Temples ♥ 11/5/14

Hello everyone!!!

So awesome to be able to write to you all again! I have honestly been absolutley loving serving in the Beehive house. Honestly, I'd be a big fat liar if I didn't tell you that I was super disappointed at first because I LOVE teaching on temple square... but I've slowly been adjusting and I really am learning to love it! I have really had to dig deep on the life of Brigham Young which has been quite interesting and also very inspiring. It's such a privilege to get to more deeply understand the home of Christians in the 1800s. He was such a crazy busy man!! He was a husband, father, Govenor of Utah Territory, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, & most importantly - a prophet of God leading his restored church. The spirit that naturally flows into his home has been a great privilege to expand on too. So neat!

Well, this week has been pretty great! Sister Quidiman has such a strong desire to dominate the english language. In the process, I myself have been learning some new words in English. hahah. You THINK you know something until you look up the definition, I tell ya! Haha. Its been super humbling for me to look back on my first-times when I came here. We enter into a building and she's so amazed every time! It just makes me reflect on how grateful I am for serving on such beautiful grounds. We've been inspiring lots of people to be grateful lately because it makes you so much happier.

For Halloween we got to go to the Temple and do a session as a WHOLE MISSION. So, imagine... around 200 women in their 20s all dressed in white in the house of God. Yeah, tell me about it. Heaven on earth much? It had to be one of the most incredible Temple experiences I will ever have. A sight I hope my mind never erases. The spirit was just beyond strong as the Lord was able to welcome us into his home and help us feel inexplicable amounts of joy. I am amazed at how much peace the Temple can truly evoke in a persons life. I wish everyone to feel what I felt.

Speaking of the Temple. Juan Antonio & Juan Carlos got to go to baptisms for the dead on Thursday! That was a neat opportunity to go through with them. I even had the privilege of being on the baptistry with Sister Tanner to give all the youth & Juan Antonio their towels after they came out. They expressed so much to us how happy they were to be able to go through and how both of them are excited to go through for more. I just can't complain! The other day I was really deeply pondering the Plan of Salvation as we believe it to be, and I am amazed at the amount of clarity and peace it gives to people having a more full understanding on what happens to us after this life. In fact, I gave a tour in the beehive house the other day with this old couple and we took them to a room where President Joseph F. Smith (one of the later apostles after Brigham Young) received a vision about what we believe to be the spirit world (read in d&c 138) and how that helps us more fully understand that people who have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and his gospel in this life will be able to teach the humble in heart in the spirit world before the second coming of our savior. We are baptized by proxy in their name so that they can fully make that promise (covenant) with God just like we did in this earth. The couple just stood in awe as we were teaching them about this and the spirit was so thick in the air. I just love the Plan of Salvation.


We also got to teach a lesson with Stephen - remember him..? The one who was anti and would protest outside temple square and is now a faithful member who goes to the temple regularly? Well, He came yesterday to tell us how he finalized his date on when he wants to go receive his Endowment (make higher promises with God in the Temple!) It'll happen on the 15th! I am so so soooooo excited. Honestly just full of gratitude. His year mark was on the 2nd. It just makes me so glad to be able to have played a role in his conversion. I'm astonished at just how much the Lord really honestly uses us as tools in his hands. Stephen recently has been struggling with some things and came to us to receive some inspiration and insight. I was honestly at the moment really confused on what to say to him but as I spoke the Lord really filled my mouth and started talking about something totallllly different but PERFECTLY applicable to what he needed to hear. Negativity all boils down to your attitude. If you aren't happy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ... something is missing. Because all the tools you need to feel tranquility are laid out on a silver platter. That I do believe. Gratitude makes all the difference!

I just must say, I am so thankful for Temples. I am so thankful that we have a little bit of heaven on 143 different places in the world. I remember the first time I went into the Nauvoo Temple (lobby...) before I was a baptized member and the spirit that just filled my heart. Just serving on Temple Square gives me a greater appreciation for the work of the Lord that gets done in His home.

I love you all so much.

♥ Sister Corina Selene Cuevas