Thursday, May 29, 2014

Our day started early and was long and very busy, but rewarding.  Helping people in the temple never gets old and always feels great.

         We hadn’t been home long when there was a phone call from Lupe.  Her husband is in the bishopric in the new ward that was divided from ours and they were looking for help with music for what she called a “viewing” at the chapel for a young man who had been killed.  It was supposed to start at 2:30 and her call came at 2:40—Latin time she said—but she presumed it would start by 3:00 p.m.  So I changed and hurried right over.

         Not knowing what to expect for a viewing, I contemplated my music.  I had asked Alexis to go back to the house with Scott several weeks ago when she was home and get me more music, in particular a binder that had copies of hymn preludes organized by key signature for easier modulation and enlarged for easier reading.  She took it to Logan and I brought it here.  Well, I grabbed that stack and my hymnbook and set out into the unknown.  

         I arrived about 2:50.  The chapel was empty, but members of the bishopric and stake presidency were coming in so I could ask about what was needed.  It turned out the “viewing” was just like what we would call a funeral, and they wanted an opening and closing song.  They discussed other music and I understood “prelude” so I told them I could do prelude.  They were happy!   At 2:55 I started playing and the only audience was a group of four people with brooms and dustpans who quickly and thoroughly swept the entire chapel—remember the floor is tiled.  I kept playing.  At 3:15 people suddenly started to arrive and it was just like they had all been gathered together somewhere and came en mass to the chapel.  For fifteen minutes they filed in and completely filled the chapel—it is a large chapel.  Then the casket was brought in and the meeting started at 3:30.   The two leaders previously mentioned each spoke and then the family of the young man who died came together to the pulpit and gave emotional tributes.  His sister is serving a mission and was not able to attend, but they recorded “via-skype” her tribute onto a tablet and played it into the microphone.  Then there was a closing song and I played postlude for a while.  I was so grateful for the blessing of having that music that had journeyed from Garfield to Tegucigalpa with such perfect timing.  It was so unusual for this to occur when we were home and not in the temple.  It would have all happened without me and my music, of course.  There would have been no prelude and the director would have led the hymns a capella and it would have all worked out, but I hope it was nice for them to have the music.

         The man who died was 25 years old and not active in the Church but some of his family members are.  He was making collections for his job near a motor cycle shop when some men approached the shop and started shooting.  He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn’t have a chance.  It is so sad for his family.