Temple Moment: The Miracle of Meeting Mae
Contributed By Chelsea Yim, Church News contributor
“Do your best on what is fundamental and personal and then trust in the Lord and His timing.” —Dallin H. Oaks
Article Highlights
- Trust in the Lord's timing, even when things don't go as planned.
- Have faith that the Lord will direct you to bless others’ lives.
- Humbly allow God to help you find true peace and joy.
“Heavenly Father truly is perfect and in the details of each of our lives.” —Chelsea Yim, Grant YSA Ward, Salt Lake Pioneer YSA Stake
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It was our bishop’s birthday and for his present he wanted us to go to the temple as a ward. The plan was to attend the 10:00 a.m. session at the Jordan River Utah Temple for those who were endowed and then head over to one of the counselor’s homes for a birthday luncheon afterwards.
Things didn’t go as scheduled: I left 10 minutes late, missed the cutoff, and overshot the temple. When I finally got to the temple, there was absolutely no parking to be found. It was 9:53 a.m. by the time I parked. I had quite a distance to walk to the entrance, so I ran.
I changed as quickly as possible and rushed out of the locker room, but was stopped in my tracks when I turned the corner to see a familiar face sitting on a bench: a member from my mission in Thailand whom I called “Mae,” which translates to “Mom” in Thai. She was my angel while I served in her area—always helping us teach investigators, organizing English classes, teaching us to cook, giving us advice, and comforting us during disappointments.
My heart leapt for joy and I immediately rushed over to her side and just hugged her for a good minute. We caught up for a little and then I asked her if she’d already done a session. She said no and asked me if I was going to the session that ends at 12:00 p.m. I excitedly replied “Yes!” knowing that it was already past 10:00 a.m. and we probably missed it.
Mae’s face lit up as she grabbed my hand and asked me to show her where to go. She explained that she’d previously only been to the Hong Kong Temple, which is much smaller and easier to navigate. The Jordan River Temple was a bit overwhelming. She didn’t know where to go, so she sat on the bench and prayed to Heavenly Father—asking Him to send someone to help her. When she opened her eyes, I appeared.
I was humbled, touched, and reminded to trust in the Lord and His timing. We ended up making it to the 10:00 a.m. session with both my ward as well as Mae’s Thai/Laotian ward. It was her ward’s scheduled temple session.
Being in the celestial room with not only my ward family but also with faithful Thai Saints dressed in white with their eternal families filled me with the purest joy I’ve ever felt. Heavenly Father truly is perfect and in the details of each of our lives.
