And eve wall of jewels of wealth untold.;
As if a choir in robes of fire were singing here
Nor shout, nor rush, but hush, for God is here."
There is a closeness that comes from working together in the temple with other couples. We were a family. We all had some concerns about our families back home and when good news would arrive we would rejoice together and if sad news, weep together. Especially the women became very close. The relationships between man and wife are also enhanced through sharing missions Dale has never looked so handsome to me, dressed in white, as shiftleader and conducting sessions and greeting people with his warm, wonderful smile. We laughed a lot, walked in the beautiful woods nearby each morming and did sight-seeing in his beloved Sweden. We have always been on missions where temperatures were cold and my favorite thing has been to jump into bed with our hot-water bottles and read the scriptures. Great memories.
We met and fell in love with people not only from Scandinavia but also from Latvia, Lithuania, Ghana, Russia and other places. To me they were angels, so humble, pure and radiating the Spirit. I miss them and look forward to seeing them again someday. We became close to three women who were professional world-tour golfers who traveled constantly yet attend the temple wherever they are. They also sponsor a humanitarian project, .-Eyes fo We had a group of youth come from Lithuania with their seminary teacher who was also a Relief Society president. Actually they lived closer to the Finnish temple but because the air fare and housing was less expensive in Sweden, they came each summer to the Stockholm temple. During each year they would forgo Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, even movies and ice cream cones and ask for equivilent money to go into their temple trip fund. They were very well prepared spiritually and did as many as 100 baptisms per person each day. When I asked them what they had for breakfast, they said, "pancakes’‘, for lunch, "pancakes", for dinner, "pancakes.". They gathered berries from the woods each day to garnish their humble meal. A few of us had the privilege of taking them to dinner. What a great example of the faith and sacrifice of youth.
I am grateful for the power of prayer. At age seventy -seven, I continually lose and forget things which compels me to fall on my knees ask for help and often, within a matter of seconds, I find the thing I have been searching for. What a blessing to be able to go to our Father- in -Heaven and pour out our hearts to Him and receive answers to our prayers.
I am grateful for the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days, for the faith, suffering and courage of Joseph and Emma Smith in bringing forth the translation of the Book of Mormon. As I read it, I know that at age 23, Joseph Smith could not have written it, or any man of any age, for that matter, and that the accounts of the Nephites, Lamanites and Jaredites are, in fact, true. I know that God lives and am grateful for the scriptures. They are my GPS. If I read the directions they give and listen and follow the Spirit, I will reach my destination- Eternal life. Even if I get lost and make a wrong turn I can hear a "recalculating" get back on the path- if I study, listen and obey the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
With each passing year I become more grateful for the blessings of the Gospel in my life and the lives of our children and for my knowledge of our Savior, Jesus the Christ, His example, teachings and the love He proved through His atoning Sacrifice. I am grateful for repentance and for the promise that all shall be resurrected. I will close with this oft-quoted statement by Lucy Mack Smith, who suffered the loss of her two sons in the building of the Kingdom: "We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in Heaven together."
This is my prayer and with I send my deepest love,
Elaine Woodbury Ensign
