AN UNEXPECTED TRIP TO THE TEGUCIGALPA TEMPLE

Very unexpectedly this week President Dester asked us if we would like to go to Tegucigalpa.  One of our missionaries had received permission to travel to the temple to be sealed to his parents and he wondered if we would accompany him and his companion.  Well... duh... YES!  We have wanted to go to the temple since it opened in March. 

It was an amazing experience and it has left us with a renewed energy and excitement for the missionary work we are doing.  When we arrived in Tegucigalpa we kind of got lost for awhile and so by the time we arrived at the temple it was already getting dark.  We spent about an hour just walking around the grounds and basking in the peace of this spectacularly beautiful setting.

I know... I know... it looks like a postcard, but this is a real photograph! I took it! It shows where we spent the night. It is called the Guest House and was built so people who traveled to the temple from a great distance would be able to have a nice place to stay that didn't cost much.  It is set up for families and each room has three sets of bunk beds. You couldn't beat the view from our bedroom window.  We were excited to get up the next morning and to spend some time in the temple.

When we arrived the temple presidency was just about ready to begin their weekly Family Home Evening and they invited us to join with them.  Right now there are four couples from the United States serving in this temple. One of them, Brother and Sister Cazier, serve in the temple presidency.  The other three couples serve as ordinance workers.  They all live in the Guest House. One couple was on their 5th mission!  They were both 80 years old, spoke only enough Spanish to do the ordinances, and they were as happy as any couple we've ever seen.  For us it was quite a privilege to be there with them this night.

The next morning we searched for the parents of Elder Miranda so that we could establish the schedule for the day.  It was a pleasure meeting with them.  They had arrived after midnight and so they had to spend the night sleeping in the bus that had brought them from Nicaragua. It was decided that they would be sealed together as a family at 4:00 p.m. that afternoon.  That left our morning free to attend the temple.  Listening to the temple sessions in Spanish was a good experience for us both.  We understood almost all of it, only occasionally getting lost when the speaking got too fast.  The temple was so beautiful that I just longed to take a couple pictures so you could all see it.  But, you'll have to be content with seeing the outside.

Other than seeing and attending the temple we really weren't too impressed with Tegucigalpa.  We are glad that we were blessed to have the opportunity to see it, but it is just a big city with a lot of houses.  While we were lost we drove right by the most famous building in the city - the Catholic cathedral.  But, most of our time was spent in bumper to bumper traffic. It wasn't all that impressive.

Not every aspect of the trip went smoothly, but we had a great time and are extremely grateful for the opportunity that was given to us.  We were happy for Elder Miranda and his parents.  Their stake had traveled through the night from Bello Horizante, Nicaragua in order to be there.  They will stay for a couple of days in the Guest House and attend the temple while they are there.  What a blessing it is for them to have a temple closer to their home. 
    It was quite late by the time we got home that night and we were physically tired, but we were happy.  The temple and the ordinances that are found therein are the greatest blessing found upon the earth at this time.  If you would like to know more about the temple and the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, please go to ldschurch.org.  We have missed being able to attend the temple while we have been serving here in Honduras.  We look forward to being able to spend many wonderful days within the walls of these sacred buildings after we return home.