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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Life at the London Temple Visitors' Centre

Ken in the Visitors Centre

The London Visitors Centre at night

Trees of every variety on the London Temple grounds

Our first week at the Visitors' Centre is over and it has been a very hectic one. We are putting in 12-14 hour days without any breaks at the moment. Lots and lots of people are thrilled about the new facility and the engineers here still haven't got the locks working on the doors so people are just wandering in and we have to be there to supervise. If they don't hurry up and get things fixed around here, we are going to be completely worn to a frazzle! We are happy here though and trying to work out the bugs as we go along. We are keeping a journal of some of the many great, spiritual things that happen here. I thought I would tell you about a few of the wonderful people we have met here. Of course, here in London we meet people of every nationality that you can imagine. We had a young father from India in last week. He lives in London and is a regular visitor to the temple here. He was telling me that there are many missionaries now in India, especially southern India. They have built many new chapels and the church is flourishing there. He said that his parents became acquainted with the church in New York City. They went back soon afterwards to India and there was an American businessman there who they became acquainted with that was holding church services in his home. At first there were only 3 people attending, but after 3 years when the man was getting ready to return to the US there were over 60 attending in Bombay. They now have a new chapel and a large congregation there. He was so excited to be a part of the Gospel. He even gave me his parent's addres in Mombai (the new name for Bombay) just in case that I might go on a mission there someday.

We also had a man from the Philippines in the other day. There are actually many members of the church here from the Philippines. He said that his family joined there when he was a child. His father always encouraged him to go on a mission when he turned 19, but he decided to go abroad to school instead. While he was away from the Philippines his father passed away. He said that he always felt that he had let his father down by not serving a mission. He said that he came to the London Temple and before he went on the session, he prayed that he would have an assurance that his father was with him while in the Celestial Room. As soon as he entered the Celestial Room, he said that a man he did not know came up to him and gave him a hug, a peculiar hug, that he had never seen anyone give except for his father. He felt that it was a sign that his father was there and was pleased with him and his life. By the time he finished his story, he was in tears and so was I. There are many people who have great faith and love to come to the temple to feel closer to Christ. This truly is a blessed spot in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle on busy London. You feel the spirit of peace and our Savior Jesus Christ here. What a blessing it is to be living here and be able to feel it every day.

We hope that all is well at home. We pray for you and love to hear your news and experiences. Take care and have a great week.

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