"P. S. It's Not My Fault, I Promise!"

Rome Temple under Construction. Rome, Italy

Almost 4 years ago I sat in Elder Oak's office at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City crying. I mean really crying. Like sobbing my eyeballs out kind of crying. It wasn't pretty.This wasn't the misty-eyed type of tears that you might imagine that a woman of greater spiritual sensitivity than myself might produce in the presence of one of the highest ranking holy men in our Church. It wasn't the "I'm feeling spiritual because I'm in the presence of an apostle" kind of lady-like expression of emotion. This was full-fledged bawling which included swollen eyes, convulsive spasms and David offering me his handkerchief with a helpless expression on his face. This was the kind of crying that is immediately triggered upon the realization that one's life is over. Ok, so maybe that's a bit dramatic. But when Elder Oaks asked us if there was anything that would prevent us from being able to serve for three years in a Portuguese speaking mission I did feel like one of my dreams had evaporated into the thin, but very distinguished air in Elder Oak's office.

In October of 2010 while David and I were serving a mission in Italy the ground-breaking ceremony for the Italy Rome Temple took place. We watched with great joy and anticipation along with other Italian Saints gathered at the Milano Uno Stake Center to see this event via satellite transmission. Since that day I dreamed of inviting my non-member Italian family that lives in Rome to attend the Open House of the Rome Temple with us. I had not realized how much I had set my heart on this until that moment in Elder Oaks' office when I understood that if we were going to be called away for three years that I would miss this event.



I'm sure I wasn't the first woman to sob in Elder Oak's office, but I have to say I was touched by his genuine desire to help me feel better, or to at least get me to stop crying. Upon hearing why I was so sad he sweetly responded that maybe we would be called to serve in Portugal and I could go over to Italy to attend the open house. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had already checked and I knew that Portugal was not in need of a new Mission President. But I have to say that his kindness helped me to understand that this wasn't something that even he could fix. This matter was in Higher Hands than even his. My mind flashed to Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz when the Wizard has given everyone, except Dorothy, the desire of their hearts and she says, "I don't suppose there's anything in your black bag that could help me." I knew in that moment that my dream of attending the Rome Temple Open House with my Italian relatives was going to have to be one of the things I had to put on the altar in order to accept this calling.

Never in a brazillion years did I even entertain the possibility that the Rome Temple would not be finished during the next three years. I promise I didn't pray for that. Really I didn't! Although I can't   say that I'm not really really happy about the delay! And even now, the completion date has not been announced, at least not as far as I know.

So I guess the moral of this story is that the next time you find yourself sobbing in an apostle's office, cheer up. Things may not be as bad as you think. They may even turn out a lot better than you ever dreamed.

At our Setting Apart with Elder Oaks and Elder Soares and several family members in May of 2014.