This Great Work

We had to fly to Dallas a week before our flight to China to begin Covid testing.  We were supposed to quarantine, but we had to go out to get food and testing so we figured we could do a few other low interaction activities. Plus we ended up with a fairly dumpy hotel and we couldn't stand to be there too much.   Pioneer Plaza, downtown Dallas: Dallas Zoo: Dallas Cowboy Stadium:   We just drove by.  There was a big basketball tournament going on there that everyone at our hotel was playing in. The temple!!!   Tom and I had an endowment session and then we also had a baptism appointment.  So wonderful.  I cried when we drove away the last time. We always got take out and then found a park to eat at since we didn't want to eat in our hotel room.  My top search in Dallas was "parks near me".  We got to watch a few pick up basketball games, ended up a park in a very ritzy neighborhood, along a river walk and many others.  But I guess I only ended up with one picture of th

I love the temple.  When I first learned of the possibility of us moving to China in December 2019, one of my first questions was "How can I leave the temple?"  That question was answered in part during the closure of temples in 2020. However, when the joint venture was signed and Tom was officially offered the position in China in November 2020, I began fasting and praying that I would be able to attend the temple just once before we left.  Our original flights were for July 7, 2021 and just a few weeks before that, our temple opened up and miraculously we were able to get 2 appointments for baptisms and 4 other appointments for Tom and I before our departure date.  I can't express my deep gratitude for those 6 precious appointments.  Then when we didn't obtain a visa in time for those flights and access to nearby temples was given, I took up a new hobby.  Temple scheduling.  The girls teased me it was a bit of an obsessed hobby; but since we will go without temple a