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   Brisbane
   Australia 
   Temple

I have a testimony that getting new members to the Temple quickly is vital for strenthening their testimonies.

A couple of weeks ago we had three new converts fly down to Brisbane to attend the temple for the first time. They went down and back the same day.  They all came home with wonderful feelings about the trip.

Patrick Donovan, is about 65 years old.  He has a very bad back.  He is quite tall, about 6 ft 4 inches. His body is very stiff and unflexible.  He has a brother in the ward that has been trying to get him to learn about the church for decades.  Finally he was ready to listen.  Every lesson taught him he just absorbed it like a sponge.  He could not wait to be baptised.  The day of his baptism for some reason the font was not filling up as full as it should be.  Elder Wright and myself felt impressed to have Elder Wright dressed in whites and waiting at the side of the font to help if needed.  Patrick's brother was baptising him.  I was standing next to the font as a witness.  Gary, the brother said the prayer and then layed him down the best he could but the font water needed to be deeper and Patrick could not flex his neck and head back to help him go under.  It was like slow motion.  Gary could see that Patrick's head would never go under by itself and I know he was thinking "we have to make this work the first time" so reached down and pushed Patrick's head under the water.  It worked.  Elder Wright was also needed to help lift Patrick up out of the water.so it was perfect that he was right there to step in and help.

Patrick is one of the people who flew down to temple.  He was so excited.  He got to do family names.  He got to be both baptised and be the baptiser.  The temple had somone in the font helping him to do this.  The people that went with them said Patrick just kept saying, "Let's just do one more." He paid for it later with increased pain but he loved it and can't wait to go back again.  We felt much joy learning how well the trip went.  You talk to someone about the temple and you try to prepare them but there is really nothing like going there. I hope his health holds up until he can go for his endowment.

There is a second temple announced for the Brisbane area but unfortuneatly it will be south of Brisbane not up north.  Because of the distances the Stake will pay for new members or recently reactivated members to fly to the temple.  I think it is wonderful. The Church is really trying to do everything they can to get people to the temple.  

The end of August some more people will be going down including the Jamu family.  They came here from African and were baptised.  They have 3 boys, one of which is old enough to go do baptisms.  Keep praying for the new members and missionaries.



Remember it is winter here.
The birds were just in a tree eating necter or seeds not sure what.

 

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