Twenty Ninth Week

Salt Lake Temple Square Mission
December 22, 2013

 

Pretending to lead the Choir and Orchestra in the Conference Center

 We had quite the excitement this week with tours of the Tabernacle and Conference Center organs.  As missionaries we were led behind the organs and saw their insides.  It was quite the experience, crawling and climbing through their inners.  We were also able to touch the keys to the organs and even play them.  Who can say that they played Chopsticks or Mary Had a Little Lamb on the Tabernacle organ?  We did!

Sister Frost and the Tabernacle Organ

Elder and Sister Frost on the bench of the Conference
Center Organ

Elder Frost and the Tabernacle Organ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We forgot to mention a happening that occurred the week before.  As we were preparing for our Sacrament Meeting, who should walk in but Quentin L. Cook, an apostle of the Lord.  What a thrill for all of us especially for those speaking or nerve racking for those speaking.  One sister forgetting he was there blurted out that her favorite apostle was Jeffrey R. Holland and then tried to cover up the comment.  He just sat and laughed by what she had said. 

This week we also had the privilege of going to the Relief Society Building and listening to our General Relief Society President, Sister Linda K. Burton.  I was so impressed with her humility and lovely spirit.  The sisters were able to share experiences from women they admire.  Again, I am always amazed by these sister’s backgrounds and what they have sacrificed to be on their missions.  They are my heroes.

We took Cesar out to dinner this week and got caught up on his comings and goings.  Again, he always amazes us with his spiritual maturity.  He loves the Church and has really immersed himself into every aspect of the Gospel.  We saw him again today and we traded Christmas presents.  He handed us a three foot tower of candy and had handmade a nativity set for us, which we haven’t opened yet.    Our love for him continues to grow.

Our beautiful Temple

We have been very busy again this week in preparation for Christmas.  We have been given assignments to prepare for this special day.  Many wonderful people and organizations have donated items to be given to the sisters at this time.  Next week we will fill stockings to the brim and the special activities will officially begin.  We will be going to April’s house on Christmas morning and then spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with these very special sisters.  This will be the last Christmas for our mission President and his wife because they will be leaving the middle of January.  We will miss them so!

Our Asia Sisters - their first
experience with snow

Sister Frost doing a snow angel

We had a snow day this week.  Because there had been drizzling rain in the morning and then snow in the afternoon, Temple Square was a skating rink.  The personnel could not keep up with keeping it clear and deiced, therefore they closed the Square.   The sisters went wild, snowmen were made and hot chocolate was drunk in abundance.  We were all childlike.



A cold wintery day on Temple Square

Twenty Eighth Week

Salt Lake Temple Square Mission
December 15, 2013

Picture of the Temple from the second
floor of the Joseph
Smith Memorial Building

 

 Christmas is fast approaching.  How fun it has been for us to be here at this time of the year because there are so many gala and spiritual events.  But most importantly, the spirit resides on the Square and you can feel Christmas.  Last week was very hectic in the evenings with families everywhere, long lines to the Christus, photographs in abundance, but despite the chaos it was enjoyable.  To be outside with the lights and hot chocolate in hand was a joy never to be forgotten.



Sister Frost and the Singletons

Speaking of events this week the Christmas Concert was held in the Conference Center.  We had an opportunity to go Thursday night along with our friends, the Singletons and our son-in-law, Ken.  Spectacular is the only word to describe what we saw.  Deborah Voigt and John Rhys-Davies were the guest performers this year and they did a fantastic job.  A salute to Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, was performed as the cast members flew through the air.  We had a great time Thursday, but Sunday we waited in the standby line and got in again.  This time our seats were in the balcony and wow what a view we had.  We’ve determined we like the balcony better than the plaza seating.  The performance was not only entertaining but very uplifting and spiritual.  We hope our friends, the Singletons, could feel that as they came.

President Gillette standing and Elder and Sister Clarke
are seated behind him

This week we also had the opportunity to have Elder Don R. Clarke of the Seventy come for a “mission tour.”  For three days he was with us giving instruction to the mission.  He enlightened our minds with his words and after his visit everyone vowed to be better missionaries and hasten the work.  Along with his speaking, a luncheon was held each day in which I was intimately involved.  A good sister in Salt Lake had volunteered to buy food and put together the menu.  I was her sidekick for those three days.  Interestingly, Elder Clarke called Taggart and I to the front of the room and thanked us for our missionary service.  He then told us that our family would be blessed because of our service.  The Holy Ghost confirmed to me that there might be hard times but indeed we would be blessed.

We also had the opportunity to have a first discussion with Jason, our latest missionary contact.  To begin our discussion we asked him to share his story with us.  He grew up in China under the Mao Regime.  Needless to say, his life was not very pleasant because his father was imprisoned for nine years.  He was only released when his mother, a physician, was sent to the country to practice and at that time her husband was able to go with her.  He has very little knowledge of our Savior and so we will have to take it very slow.  We asked if we could pray and he didn’t know what prayer was.  We look forward with great anticipation to the next discussion.  However, this will not occur until after Christmas because he will be joining his family in Canada for the holidays.

Three glorious pictures of Temple Square

As always, we are grateful for the time we have here.  We can’t believe that we have been here almost seven months.  Time is flying by and we know as Taggart always says, “We need to make the most of time before the most of time is gone.”  Our goal for the next several months is to do our best and lengthen our stride.  This time for us will never come again.

 

 

Twenty Seventh Week

Salt Lake Temple Square Mission
December 8, 2013

 

Our neighbors at the Savior of the World - Tom, Becky, Matt,
Sharon, Amy, Sister and Elder Frost

Dinner with friends at the Garden Restaurant with a view of the Temple

There are such wonderful events here on Temple Square at Christmas time and one of them is the production entitled “Savior of the World”.  We went to this play weeks ago, but we were able to go again with our neighbors from Ogden.  Several of them are non-members and so this was a wonderful experience for them.  It was a time to strengthen them and for them to realize the importance of our Savior, Jesus Christ, His birth and resurrection.  Our hope is that we can be examples to them and perhaps share our beliefs in some way, even via this beautiful musical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Jenny in the South Visitor's Center with the Temple
in the background

We had an unexpected treat of having Jenny come for a visit this week.  Even though she was staying with our daughter, April, we got to see her momentarily.  We will miss our family Christmas celebration this year and of course our grandchildren, but we look forward to spending time with our mission family.  There are many things to be done to prepare ourselves for the Christmas celebrations here.  Perhaps January will bring a slow down for us, but right now we are so very busy.

 

Today was special because Taggart was able to ordain Cesar to the Aaronic Priesthood.  It is incredible to us to see how far Cesar has come over the past few weeks.  We had invited him to another activity on Temple Square but he couldn’t go because he was going to be doing missionary work and be with the Elders.  Wonderful!  He met Jenny while she was here and told her he was her long lost baby brother.  We really do feel like he should be part of our family.

We are excited because Taggart met a man this week who wants to take the discussions.  We had been praying to find another contact.  Taggart met Jason on the Square and invited him to the organ recital.  It was there that they talked and he was very interested in learning more about the Church because he works with so many people that are LDS.  He is from China, working in Utah with a family in Canada.  We have set up an appointment for next Saturday and we hope against hope that he will receptive to the spirit and the Doctrine of Christ.



Elder and Sister Frost in the Beehive House

Some pictures of the Square during this special time of year.

The beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby
of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

A wondrous  Christmas day on Temple Square

A beautiful view of the Temple





 

Twenty Sixth Week

Salt Lake Temple Square Mission
December 1, 2013

Elder and Sister Frost, Sister Seppi (wife of a counselor to
President Gillette) serving the dinner.

This was the week of Thanksgiving, a time to pause and show our gratefulness for all of our blessings.  We held quite the celebration in the mission.  We rented a facility called “Noahs” which had many rooms where various activities could go on at the same time.  The sisters celebrated by line dancing, skating (yes, ice skating), watching movies, playing walleyball, pool, and various and assorted other games, doing crafts or just relaxing.  Of course, we had the traditional turkey dinner which was catered.  All the senior couples and the mission presidency dished out the food and so we didn’t eat until everyone had been served.  Luckily, the food held out except for corn, so we had quite the feast.   Most of the sisters had never experienced

Sisters ice skating on Thanksgiving at a place called Noahs

a Thanksgiving dinner before so it was quite a cultural shock to them……..especially tasting dressing and cranberry sauce.  We also presented a skit where the president and the senior couples played pilgrims, Indians, and assorted turkeys.  There was a lot of laughing and fun.  Because we had been given the assignment of decorating we spent a great deal of time pulling together all the decorations including getting thirty pumpkins and assorted gourds.  But, it was well worth it!

Prior to Thanksgiving Day we held another Transfer Conference.  Time is just whizzing by and we couldn’t believe that another transfer was occurring.  It is so difficult to say goodbye to sisters that we love and bid adieu to those that are going outbound.  We also greeted twenty-four new incoming sisters.  I know that we have mentioned this before, but just when you start feeling comfortable with everyone, knowing their names etc., you have to start all over again.  Interestingly, all the new sisters are from various parts of the world, but there are none from the United States.
 

Taggart was privileged to go on a VIP tour with Jewish leaders from various parts of the world this week.  Included in the group were Rabbi Noam Marans and President Stan Bergman of the American Jewish Committee.  Elder Larry Gibson, 1^st Counselor in the YM General Presidency, also joined them.  He was a privilege for him to tag along and answer various questions regarding Temple Square.  They seemed very impressed by what they saw and according to Elder Gibson donated a large amount of money to our humanitarian effort. 

Since Thanksgiving is over, we begin the Christmas Season.  The lights on Temple Square were lit the day after Thanksgiving and it was wild……wall to wall people.   It seemed like everyone in the valley was on Temple Square.  The beauty of the surroundings was phenomenal.  It looked like a fairyland out of a storybook.  It is truly magical to be here at Christmas and feel the warmth and love that emanates from this sacred place.  To honor our Savior, Jesus Christ, is what this holiday is all about and we are glad to be surrounded by images of Him and His birth.