Finding JOY in the JOURNEY...: I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE...

November 28, 2010

I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE...

I had the privelege of attending the Cultural Celebration for the Temple Re-Dedication that 2000 of the Youth of Hawaii put on for the Prophet! It was the day after my Birthday and was AMAZING. I was very lucky to get a ticket from my sweet friend Jocelyn...they only gavee tickets to VIP's and parents of the children performing. What an amazing expreience...the Prophet spoke to the kids before their performance and I caught the ending part in which he gave them a blessing. I am so proud of the kids from my ward who worked so hard and did such an amazing job. I don't have any video of hte performance because it was very dark but there is one for sale and I am definitely getting it!!!

The audience sang "Aloha Oe" to President Monson, then spontaneoulsy someone started singing,"We Thank The O GOd for a Prophet" and it was so beautiful. Please don't mind my singing int he backround...LOL...I was crying so only could get a few bars out!

I am so blessed to have been able to attend the Cultural Celebration and then the next day attended the broadcast of the Dedicatory Services. I have never been to a Temple dedication before and I LOVED every minute of it!!! They show a video fo temples before the live feed and when they cut to the Dedication I see a close up shot of my brother, Scott and his wife Jolene. Jolene was the Organist for that session and the Choirs accompanist) and Scott got a seat right next to her. Total surprise to see them and I started crying when I saw Scott on screen. The entire session was so full of the spirit and I just WISH Lee could have particapated in all the events. I promised hi that we would atttend a dedication together one day but it wont be the same as our hometown Temple!

The chapel that I watcehd the broadcast from is right next door to the Temple. So as soon as it was over, I jumped up and ran over to hopefully see the Prophet up close as he left the Temple. I got a pretty good spot but all the security kept walking in front of me so I couldn't get a good picture:( But as he was leaving he looked over at me and I waved and he waved back at me...well and all the other people around me;) What totally surprised me is that he got in to a plain old mini van!!! It was cute and totally unassuming and I LOVE THAT!

After they left I thought, hey mabye I can find my brother??? There were SO many people coming out of the temple and who came up to see the prophet that I didn't think I'd be able to find him but from across the way I caught a glimpse of him and started walking/running towards him waving my hands. About half way to him he saw me and his face lit up and he started coming over to me and I literally ran into his arms crying like a baby. I didn't realize how much I needed to see someone I loved at that moment. I had fought the sadness about not having Lee with me pretty well and I wasn't crying out of sadness...more like relief...that someone was there who knew me and loved me and could share in this sacred and special moment with me. He held me and kissed my forehead and said "Oh my baby sister" and I just cried. It was a moment I will NEVER forget and I am tearing up now as I relive it in my mind. It just brought home the importance of FAMILY and of being SEALED. I know it's important and have dreamed of it everyday since meeting Lee but now its more than a wish or a dream...its a PASSION. My entire life is focused on making it to the temple with my husband and I am going to do everything I can to be worthy and ready for that day.

It was an amazingly spiritaul weekend that I cannot describe in words buta m so grateful that I got to experience in person!!!

3 comments:

The Songer said...: So happy for you! Today i taught a lesson to the YSA about attending the temple. I was talking about dedication and they came up with excuses of why they haven't been attending and i told them about you. Thank you for your example!

I love how spiritually overwhelming the experience was for you! You made my eyes sweat too!; 12:13 AM
Linsey said...: It warms my heart to know that you were at the dedication and that you have been able to go back to working at the temple. You are such an example of keeping the commandments and having faith.

You are a beautiful soul Mibi, and I am blessed to know you...always have been.; 2:44 AM
Janet said...: OH! HOW WONDERFUL!!!!!; 11:54 AM

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Once upon a time...

Mibi grew up in Laie and attended Kahuku High and Lee grew up in Haleiwa and Mililani and attended Mililani High. Mibi went to College at BYU-Hawaii and then served a mission in the Utah Ogden Mission before meeting the man of her dreams. After school, Lee jumped into the workforce looking for his career and eventually ended up working for Mibi's family flower shop at Turtle Bay while Mibi was serving her mission...and never thought that this job would lead him to his "Angel". We met in Septmeber of 2001 after I returned home from my mission. I came back to the flower shop to manage things for my Mom and Lee had left to pursue his education. Well a few months later, Lee's education path didn't take the direction he had hoped and instead life lead him back to Turtle Bay. The first thing he did was call Mom to get his job back and of course she said YES. So, I was Lee's boss and there was an instant friendship...it felt as if we had known each other our entire lives. We kept it strictly business for a few weeks and then one night I was gong to make a Wal-Mart run after work and called him to see if he wanted to come along. His phone was busy (the days before call waiting) and I almost gave up...but after a few more tries he picked up and from that night on we were inseperable. I think we told each other our life stories that night and we both knew then that our lives would never be the same! Over the next year, we formed a deep love and respect for each other which kept us connected through a few rough patches and across the ocean as Mibi moved back to Utah. Finally after a year of being best friends, we both realized that there is no one on earth we would rather be with than each other! We were a couple for about two years when Lee proposed to me and we tied the knot at the exact place we first met...the same hotel the flower shop was located when we worked there...TURTLE BAY. And to add to our JOY, we have a beautiful daughter Savannah (Lee's biological and Mibi's spiritual daughter ) who we just ADORE! She is so smart, funny, outgoing, a jabberbox like her Dad and just the cutest thing you have ever seen!!! We also are praying that we can give her a little brother or sister sometime in the next year or two!!! Until then we have a Doberman (Kayla) and a cat (Shadow) that we spoil rotten and of course all of our Nieces and Nephew's. It has been almost 8 years of wedded bliss and although we have had our ups and downs, each experience has made us grow more in love with each other and are still each others best friend!