This n That of June '16

 The month of June seems to be flying by. Just want to share a few experiences of late that have increased and strengthened our love for this "work" we have been called to do. Two Saturdays ago (June 11, 2016) I was serving in the Initiatory area of the Temple. On Saturdays--the last Endowment session begins at 5:00 pm and the Temple closes at that time so the workers can finish up with this Session and any other assignments that are going on. Well at about 4:50 pm-- Sister Buchanan, who is one of our Senior missionaries, answers the phone in the Recorder's office and it's a lady who wants to know if she has time to make  it to the temple to do initiatory work. Sister Buchanan tells her that the temple will close in 10 minutes--that perhaps she should try to come another day. This dear lady pleads with her to let her come. She said she was bringing a friend who "really needs the Temple today!" This Sister tells her how close they are ( they were by Columbus Circle--which is a few short blocks away) and Sister Buchanan softens and tells her to come--and she will tell the Recommend Desk to let them in. This Sister and friend come up to the 5th floor to the Dressing rooms and Initiatory area. One of these Sisters is so bent over and we learn that she has been to her Chemo appointment and is in a lot of pain. BUT she wanted to Come to the Temple!! So they get dressed and we begin. Now Saturday mornings are extremely busy--we have 8 Endowment sessions during the day and in the morning 3 of those Sessions are in Spanish and those Sessions fill up fast! We also have many Spanish ordinance workers on the morning shift and they start very early (6:00 am). So by late afternoon--many of these local workers have finished and are gone--leaving a small crew of Missionary/local workers to finish up the work. At this point, I am wondering what/why we are opening Initiatory at this time--as I have just "closed" it and taken down the cards and secured that area. Sister Buchanan rushes up from the Office to explain that we will accommodate these 2 Sisters and their request. I feel quite bad for the Sister who is "rocking back and forth--in pain" and wonder if we can even get this done. But I am verbally (and spiritually) assured to proceed. I was NOT prepared for what happened next!! This dear Sister literally "hobbles" around as we perform the Initiatory work and  as I see her the Spirit whispers to ne that she is indeed a special lady! At one point I am crying such that I can't even talk. She kindly looks up at me and she is weeping too. As is the dear Sister who brought her to the Temple. As we were finishing--the Sister who is in such pain has hurried off to her locker to get dressed--but the other Sister shared with us this sweet Sister's story. She is a little Filipino lady who was orphaned at the tender age of 6. (In the Phillipines, I assume). She is adopted by a 60-year old woman and comes to live in the U.S.  Her life is not easy--but she finds the gospel as a teenager and actually served a mission. She married but then gets divorced at age 29. And now she is fighting cancer--alone. I think the Sister who was with her may have been her Visiting Teacher. She told us that this Sister had said to her after the Chemo appt "I need to go to the Temple--now". The accompanying Sister then told her that the Temple (Manhattan) closes early on Saturdays and with the distance between them and the Temple-- they would not make it before it closed.  And this faithful Sister responded to that with this "Do you believe in miracles? I  believe and I really need to get to the Temple"--and so they did. I truly hope I never forget that experience!! What a blessing/pleasure it was to serve them that day!!

This next experience kind of "reveals" how things go for Sis Mumford (me) when she gets "pressure" to hurry through something. I was working in the Baptistry a few weeks ago on a Thursday or Friday late afternoon (June 9 or 10, 2016) and there have been several groups of youth come from one of the Stakes in our area that has been "celebrating" Temple week. So I am issuing the clothing for this one group of youth who have come and their Bishop. There are about 5 boys and 4 or 5 girls. They are all standing in the doorway where we give them their clothing and it's kind of up to us to "size them up" and give clothing that will fit them. You also issue undergarments as well as a baptism jumpsuit and
footlets. Well I am so efficiently helping and sending the young men off to the dressing room to get changed and ready to participate in the baptisms. Then, several minutes later this kind Bishop comes back to us in the clothing area and asks "Sisters, has the Temple 'changed' the clothing requirements for the young men?". Puzzled, I ask, "Not sure what you mean, Bishop"-- and he says "Well my
young men are in changing and they have these "stretch suits with straps and they tell me they've
NEVER had to wear these before". Another Sister who is also helping looks at me and then it dawns on me that I have given that whole group--girls And Boys, the baptismal liner that is only for the girls and unendowed women. We just burst into laughter at the thought of these poor young men in the dressing room struggling into those stretch liners that look like old fashioned bathing suits!! I apologize to him and tell him they don't need to wear those--but he says, "they are already kdressed so we'll just leave it as is"--but he did want to clarify if it was a recent change--to which I sheepishly replied, "Only if you have a Sister Mumford issuing the clothing!" And she hopes she has not "traumatized" anyone because of it." He smiles and tells me they are such good young men--"I just won't tell them otherwise" and then winks at me and hurries to join his waiting group. Sister Topolov and I are still chuckling when the Assistant Matron, Sister Bench, comes into the Baptistry and asks how things are going as she knows it has been extremely busy that day. Sister Topolov says we're fine except when Sister Mumford issues the clothing--and then proceeds to recount what's happened. Sister Bench also "enjoys" the moment and says "this is too good to NOT tell Pres Bench--he needs a good laugh today!!" Needless to say, I was very careful and have been since--to get "the right clothing to the right person" from then on!! Even now as I fold the laundry in the Baptistry and I see one of those liners--I get a smile on my face as I think of those obedient young men and their caring Bishop. Sweet is the Work!!!

Visitors from "Home"-- Sessilee Choules and her daughter Kelly Elder and grandson Cole. They stayed overnight with us--saw some sites, went to see "Wicked" and then went on to a Gymnastics Competition for Cole in Providence, RI. It was so great to have them here.

Entrance to our New York Manhattan Temple

Side view of the Temple entrance

Elder Mumford and his High Priest group of the Rego Park 1st Ward 

Elder M "captured" this sweet picture of our dear Bishop Greg Blanchard of the Rego Park 1st Ward as he is conducting Sac Mtg. The cute little brown head in front of him is his darling 8-month old daughter in a baby carrier. He works long hours and is gone so much--that very often this is what we see on Sunday's as he tries to spend time "close" to her😇.

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More visitors from "home" (we ll sort of). Vicki (Henderson) Olsen and her daughter, Lyndsey,  were in NYC with a group of "Theater-goers" lead by the Drama teacher from Riverton High in Utah where Vicki teaches. He brings a group to NYC every 2 years and Vicki and Lyndsey have been here 3 or 4 times. We had them to dinner on Sunday (Father's Day) and so enjoyed their visit. We went to the Rooftop Garden of our Apt Building and took a few photos.

Lyndsey, Vicki Olsen and Sis M with NYC skyline in background 

Since the Subway sort of "re-routed" us on our way to Church on Father's Day--we found ourselves walking to Times' Square to try another Subway line. We got "caught" by Cookie Monster for one of those "yes, we'll let you take our pic" and then are "asked" for a tip because of it. OH WELL!! 

Just a fun "wrap up" of some of our "doings and goings" of June 2016