February 2nd 2023

Waves of Witness

Written by David

Late during the fall of 2022, I had a powerful spiritual experience in the baptistry area. We had a group of handicapped youth who came to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead. I was blessed to assist in the font area during their scheduled session. Since they had several adult leaders who were assisting these youth, much of my time was spent observing the youth and leaders performing the ordinances.

While observing the sacred reverence and love displayed by the youth and leaders for both the Temple and those individuals for whom the work was being performed, my eyes were opened beyond mortal eyes to catch a glimpse of what our Heavenly Father and our Savior see when they look upon us all. The love and gratitude which I felt at that time for this sacred work of salvation and for those involved in this effort on both sides of the veil was indeed from a much higher source than myself. Tears of joy flowed freely as I witnessed the majesty and nobility of these youth through divine eyes. 

After they completed their session, I felt compelled to remain in their presence as long as possible and found myself drawn to the baptistry reception area to be with them before they exited up the spiral stairs. Seeing me there, the baptistry coordinator asked if I would like to take the group up the stairs to the first floor recommend desk area so they could exit the Temple. I joyfully accepted the assignment. Then as I left their presence at the recommend desk and returned to the baptistry, I had scarcely come halfway down the spiral stairs before I received another very powerful witness of the eternal majesty of these great youth and of the deep love and compassion of our Heavenly Father and Savior for them. I had to pause on the stairs for a couple of minutes as wave after divine wave kept coming of that witness. Tears of divine love and honor flowed freely. Even when I finally reached the base of the spiral stairs, another wave of that powerful witness hit me, and I wept again with love and gratitude. These waves of witness from above continued for another several minutes before I was finally left to humbly ponder on the grandeur of the vision I had just witnessed. 

I am forever grateful to have been blessed to see, through divine eyes well beyond my own, the majesty that our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ see in each one of us, and feel of their absolute and eternal love for us all as Celestial Children of God.

This will be the last entry for our Nauvoo temple mission. What a sobering sentence. We are seeing everything with tear filled, grateful eyes. Every room, every staircase, every stain glassed star, every bong of the bell tower, every ordinance, every dear person. What a blessed year this has been! We will cry because it's over but we are so joyful it happened! Now, we won't have to miss our children and grandchildren, family and good friends at home, instead, we'll miss dear friends of our heart knowing, hoping, expecting we will see them again whether in this life or the next. 

All the "old timers" out for a last supper together

Zauggs, Cooks, Us, Werretts

Janine Green. A beautiful, fast "heart" friend.