In January 2025, my husband, Richard, and I began serving as ordinance workers in the Cardston Alberta Temple. Each week, we excitedly anticipate our early Friday shift. Although the learning curve is steep for us seventy-year-olds, we feel our years of regular temple attendance have certainly prepared us. We love our new friends that we serve with and appreciate their consecrated examples of cheerful, devoted service. How blessed we are to have such a beautiful historic temple in our midst.
A Surprise at the Recommend Desk
On Friday, July 11, 2025, as we scanned our temple recommends at the west recommend desk, Richard got the green light and waltzed right through. But to my great surprise, the screen flashed red, indicating that my recommend had expired! I examined it closely, and sure enough, the expiry date was the end of June 2025. My initial thought was to spend the day with our daughter Megan and her children in Cardston while I waited for Richard to finish his shift. However, President and Sister Litchfield, who were nearby, warmly greeting everyone, suggested I try calling our bishop and stake president to renew my recommend. This would be a monumental task to accomplish in the 20 minutes I had before my shift!
First, I called our bishop…no answer. I then tried Brother Elford, one of his counsellors, and again, no answer. I tried President Williams, our stake president, who said I needed to talk to my bishop or one of his counsellors first.
Meanwhile, Brother Elford was calling me back, so I hung up from President Williams. Brother Elford conducted a temple recommend interview with me over the phone. I then called President Williams back, and he conducted another telephone interview and told me he would activate my mobile recommend.
It was now 8:25 AM, so President and Sister Litchfield left to attend our training meetings. I was admitted to the temple and flew to my locker to change. I arrived at our meeting only two minutes late. Whew!
I felt a deepened sense of gratitude as I reviewed my schedule for the day, knowing it was a miracle that I was even there.
An Unexpected Family Reunion
I started in the baptistry, where I was assigned to distribute clothing to a group of 38 patrons who were visiting from Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, and California. They were in southern Alberta for a family reunion. I thought, 'What a wholesome, radiant-looking group of youth and adults!' I felt really drawn to them. When one of the men came in needing clothing, I finally asked their family name. He replied that his last name was Newell, but they were here because his mother was from Magrath, and her name was Toomer. I asked if her mom was Eva Anderson Toomer, and he replied in the affirmative. My Grandma, Anna Leah Anderson Hamilton, was Eva Toomer's oldest sister. We were relatives! No wonder I was drawn to them.
I was overcome with emotion, realizing that the Lord had orchestrated, through our shift coordinator, Sister Woodruff’s plans for me to serve in the baptistry that morning! And He had worked through Brother Elford, President Williams, and President Litchfield, all of whom helped me through the process to get a valid temple recommend in time to be in the right place at the right time!
Marilyn Toomer Newell and her husband, Jerry, who were celebrating their sixty-first anniversary, were there together with all but three of their family members. It was delightful to be in the temple with these dear relatives. I had met Marilyn, my second cousin, over forty years ago at a swimming party at my parents' home. What a tender experience for all of us to meet again in the temple. After I finished in the clothing distribution room, I was able to serve at the baptismal font with my newly reacquainted family members. What a thrill for all of us!
Temples unite families on both sides of the veil. How grateful I am for the ordinances of the temple. Without them, our time here on earth would all be for naught.
July 11, 2025, was an incredibly memorable day for me at the Cardston Alberta Temple for many reasons, but especially because of this experience of connecting with my family members. I was left with a renewed testimony that the Lord truly is in the details of our lives; that He loves us, and that He is there constantly wanting to extend His tender mercies. I know that!