As Saints we should Come together!!

My Cousin Keena sent this to me in an e-mail and I thought it was wonderful!

My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders:

My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for
His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to
share this
with you. As most of you know, I am a Temple ordinance worker and work the
morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the priviledge of
translating sister Martz-the new assistant Matron's-message during our
devotional.
She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand
would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks when
mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has
protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who were
inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary
and
terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the
House of the
Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant. After Proposition 8 passed,
the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it.
They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the Temple and burn
it to the ground, and stop Its work. The first Thursday when the mob came,
the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple Offices for
instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to
insure the safety
of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The assistant Matron
said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that
Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own
endowment that day, which he received in time to leave before trouble
started. The
LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the Temple Presidency's summons and
patroled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of
them had
never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and
peaceful all around was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas
season to see the lights and they promised they would. On Thursday, November
13th, sister Campbell, a secretary in the Temple, was opening the
mail and upon
opening a large manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened
this one, a white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be
related to the demonstrators and feared the worst-ANTRAX. She contacted the
President, who in turn called the Salt Lake City Temple office again for
instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once
again in the
grounds to investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around
11:30 AM to 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the
people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the
parking lot had to
remain in the parking lot. Those entering the Temple had to remain in the
first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room.
then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a
Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every
day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was only talc,
and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed
to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said we can't go down
but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the Celestial room
with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some
sealings?"
As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four
sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed. Downstairs, someone
else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some initiatories, which they
promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike. Among those
waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women
with their leaders who had come to do Baptisms for the dead, and who waited
patiently all those hours and decided when the Temple was reopened to go
ahead
and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home. The Temple
reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session. The next day when recording the
ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2000 sacred
ordinances on Thursday,
only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the
Temple. Once again the assistant matron reminded us of the words of
the prophet
Joseph Smith, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing....".
But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple
President was set apart by President Uchdorft of the First Presidency, he
received a blessing and these words were pronounced: " The time has
come for the
LA Temple to come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to
the world under your presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown
on TV, newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide.
People of other faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking
the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting how
impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks . One
minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had
harbored ill feelings against the mormons before said " I am impressed by your integrity
and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to consider you my
brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first cousins!". I asked
the assistant
matron if I could share her comments and she said to go ahead. I can only add
my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
has the power and authority of God on earth. God Lives and Jesus, His only
Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am
grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm, steadfast and immobile while the
prophecies of the signs before His Coming are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only
believe" He has said, and also " What I the Lord have spoken, I have
spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall
not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or> by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I testify that this is true
and testify it in the Holy Name of Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ.
Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer. Your sister in Christ, Patricia H.
Arnazzi