"Isn't it marvelous!" said Hugh B. Erwin, describing how tall the Washington D.C. Temple rises above the trees when seen from the nearby beltway.
But he very well could be describing his feelings as he serves as a temple worker in that temple that he has grown to love. In fact, it was his attendance at the temple that led to his being an ordinance worker, he said.After retiring from government work, Brother Erwin and his wife, Verna, moved to Harker's Island, off the coast of North Carolina, where he had served his mission many years earlier. As members of the Harker's Island Ward, Kinston North Carolina Stake, the Erwins frequently made the 400-mile, eight-hour drive in their old pickup truck to the Washington D.C. Temple to do temple work. One day at the temple, he met a member of the temple presidency and volunteered to help with ordinance work.
"We've been praying and fasting for more temple workers," the grateful temple president's counselor told him.
Soon, Brother Erwin was serving as an ordinance worker one week a month. But somehow, that wasn't quite enough. "After several months, I received a strong prompting that I should double my temple time," he said.
He was concerned that if he didn't continue a part-time sales job, it would be difficult for him to "make ends meet" on his retirement pension.
"One day while home alone, I knelt in my living room, rested my arms on the fireplace hearth and poured out my heart to the Lord, pleading to know what He would have me do," said Brother Erwin. "It was as if the Lord whispered in a still small voice, 'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.' (Matt. 6:28-29.)
"Suddenly I felt a warmth in my bosom and to my soul. There was no more wondering, no more worry," said Brother Erwin.
He doubled his time, and the service has made him feel "richly rewarded," he said. "I don't consider this a sacrifice. The Spirit of the Lord is real. I don't feel the Spirit anywhere like I do here."
Illustration by John Clark.