It may sound kind of weird, but I really like getting the opportunity to help with temple cleaning. This week, I had the first opportunity to do so since my mission. I guess the reason most people aren't really jumping at the opportunity to go clean is because for the most part, you end up doing some pretty boring jobs that often don't seem all that important for a long time. My work this time was pretty much no exception to that rule.
I was one of the first ones out the door after the orientation and ended up in the same group as our Stake President and his wife, the Stake RS President. Our little group started out cleaning out lockers in the men's ordinance worker dressing room. This involved carefully sanitizing and cleaning each locker. It even went so far as using magic eraser to get off all the scuff marks and q-tips to clean all the dust out of every little cranny in the locking mechanisms in addition to pulling out the old cough drops and other surprises hiding in the lips on the side of each locker. It was definitely a pretty tedious and exacting job, but it gave me a chance to reflect on some of the experiences I've had before in cleaning the temple.
On my mission, I had two opportunities to help with cleaning the Salt Lake temple. The first time was the week directly following General Conference. The four of us sisters who were helping were allowed to change into our white jumpsuits in the Bride's Room. While we were waiting for our escort to come pick us up, we joked about how we were no doubt the ugliest-clad people those mirrors have ever seen, and how it was a sign that missionaries have no business being in that room while serving! Our assignment was to clean out the Solemn Assembly Room. This was pretty interesting as we were essentially the clean-up crew after the meetings the General Authorities have leading into conference.
Among other things, we got to put away the apostles hymnbooks, which they essentially use for their entire service as apostles. They are stored in the room where James E. Talmage wrote Jesus the Christ. In that room, we also had the chance to look at the hymnals of past presidents of the church, like President Benson's. Most of the hymnals were fairly nondescript, except for the name of the person in them. I will always remember President Hinckley's however, as he would write in the corner of each hymn page the dates on which they sang the song. Some of them (like In Our Lovely Deseret, thankfully), had apparently never been sung during Pres. Hinckley's service. Others were sang pretty often. As I thumbed through, it seemed that I Need Thee Every Hour is the hymn that is sung most by the GA's in the temple, which seems appropriate since I can't think of any group who need the Lord every hour in their work.
The second time I cleaned the temple, we were replacing springs in the chairs of the World Room. This was actually incredibly difficult for my companion and I, since more often than not, a lot of strength was required to get the new springs on. Pretty much every time, we had to get one of the elders to come over and put the new spring on for us after a while of fruitless an exhausting attempts ourselves. At the end, I felt like I had really done next to nothing in contributing to the work of the temple; plus I was quite frustrated and tired. Yet, even after all that, I ended up having a really incredible experience in the temple that day.
There are some things that are too sacred to relate that we had a chance to see after our work, but I will mention a few things we were privileged to see. We were taken to the fourth floor of the temple, which is where the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have their weekly meetings. On this floor, we saw some of the original, hand-carved furniture that was used in the temple. The chairs were so beautiful and delicately carved in ornate designs. It was clear how much effort and time was invested by the faithful pioneers, who were still trying to scratch an existence out of the land. One of the chairs is said to have been carved by Brigham Young himself.
We also got to go up to the highest room of the temple, where the counter-weight for Moroni hangs. On our way back down, our guide showed us how the circular windows open, rotating around a vertical pivot in the middle, leaving two slots on either side that lead directly outside. We even got to wave at the people pointing at us from down on the square, though they probably couldn't see us very well!
The whole experience seemed to be an allegory of life to me. It is only after we endure the tedium and frustrations of life in faithful service of God that we will be blessed with special and sacred experiences that draw us closer to the Lord. Even when our contributions seem completely insignificant and we feel most inadequate to perform our tasks, God will bless us for our simple, honest efforts. It was a day that I doubt I will ever forget.
So I was thinking of these things while I was silently cleaning my lockers in Timpanogus. Eventually, I started working on a row opposite a guy who was in my cleaning group. We had a low conversation in which we discovered that he had been roommates with one of the Elders I had been good friends with on my mission. In fact, this elder had been a major influence in inspiring the fellow to go on a mission and continue faithful in the church! As he warmly related the impact of missionary friend's gentle encouragement, I was filled with pride and gratitude. It filled me with joy to know how one of my co-laborers in the mission had continued to bless and serve others after his mission ended. The account of Alma meeting with the Sons of Mosiah after their diligent service jumped to my mind and I felt in some small measure as they must have at that time.
Not long after our conversation, the fumes in the room we were working in were deemed too strong to allow us to continue work there, and we were moved to wiping down furniture in the female ordinance worker's devotional room. Off this room, we were shown one of the mechanical rooms, but it was determined we wouldn't have time to clean that in our shift. I was impressed that even the industrial areas of the temple are apparently carefully wiped down during cleanings.
After this job was done, everyone else in my group had to leave. As it was an extra 45 minutes until our shift was officially over, my group leader set me on wiping down all the trashcans and kleenex boxes from the first floor. She said she would be back soon to check on me, but she didn't return before I finished, so just decided to wipe down all the furniture in the foyer I was working in while waiting. I was in an area secluded from the rest of the work groups, and enjoyed the peace of the moment with a few hymns running through my head and gratitude running through my heart. I wasn't doing the normal work of the temple, and what I was doing wasn't really very important in the scheme of things; but I felt so blessed to be there serving. The Spirit was still palpably present to teach me, despite the unusual situation.
When my supervisor came back, she started wiping down the lights in the adjacent female temple worker study/waiting room. Once I finished in the foyer area, I went in and cleaned the furniture in that room. As we worked, she told me about how the supervisors are all part of the paid, normal cleaning staff of the temple and what they do. She also told me that this coming Tues and Wed, they will be cleaning the crystal on all the chandeliers. As they apparently don't always get all the help they need and are open to volunteers beyond the assigned stakes, I decided that I am going to try to go back and help this week, especially as they are worried about not getting the important stuff completed on schedule. If I get to help with the crystal cleaning, I will be especially excited, but I mostly am just glad to have another chance to lend my service to the Lord. Whether or not the work itself is thrilling, I know I will be blessed by the opportunity just as I always have been when serving in any capacity in the temple!
Photos courtesy of LDS.org
