I remember when, in the summer of 1994, I received the letter telling me that I would be serving my voluntary mission at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was excited because it was a place I had never been and because it was different from other missions I had heard about. Instead of proseltyzing and knocking on doors, we would be giving tours and answering questions. We would be stationed in the same place for the entire 18 months rather than being transferred around as in other missions. And we would be located in the downtown area of a city which, for this city girl, was somewhat of a relief.
All of these things made Temple Square a unique experience as far as missionary work goes. Each morning we got up, went to the gym if we wanted, got ready for the day, and then walked to “work.” We had nice accommodations too, if you overlook the fact that there were often six or eight girls to each apartment sharing one bathroom.
But they were clean and close to the Square so we definitely didn’t complain.
We worked in shifts, either the morning or the afternoon shift and we typically were there for about ten hours each day. We were allowed one day off each week, which alternated. When we arrived at the start of our shift, we had a prayer meeting to start the day and then we each received our schedule. These schedules were broken down by the half hour or the hour and included various activities. There was the gate duty,
were we stood and greeted guests as they entered the Square. Or, we could be assigned to the Tabernacle for the day, where we gave tours inside this home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
I learned all sorts of facts like how the organ is comprised of 11,623 pipes and how it has five keyboards or consoles and that it is considered one of the finest organs in the world.
(yes, this is me and no, I was not really playing the organ.)
Then there was duty at the Assembly Hall where we took people on tours and told them how the hall was built in 1877,
and how it boasts its own beautiful organ (3,489 pipes) and is now used mostly for concerts. And sometimes, if we were lucky, we were scheduled during the time that a concert was held.
Still other times, I was assigned to the visitor centers talking about the temple or about our beliefs and about Jesus Christ. There is this really cool room located in the rotunda (you can see it from the outside here).
At night, when the outside was dark, you could look through the glass windows and see the beautiful Christus statue inside. The statue is a large replica of the original which was created by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1768-1844).
The remainder of my time at Temple Square I spent answering questions or telling stories about the pioneers who trekked across the country to arrive in Utah so many years ago. I met new people every day and got to speak with visitors from all around the world. It truly was a lovely time in a beautiful place.
I considered myself very fortunate to be there and I loved every minute of it.
Which was why I was particularly disconcerted when, after being there for almost a full year, I was suddenly told I had to leave.
To be continued…
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