I hope this letter finds you well. It’s a dark and dreary day here in Salt Lake City as it’s expected to rain all day long today.
This week on Tuesday I start as a tour guide at the Conference Center. I’m looking forward to it so much. I’ve been on a few tours of the building since I’ve been here and I’ve seen how it’s changed people’s countenance. So to be able to do that on a regular basis is exciting to me.
This Sunday I’ve been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting (similar to a Catholic Mass). Not surprisingly given what time of year it is, I’ll be speaking on the topic of General Conference and how blessed we are to live in a time that we have living Prophets on the Earth.
At the global service center, I continue to serve in check reconciliation on Mondays, Wednesday Mornings, and Thursdays. I also am continuing to work in event ticketing on Tuesdays and the front desk on Wednesday Afternoons. It’s going great and I feel like I’m getting the hang of everything.
Yesterday I did a session in the temple followed by getting my haircut. I realize that I should do it on my p-day, but I didn’t want to pass up using an $8 haircut coupon when the place is only open Monday through Friday. Karl invited me to see a park in town that features stone carvings of various scriptural things. It includes a strange sphinx that has the head of Joseph Smith on it. Afterwards we went out for dinner which Karl graciously payed for. Then, we went to one of the oldest chapels which was next door to the restaurant. It happened to be open as someone was having a wedding reception. The architecture is simply gorgeous. It’s kind of sad that chapels now a days are so cookie cutter in design now.
Because of General Conference being next weekend, I’m going move my P-Day to Friday next week to assure that I can focus on the messages of Conference, not my laundry and groceries. I’ll be having my p-day this Friday. The Choir wasn’t able to give me backstage access to the conference center in time so the Choir presidency gave me a ticket to each session of Conference. Plaza level (aka main level), the tickets are for the very front section on the far right side for the Saturday sessions and Sunday morning so I’ll see the First Presidency up close and on Sunday the front section of the far left side. You won’t see me.
I enjoyed Elder McConkie’s devotional at the GSC this week. He shared a video of Elder Holland with his son. Young Elder Holland and son were driving through the barren desert when they came upon a fork in the road. They were not sure which way to go. After praying about it they felt that they should go to the right. After about 500 yards, they realized that it came to a dead end. Sometimes the Lord gives you a wrong answer to try your patience, but will never get you lost that you cannot return back. After they turned around and went on the left road they soon found their way back to town.
I donated plasma early this morning and have typed a majority of this letter home in the Assembly Hall as it’s raining right and the Tabernacle is closed for rehearsal for the organ recital. Doctor Clay Christiansen was the recitalist. He opened the recital with “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” then performed John Rutter’s “Toccota in Seven,” played “All Through the Night,” and concluded with “Thou Art the Rock” from Henri Mulet’s Byzantine sketches based on Matthew 16:18:
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
I am now shopping at Harmon’s. I hope you enjoy Women’s Conference.
