24 February 2018 " A lesson learned" (hopefully).

Here are a few journal entries, hopefully in chronological order. As you may remember Friday's are our evening shifts as well as our ASL shifts. I mentioned earlier 4 weeks ago the shift coordinator sent an email to all the brothers on his shift asking if there was anything we might be interested in doing that we haven't before done? I responded the OED (own endowment director) as mentioned I have been doing this position since on this shift, except on ASL nights. I really enjoy it because you get to see the own endowment being done, or you see a patron going through for the first time. So chronologically, a week ago last Friday was our last ASL Friday evening endowment session before the temple closes. We went to preparation meeting and I was assigned as a patron for the ASL session, good that's what I wanted, but Patty was not. She discussed this with one of the coordinators, who told her she wasn't assigned there. I said I'll talk with someone about it because she, as I, were to work with the ASL group. I think they figured we were upset that she wasn't assigned and reassigned her to the session. As the session ended and we were going to the veil, it got a little hurried because another session was coming off and we needed to make room. The coordinator decided that all hearing patron would go through a hearing veil and not the ASL one, in the interest in time. Well, that upset some of the patrons as well, as they were assigned with the ASL group. I went through the ASL veil already, but Patty did not. So she again did not get a chance to use her ASL skill (so to speak), which she had been practicing for. This is the lesson learned, had we just left Patty's assignment alone she would have been available to help the ASL patrons at the veil, and would have used her skill much more than trying to just go through the veil. Lesson? The Lord knows what He is doing, "Be still and know that I am God". Follow up so that we understand how much the Lord loves us and understands us, On Monday 19 February, President's Day, we were in the temple working and the coordinator came to me and said, "We have a deaf sister coming through the veil and we need you and Sister Slade to assist there". SO as it turns out she did get the chance she had been practicing for. I have had much more opportunity to use ASL than she has, but it was a great experience though.

Part two- Since I started doing the own endowments for the Friday shift, I have been assigned every Friday. Last night I was the OED and we had a total of 6 own endowments, two missionaries, one brother just taking his endowments and two couples being married. What a great experience helping and aiding these good members in such a joyful time, especially in the celestial room.

On the following Saturday a total of over 1800 endowments were performed, thats not including any other ordinances.
Sunday was our last day at the deaf branch, they were so very nice and appreciative. I believe they truly would like us to return, maybe some time we will. Also on Sunday we had the chance to meet up with Angela Van Den Brande, Sara's longtime friend and riding buddy. They both competed in barrel racing together. Anyway we meet up and took a walk around the city (about 5 miles worth of walking)! Here are some pictures: These next 4 pictures are at the Washington Monument, but it is the cherry tree I wanted the picture of. Everybody has been waiting for this, the cherry blossoms.

This is Angela, ↑ she is in the Navy, and is stationed here. I was really nice seeing her again. 

The next 3 are at the Jefferson Monument 

Monday 26 February 2018, today went traveled to Dulles Airport to the National Air and Space Museum.  It was a really nice museum very interesting things.

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This is a spy plane, however not very practical because of the cost to 

operate it. Lots and lots of fuel and could only be flown for a couple of hours before needing refueling. ↓Another view, kind of a pre stealth bomber.

This is the Enola Gay, named after the pilot's (Paul Tibbits) mother. 

So what you say, This is the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Leading to the end of the war in the Pacific. It didn't end until another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. 

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Wright Brothers plane, original? Maybe. The whole flight traveled 112 ft.and 4 seconds in the air.

It happened on 14 December 1903. Now imagine just 58 years later (5 May 1961) we send Alan Shepard into space on Freedom 7 and on 20 July 1969, 66 years from the first flight, man walked on the moon. That's 66 years from flying 112 ft to 384,403 miles to the moon. That's an average distance to the moon, as it varies.

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P38, I always liked the P38 

WWII fighter

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I liked this plane because it looks like the jet from Johnny Quest

The Space Shuttle Discovery

Front view 

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All the black tiles on the front are placed there and numbered

each is exact for the that spot. There are used for the heat shield

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Satellite, yep it's real

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Exhaust and thrusters, they are bigger than they look here

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Another view of the spy plane

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And the Shuttle

 This one is interesting, the wing span is longer than the original flight taken by the Wright Brothers

of 112 ft.

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How about this dandy? The Concorde

New York to London in 3 hrs and 30 min. 

Cost? 5 times as much as a regular 747 flight. Example $2,000 to Paris on a 747 

and $10,000 on the Concorde. That's why the Concorde not flying any more.

We went up to the observation tower and watched plane land at Dulles

Later on Monday evening we held our "farewell" dinner at the Stake Center. I'm adding a Az by the names of the Arizona folks

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That's Sister Olsen, (Az)

Everybody in front of her are watching a slide show

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Lance and Vicki Scott

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Arnold and Geri  (Slade) Gillespie (Az)

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Sue and Wayne Slade (Az)

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Sam Clemmons

behind Sam is Debbie Papa, ( Az) Roxann and Rod Barney, George and Lee Jackson 

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John and Jane Coons

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Lorraine Johnson

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Renee and Steve Coombs (Az)

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 Art and Pegge Stowers

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Sue Victor, Susan Warner and Gini Wiltbank

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Vickie and Tom Snelson

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Margaret and Earl Sanders

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Left to right,

Gary and Jayne Weight, Michelle and Dan Skinner (Az)

Michelle grew up in Tucson and attend the Tucson Stake 1st ward in the Ft Lowell building

same building I attended. We know a lot of the same people.

Actually her mother and Aunt Dorene served a mission together in Scotland.

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Dawn and John Dyer (Az)

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President and Sister Swift

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President and Sister Foulger

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President and Sister Colton

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Left to right

President and Sister Foulger (1st counselor), President and Sister Colton (temple president and matron), President and Sister Swift (2nd counselor) Brother Parker (temple recorder), Sister Sanders and Earl Sanders (they served as a member of the presidency when needed to fill in).

It's Friday 2 March and I'm just finishing writing about Monday. I can't get ahead, this is the last week of the temple before it closes and it is busy everyday. We are literally breaking records for attendance. So going back to the original statement made about a lesson learned, We had another chance on Wednesday. Before I talk about that I want to mention on Tuesday 27 Feb. I was assigned the as baptistry director. I always like working in the baptistry, it is busy with youth wanting to baptize and be baptized. Later in the day We had a ASL couple come in for an endowment session and myself along with Brother and Sister Scott, from the DC Deaf Branch, were called on to assist at the veil. Patty didn't go because they didn't need an extra sister, darn. Then on Wednesday we received our assignment, I was again assigned in the baptistry, but I saw Sister Munro, also from the Deaf Branch there and thought another ASL veil. Sure enough as I finish in the baptistry the coordinator is looking for me. He tells me there is an ASL patron to receive at the veil. So when I see Patty I asked her if she was doing the veil for Sister Munro? She said no Sister Munro had already gone through in english (she vocalizes very well). I said it must be someone else, anyway we were at the veil and it was a sister we didn't know, she was surprised to see us as she was expecting to use a card in english. She was pleasantly surprised it went very well. 

The following day on Thursday another ASL couple, actually the same one from Tuesday, they came back and also planned on being there Saturday. 

Here are a couple of pictures of our last Wednesday dinner as a group, some of the missionaries would go out to dinner on Wednesday evenings after our temple shift. This was at Mission BBQ, one of the favorite places, for me anyway.

Ok up to date on today, last night the wind blew all night really hard. It knocked out our power a couple of times, when we went to the temple, for extra shifts, the power was out at the temple. They were using back up power and flashlights for lighting and power to run the endowment sessions. No power or lack of, will stop the sacred work of the Lord. 

Well, the temple is closed, even though I don't think it broke any records it was a great day in the temple. I think the day ended with almost 1400 endowments, short over 400 from last Saturday, but what a wonderful day. I worked as an officiator on the 12:20 session, and concluded the night at the veil, the last veil! Since I was in the temple for about 10 hrs😀 I had a lot of time to study the ASL ordinances, brother Vargas (one of the ASL coordinators) was there and coached me. He has really helped me and pushed me to learn these ordinances so I can be ready for service in the Tucson temple. 

Wrapping it up for the week, Sunday 4 March President Swift and I went to the DC Deaf Branch to say goodbye. It was a nice testimony meeting, also I saw the couple that I had been helping in the temple this last week there in attendance. They had stopped going to the branch for a while because of some hard feelings previously. When I visited with them in the temple I encouraged them to go back to the branch, so I was happy to see them. Later at the Rock Creek Ward we attended testimony meeting. It lasted 2 hrs, however it was the only meeting since all the ward leaders were released and the ward was discontinued (for a time not specified). Great testimonies and a heartfelt experience for all. After the meeting the temple presidency handed out our certificates of release as temple workers in the Washington DC temple. They gave us a notebook with all the weekly spiritual thoughts and a picture of the temple.

I will continue as time passes, until then.

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