Ring Out Wild Bells

Happy New Year! We wish you all a great year as we "ring out the old and ring in the new". It has been a busy week as we continue to learn and prepare ourselves to mentor and teach the new missionaries that will arrive on Monday.  We have had an unseasonably warm week, which is a good thing since Debra ordered a warmer coat that has not yet arrived. It snowed about 3 inches on New Years Day but by mid afternoon it had all melted off.  The mountains are gloriously WHITE and just glow when the sun hits them.
Best kept secret in the church is the New Years Eve celebration on temple square.  I guess it is not too much of a secret to the thousands that were here to celebrate but it was to me.  The square was rocking from 5 PM to midnight.  They had concerts going in the Assembly Hall, The Tabernacle, and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  We just picked the ones we wanted to see and went to them.  The musical talent was unmatched.  We heard violin groups, singers, the Nashville Tribute Band, and an amazing dance band called the Stratford Street Big Band.  The Sugar Sisters sang with the band.  The Lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was turned into a dancefloor, and Bob and I even danced a few dances.

New Years Eve 2019 Dancing in the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

On January 2 They began putting up the blockades around the Temple and removing things and working like crazy.  It was and still is a beehive of workers.  The sidewalks on North and South Temple next to the temple and the East side of  Temple into the Plaza are completely barricaded off.

January 5, 2020 Tents and fences around Salt Lake Temple.  The work has begun.

North Gate to Temple Square all closed off.

The most needed port a johns on North Temple.  Bob feels right at home now.

 The Temple Square tours are now all done from the Conference Center.  They have moved a lot of the displays from the South visitors center to the Conference Center as that visitors center will be the first to be demolished.  It is going to be a sad year seeing all this happen, but we have been assured that the finished product will be amazing.  We do have a bit longer walk to Church and our assignments, but it will be good for us especially after I get a warmer coat.
We learned on New Years day that our water heater had sprung a leak, not good news but thankfully we have great children watching out for us.  Thanks to Wynn, our super son-in-law, all things are back in order.  It seems that missions and water heaters don't go together too well as it was while we were in Nauvoo that the water heater went out the last time.
Friday, January 3, Bob and I went to the Bountiful Temple to do a session.  We ran into Kris Anderson, a missionary we served with in Nauvoo.  She is an ordinance worker there.  It is always good to see a familiar face and renew former acquaintances.  It was a beautiful clear day and the snow on the Oquirrh mountains to the West was glowing.  We love the Temples and the beautiful spirit we feel as we serve there, but most of all is the great love we feel for those we do the work for.  We both understand better that as President Nelson has said, missionary work is happening on both sides of the veil.  We are blessed to live in such a time as this when we can actually participate in that work for our brothers and sisters on both sides of the veil.

Bob and Debra at the Bountiful Utah Temple looking West to the Oquirrh Mountains

Saturday night we went to Abravanel Hall and listened to the Utah Symphony. Sunday found us at Music and the Spoken Word.  Just some of the perks of being a missionary in Salt Lake.
Today at church Elder Ricardo P Gimenez of the 70 came and shared his testimony with us.  He will be talking in conference in April.  He was very nice.  He talked about how our affliction are covered with the atonement.  Speaking about the atonement, we passed Tad A Callister on our way to lunch last week.  We smiled and walked on.  That is what we are suppose to do.  During church the snow began to fall in beautiful fluffy flakes.  It did not last long but I did get a picture out of the window at the Joseph Smith Memorial building.

Looking onto North Temple.  Beautiful huge snowflakes. The picture does not give it justice.

We are so excited to be studying the Book of Mormon this year.  It's going to be a great year, 2020, the year of clear vision.