Sisters Kathy (Rash) Michels and Sue Simpson volunteered to clean the temple as part of a Hickory Stake assignment on the first Friday in August 2019. Here is their account of serving in the Lord’s House.
What did you need to do to prepare for the service?
Mainly you just need to have your temple recommend. You can clean the temple with a full or limited-use recommend. If you have a limited-use recommend, your cleaning assignment will be focused on the baptistry or waiting room areas. We wore Sunday dress down to the temple, but they provided us each with a white jumpsuit, socks, and shoes. The temple provides all of the cleaning supplies.
Tell us about your arrival.
We were scheduled to clean at 10am on Friday morning and arrived about 15 minutes early. We drove down together and had a great ride catching up with each other. When we arrived, we were greeted by a senior missionary couple on a service mission. The missionary couple provided us with an overview of the assignments and made sure to adjust for any health limitations. We were each provided a cleaning caddy with very detailed instructions, which made it very easy to know exactly where to focus. The whole day was extremely well organized. We also had a spiritual thought and a prayer to open our service assignment.
Tell us about your cleaning assignments.
Sister Simpson – I cleaned the Celestial Room and the surrounding area. I was alone in the room as I worked on vacuuming, dusting, and polishing. I was amazed that the spirit was so strong in the room, even when just doing a menial task. I was alone in the Celestial Room and it was extremely peaceful. As I served the Lord by cleaning his house, my mind was focused on all of the great work that goes on in this room as well as reflecting on the great experiences that I’ve personally had in the temple.
Sister Michels – Because of a shoulder surgery, I wasn’t able to vacuum, so I volunteered to clean the bathrooms in the baptistry and the Temple President’s private bathroom. The instructions were very clear, so it was very easy to fulfill the assignment. I loved the feeling of cleaning the Lord’s House.
Was the work physically challenging?
We did not find the work physically challenging. While it was work, it was very spiritual. The service missionaries ensured that our assignment was complete by noon, so between the opening meeting and closing meeting, the actual time cleaning wasn’t very long. Also, the temple is apparently cleaned every Tuesday and Friday morning, so we were mainly focused on ensuring that it maintained its beauty.
Were others with you on the assignment?
Yes, we had several other members of the Stake that were there with us. There was also a couple that had arranged babysitting and driven over all the way from Raleigh to attend the temple. They had arranged to be in the temple, so they were very disappointed when they arrived and there were no endowment sessions. They were asked if they’d like to help clean and they accepted. The husband was very emotional as he cleaned in the temple. He said that he was so humbled to be serving in the Lord’s house in this unique way. While they came with one type of service in mind, they were still able to serve the Lord and find joy in His house.
You mentioned a closing meeting, can you explain what that meeting entailed?
A member of the Temple Presidency met with all of us and thanked us for our service. He shared a spiritual thought with all of us and also provided us with some candy. It was a “sweet” experience! Then we had a closing prayer and our assignment was complete.
Would you serve in this capacity again?
Absolutely! It was a wonderful day. Even while cleaning, the spirit in the temple is the same. It is just overwhelming. We were reminded that we were cleaning for the Lord in His house and we felt overwhelming gratitude throughout our assignment. We also loved the sisterhood that we felt on the drive to and from the temple.
