The Gift of Tongues Brings Wonderful Blessings!
As of about 27 hours ago, we entered our second temple maintenance closure period during our mission. It will be closed from today through two weeks from tomorrow, reopening on Tuesday the 2nd of October. So as a result, this letter is being written from Berlin, where we have lots of history to commemorate. More on that below.
The past week was significant for being unusually busy. I guess with everyone realizing that access would be down for a couple of weeks, we had lots of people looking to do their temple work while It was still possible. As a general rule our responsibility as coordinators for the initiatory ordinances has quite a bit of up and down. Sometimes we’re assigned quite a few workers to help with the work and other times, not too many are available. But it seemed like we were pretty stocked up with lots of helpers this entire week. As we’ve probably mentioned in the past there’s quite a bit of standing up and incessant talking so one really feel the wear and tear on one’s back, shoulders and vocal cords. But we seemed to have survived it pretty well and the patrons were very gracious as we got a lot of work done, especially for our deceased ancestors.
But what seemed really special this week was that we had several members who were here for their own first endowments, or in some cases, sealings. Our temple presidency is short a member for three months while President Wadosch and his wife have been given a three-month sabbatical prior to beginning as the new temple president in November which time includes their special training in Salt Lake for a few weeks. So in the meantime the vacancy left an opening to fill in where the presidency usually personally handles these living ordinances. It was special to be asked to participate several times in these living ordinances. We always make the assumption, sometimes quite real, that our deceased brothers and sisters are often present as we do their work. But there is obviously no question about the presence of the living and I think our emphasis is to maintain the same level of spirituality in both situations.
However, I had a very special experience this past Saturday as a husband and wife came in for their own sealing. He is stationed with the US military in Poland and is wife was able to visit for just a week and they had determined that everything was right for going ahead and fulfilling the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Although many of their family members naturally wanted to be present, it just wasn’t possible for quite a while to accomplish that and so they had decided to proceed while they had the opportunity. Two of our presidency members speak pretty good English, President Erlacher and President Wadosch. But President Erlacher had to leave town on a special assignment earlier yesterday and President Wadosch, as mentioned, was on sabbatical. President Wagner speaks only very minimal English and was assigned to perform the sealing, so he asked me, as the resident English interpreter, if I would be willing to participate and translate his remarks for the couple. I was naturally more than happy to do so and he gave me a couple of quotes he was going to use that I could be working on in the meantime. So when the time came, it was a unique opportunity to stand right next to the sealer as he performed this wonderful and sacred ordinance and translate his personal remarks to the couple. Translations were already available for the ordinances themselves, of course, but I have treasured up the things I translated and was going to give you one of the quotes. It looks like I left them back in our apartment, however. So maybe at a later date.
The other special experience we all shared this past Monday was a trip organized by President Erlacher for all the temple workers who wanted to go, to a special establishment known as the Jewish-Christian Schooling and Fellowshipping Foundation. It was a wonderful creation set up by, as the name implies, both Jewish and Christian worshippers, to better appreciate the Old Testament teachings cherished by both groups, but especially as they pertain to the ancient temples erected by Solomon, Zerubabbel, and Herod, as well as the “portable” Tabernacle created by Moses which was carried for the 40 years the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. It was quite fascinating to see the differences and similarities between these ancient temples and those established today.
Our chapel near the temple has a pretty good display itself of the tabernacle as well as many pictures of other LDS temples but it was really fascinating to see how well they had duplicated what is described in the scriptures about these holy edifices. We always quote Exodus 40:12-13 in our ceremonies but I spent some time this past week also reading Exodus 39 and comparing it to one of the paintings hanging in our initiatory area where Moses is ordaining Aaron. Fascinating stuff.
Finally, just a 10-minute walk from our apartment is a wonderful, wide expanse revealing a gorgeous view of occasional sunsets.
Just a few quick examples from a night where we spent 45 minutes gradually watching the sun reveals all its many glories to us.
Mom: Wow, what can I say, this sunset set was much more beautiful than even these pictures show. The colors were so deep and rich as they feathered out across the sky and became a deep rose across the horizon as they sank into the darkness. I could hardly take it all in as it filled my soul with such beauty of God’s creations. This is one all the grandchildren would have loved watching with me and I appreciate sending me pictures of sunsets when they catch one at home.
As Grampa says it has been a very busy week with constant need to keep the initiatories going and finding sisters to help. While I love it, the temple closing is a welcome break to do some other things. It has been fun to come back to Berlin after all these years and to visit the Dahlem ward where I served as a young missionary and Grampa also. There have been a few changes to the ward house over the years, even the addition of an elevator to help elderly and handicap people make it upstairs to the bishop’s offices. But mostly in looks the same from the outside. It is in a beautiful part of the city with wide, tree lined streets around it. I still remember getting off the bus across the street and seeing it for the first time. We met quite a few members who remembered us from the temple and who have callings as temple workers.
There was even one older gentleman whom I recognized from years ago when as a young married he served on the stake high council and then became the stake president. We also met the young missionaries now serving in this area and one was especially glad to see us since she had just been transferred from Freiberg. We took some pictures. After church we drove all over Berlin trying to find the different wards and places Grampa had served in as a young missionary, only being in the Berlin mission for the entire time.
It was a fun time reminiscing and a frustrating time trying to find our way around the street construction in the city. (Above photo left used to be split down the middle with the old Berlin Wall. First street we tracted out. Right, Grampa in front of the old mission home.) Tomorrow it is onward to Kiel and Copenhagen.
Love, prayers and hugs,
Grammy, Grampa, Mom, Dad, Elder and Sister Parker
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