Kansas City Temple President Called

Go here for the official announcement and bio.

John White Hardy, 70, Rock Canyon Ward, Provo Utah Edgemont Stake, called as president of the new Kansas City Missouri Temple. President Hardy's wife, Nancy Hatch Savage Hardy, will serve as temple matron. He serves as a ward mission leader and as an ordinance worker in the Provo Utah Temple. He previously served as president of the Canada Toronto Mission, and as a stake president's counselor, bishop, and in a Missionary Training Center branch presidency. A professor emeritus of accounting atBrigham Young University and former chief financial officer of U.S. Synthetic Corporation, he was born in Pocatello, Idaho, to Wallace Laird and Erma White Hardy.
Sister Hardy serves as a temple preparation teacher. She previously served with her husband as he presided over the Canada Toronto Mission. She has also served as a Young Women General Board member, stake and ward Relief Society president, and ward Young Women president. She was born in National City, California, to Henry Carlyle and Marjorie Hatch Savage.

Weeds

Dear Moroni,

I'm writing on behalf of our friend, the photographer, Val.  You may not know that she is really missing her friend and fellow Temple Chaser, Tom.

I'm sure you have noticed the lovely weeds that are in bloom right now all around you.  These buds and flowers have brought color and light to Val's world lately.

Even though weeds are considered a nuisance to most, these blossoms have demonstrated the blessed assurance of re-birth, new growth and life that continues .

I consider myself a weed.  Imperfect, with my thorns and unsightly leaves. But with some Sun...or the Son and basking in His light, I blossom and grow too, to something more beautiful.

Our friend Val sure appreciates her sojourns to the Temple and the opportunity to photograph you.  She feels real peace when she is there.

I hope you are enjoying the display of nature's color around you.

I ask that you keep an eye on our friend for me.  Keep shining as her beacon of hope.  Please continue to make her feel welcome as you do all your guests.

We know a loving Heavenly Father sends us these gentle reminders that our friends and family who pass away are with Him...blooming and continually growing.  And we are thankful for those reminders.  But sometimes it's still hard missing them here on earth.  Thank goodness we know we will see them again.

Thank you for who you are and what you stand for, Moroni.  And thank you for watching over our Valerie.

Your friend,

Cheryl

Hard Hat tour of the Stake Meetinghouse

Valerie was invited on a hard-hat tour of the Stake Meetinghouse being constructed next to the Temple with a Troop of Boy Scouts.  Photo taking was limited but she did get some unique pictures and facts.

The building is 20,000 square feet.

5 architects are assigned to this "prototype" building.

There is an outdoor reception atrium in the center of the building.

You can see the Temple from the large windows in the chapel, facing the north.

Construction is behind schedule and they are working quickly to complete the meetinghouse to be used as overflow and staging for the Temple open house.

They got to wear "cool" hard hats.

My three favorite features....the spire, the atrium, and those vintage-looking-temple-view windows.

Be the Link

I participated in the Bloomington Stake Trek last week as a Ma.

For those of you who are not acquainted with what a Trek is....here's some enlightenment.

Because it is such a huge endeavor, Treks are usually only held once every 4 years or so. In this case, it meant planning food, route, accommodations, provisions, health care, and logistics for over 300 people.  Quite an endeavor.

A Stake, or congregation of several or more wards together, will plan and execute a pioneer trail reenactment.  Youth ages 14-18 and adult leaders will push or pull handcarts, with provisions along a pre-determined trail for several days.  The youth will be divided into "families" of 5-10, depending on the number participating.  And a Ma and Pa will be assigned to each family.  I was a Ma.  We dress and act the part.  We wear pioneer clothing and sleep under the stars. Rain or shine, snow or heat...we live like a pioneer.

As the early pioneers became low on funds to make their exodus to Utah and couldn't afford wagons and teams of oxen, they invented handcarts that could be manually pushed or pulled with limited weight capabilities.  It was a physically arduous trip, as one could imagine.  Only, truthfully we really can't imagine nor comprehend it.  We trekked 4 days...they trekked 4 months. Many starved, froze and lost their lives.

The youth are encouraged to "Trek" in memory of the pioneer ancestors who sacrificed much to bring about their religious freedoms, as well as to teach them that they are pioneers in the world today....blazing their own trails through life.  These Treks also teach them that they too, as the pioneers of old...can do hard things and how to apply that in their life today.

One of the questions we were asked to think about as we embarked on the steep mountainous terrain, 20 mile trail was, "What link will you be?"

As we are linked to our past heritage and legacy left for us, what legacy or pioneer heritage will we leave behind?

These pioneers built a foundation for us and we continue building upon that foundation.  That makes us pioneers in our own day and age.

When I see the progress of the Kansas City Temple construction, I am reminded of the reason for building these Holy Houses to the Lord.  Therein lies our ability to link generations.  That is how we become a link to those who came before and those who will come after.  We become the link in a chain that goes on forever.

"Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple."

"Those links, welded through sacred ordinances, lead to the exaltation of our families."

~Elder Russell M. Nelson

Families can be forever.  We are blessed to have temples built so close so that we can be the links in our eternal families.

I am forever grateful for those pioneers, some of whom were my own ancestors, who became the link that made it possible for me to love, appreciate and worship in my religion today.  I want to leave that kind of legacy for those who come after me.

What link will you be?

The Silver Lining

Fellow Temple Chaser, Tom Allison, returned to live with his Father in Heaven on Monday, June 6th.  Valerie went to the temple that evening and witnessed a beautiful sunset and unique "silver lining" aglow on the temple. She has been there for countless sunsets and has always managed to capture stunning lighting, however, this instance was special.

The temple IS the silver lining.  It is the place of refuge.  It is the big picture. It houses the eternal life saving ordinances that bring us back to our Father...forever.

Thank you Tom, for the reminder.