I really love to be in the Visitor's Center when young couples and/or single moms (or dads) come in with their little children. I usually try to talk with them so I can reinforce their choice to bring the little ones into a place where they are safe and can feel the Lord's spirit. I think it is important for children (and youth and adults) to feel that there is a place for them in the heritage of the Church. They need to feel that the Church heritage is their own heritage (because IT IS whether they have pioneer ancestors or not) and they can be proud of it and feel secure.
I want everyone to know that WE are who we are because of who THEY (the early pioneers) were and we can be so grateful to them for their devotion to God, loyalty to the Church and family---for their hard work and willingness to give their best in any circumstances---(so I almost always include something to that effect in each tour I conduct).
One day a young couple (Dixie Students) came in with a child in a stroller. He must have been about 14/18 months old. As they pushed him into the Christus Room (where I was sitting at the desk) the baby raised both his arms and with a big smile he exclaimed, "Hi! Jesus!" As I talked to them they explained that when they go into his room to get him in the morning he usually says "Hi! Temple!" to the picture of it on his wall, and "Hi! Jesus!" to his picture of the Savior. What a wonderful beginning this infant has.
Another day a father came in with his two little boys. The boys tip-toed into the Christus Room with their arms folded and went over and quietly sat down in front of the Christus statue. Later the father explained that they often take the boys into the foyer of the Timpanogos Temple to let them get acquainted with and feel comfortable in a Temple. He said he thought the boys probably thought they were in the temple in our Visitor's Center. So I asked the four-year-old (the oldest) why he goes to the temple. He looked at me like I should have known and whispered to me, "So I can feel the spirit." Which is exactly what he was feeling. What a great idea for parents to give their children the gift of feeling and recognizing and being comfortable with the sweet spirit they can feel in these safe places.
I have had three occasions where I was able to spent a some time with young members who needed to talk to someone about death and adjusting and understanding. Both the younger people had recently lost their mother (they were not related) and their dads had quickly remarried and they hadn't accepted the new arrangements yet. The other fellow thought Church standards were just too hard to live and wanted to join a support group that 'helped you not feel guilty about not living the Church standards'---which, by the way, we do have such a group here in St. George. I guess the Church sites and Visitor Center did seem a safe place for them to come to talk to someone.
We do, however, occasionally encounter those who want to come to tear down the Church and try to confuse us with their 'knowledge.' It is astonishing what a bad spirit they bring! Elder Hansen has learned that we don't even need to address their points (because they will not listen anyway). Last week when I was challenged by a couple who wanted to threaten our standing as a Church, I quickly called on Elder Hansen to come give me some support--which, of course, he did. I need to be more discerning to recognize what people want when they come to us. (I just want to love everybody).
I must mention that we do get MANY foreigners---usually at the Visitor's Center. There are often 10-12 French tour buses a week. Then we get English, Japanese, and Italian buses, too. They come to see the Canyons and this is a convenient stop on their way to Las Vegas. Since the dollar is so favorable to the euro now, we get many families on vacation from all the European countries. One couple we talked to from Switzerland this week said it was their 7th trip to Utah (they aren't members---yet).
We feel we are on a foreign mission sometimes. It is nice to have them come to you. We are loving our missionary service!
I want everyone to know that WE are who we are because of who THEY (the early pioneers) were and we can be so grateful to them for their devotion to God, loyalty to the Church and family---for their hard work and willingness to give their best in any circumstances---(so I almost always include something to that effect in each tour I conduct).
One day a young couple (Dixie Students) came in with a child in a stroller. He must have been about 14/18 months old. As they pushed him into the Christus Room (where I was sitting at the desk) the baby raised both his arms and with a big smile he exclaimed, "Hi! Jesus!" As I talked to them they explained that when they go into his room to get him in the morning he usually says "Hi! Temple!" to the picture of it on his wall, and "Hi! Jesus!" to his picture of the Savior. What a wonderful beginning this infant has.
Another day a father came in with his two little boys. The boys tip-toed into the Christus Room with their arms folded and went over and quietly sat down in front of the Christus statue. Later the father explained that they often take the boys into the foyer of the Timpanogos Temple to let them get acquainted with and feel comfortable in a Temple. He said he thought the boys probably thought they were in the temple in our Visitor's Center. So I asked the four-year-old (the oldest) why he goes to the temple. He looked at me like I should have known and whispered to me, "So I can feel the spirit." Which is exactly what he was feeling. What a great idea for parents to give their children the gift of feeling and recognizing and being comfortable with the sweet spirit they can feel in these safe places.
I have had three occasions where I was able to spent a some time with young members who needed to talk to someone about death and adjusting and understanding. Both the younger people had recently lost their mother (they were not related) and their dads had quickly remarried and they hadn't accepted the new arrangements yet. The other fellow thought Church standards were just too hard to live and wanted to join a support group that 'helped you not feel guilty about not living the Church standards'---which, by the way, we do have such a group here in St. George. I guess the Church sites and Visitor Center did seem a safe place for them to come to talk to someone.
We do, however, occasionally encounter those who want to come to tear down the Church and try to confuse us with their 'knowledge.' It is astonishing what a bad spirit they bring! Elder Hansen has learned that we don't even need to address their points (because they will not listen anyway). Last week when I was challenged by a couple who wanted to threaten our standing as a Church, I quickly called on Elder Hansen to come give me some support--which, of course, he did. I need to be more discerning to recognize what people want when they come to us. (I just want to love everybody).
I must mention that we do get MANY foreigners---usually at the Visitor's Center. There are often 10-12 French tour buses a week. Then we get English, Japanese, and Italian buses, too. They come to see the Canyons and this is a convenient stop on their way to Las Vegas. Since the dollar is so favorable to the euro now, we get many families on vacation from all the European countries. One couple we talked to from Switzerland this week said it was their 7th trip to Utah (they aren't members---yet).
We feel we are on a foreign mission sometimes. It is nice to have them come to you. We are loving our missionary service!
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