Pre-Mission Week 2

On Monday, we spent most of the day doing service for my great aunt by trimming the tree in her front yard, fixing the lights in her garage, and repairing the handle on an old desk she has. We got a lot of it done pretty quickly, but trimming the tree took extra time due to the heat. I can now say for sure that I won't ever live in Arizona.



The next day, it was time for us to get back on the road and start driving again. We spent most of the day driving and listening to "Jesus the Christ," which was a very informative record of what happened during Jesus's ministry. On our way, we stopped by the Grand Canyon for a little while and took a couple of pictures.



Wednesday, we reached Nevada with no real change in the scenery (the entire southwest feels like a desert). Getting to the Las Vegas temple was a bit hard due to the traffic, but the temple was well worth it. It was extremely beautiful and probably one of the largest I've ever been in. By the end of the day, we were able to see the Cedar City temple, took some pictures, and then went to a hotel early because my grandparents were too tired.



The next day was a long one where we were able to visit 9 temples in various states of repair and construction. Out of all of these, we were only able to do a session in the Payson Utah temple. Although we only did a session in Payson, we were able to attend the open house for the Saratoga Springs temple. We finished the day by arriving at my great-uncle Fred's house, where I will begin my home MTC on July 10th.



Friday, we started the day off by traveling to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where we were able to go inside the Conference Center. Inside, you could feel the spirit so strongly, and it was amazing to see where the conference takes place. From the roof garden of the Conference Center, we were able to get a clear view of both the Tabernacle and the Salt Lake Temple as it was under construction. After that, we came home, and I spent an hour doing companion study with my grandpa.



Saturday, we continued to study all the different ordinances with their meanings and steps. We also tried to help my great-uncle do some yard work but had to stop when there was a bit of an accident. We were working on attaching a sprinkler to his waterline when the metal cap he was taking off shot off and hit him in the jaw. Apparently, the water line had not been turned off and was still pressurized, causing the cap to launch off when unscrewed. My great-uncle was relatively fine, but we decided to stop there for the day to make sure he was okay.



Finally, on Sunday, we went to church where we talked about how the different accounts of the resurrection and the First Vision actually help prove their legitimacy, not disprove it. It was very interesting and showed just how strong the faith of these members was. Overall, it was a good week filled with many moments where I could feel the spirit. I was also able to reach 22 temples seen on the trip and beat my older brother's record of 19 temples seen.



1-6: Different temples seen this week.






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