Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The two most intimidating responsibilities on a shift for me are 1) working in the office answering the phone, and 2) acting as Endowment Director.  Those were both on my schedule this morning!  Practice makes perfect, however; and hard things make us better and stronger, right?  It all worked out great, and does get easier each time. 

Pres. Folger called us into his office at noon and asked us if we would be Assistant Shift Coordinators for Wednesday mornings.  We’re not sure we are ready for this and don’t know exactly what we have said “yes” to; but, of course, we did say yes.  There is always more to learn, more training to do, and new experiences waiting in the wings.  Our brains have just got to keep functioning because there is more to do!!!  We are counting on your prayers!  Thanks.

The following information on the Washington DC Temple was in a binder I was looking through in the office and thought it might be of interest to you.

1.    The temple grounds cover 57 acres.

2.    Ground-breaking took place December 7, 1968.

3.    The temple was dedicated by Pres. Kimball on November 19, 1974.

4.    The temple exterior is constructed of 175,000 square feet of Alabama marble and 23,000 square feet of granite.

5.    The windows are of marble planed to 5/8-inch thickness which allows light to be visible from both inside and outside the temple.

6.    The stained-glass windows at either end of the temple are 132 feet high, seven feet wide, and are of one-inch faceted pieces of glass.

7.    The temple has seven floors and a total of 160,000 square feet.

8.    The highest of the spires is 288 feet high.

9.    The 2 ½ ton figure of the Angel Moroni stands 18 feet tall and is covered with gold leaf.

10  The temple faces East in accordance with the scripture in Matt 24:27, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

You can't see the beauty of the stained-glass because it is so small in the photo posted here, but the narrow dark line going all the way from bottom to top of the far-right side of the temple in the photo is where the glass is.  It has very bright colors at the bottom including reds and blues, and gradually changes colors towards the top until it is all light blues and whites at the top—symbolic, of course.  You can see the glass up close from the inside in the stair wells and can actually lean over and view it from top to bottom!  It just makes you dizzy, but is so beautiful.