Yesterday we were able to participate in our new chapel groundbreaking. It was really exciting! We've waited for years for this new building; we really need it. Right now there are four different congregations meeting in our one Stake Center. (Crowded!) What a blessing it will be!''
Here is a map that shows where the new chapel will be in relation to our house. We timed it and it will take about 6.5 minutes to get there - waaaaay better than the nearly 20 it takes us to get to our current building!
We were out in the middle of a field; digging in the dirt with sticks was inevitable.
Spencer and his good buddy Logan.
President Connolly (our stake president) gave a brief history of the church here in Lafayette. Did you know that Mormon missionaries were here in Lafayette as early as 1831? One of those missionaries was Hyrum Smith, brother of the prophet Joseph Smith. Hyrum actually preached in the old Lafayette court house. The church members who were here later migrated west to Utah with the rest of the Saints. (Saints is like a nickname given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Then there wasn't a congregation in Lafayette until 1947.
Morgan and Melissa Asay painted this picture of what the new chapel will look like. Aren't they talented?
Our current stake president and two past stake presidents break ground.
The current bishops of the four congregations here in Lafayette.
From left to right: Bishop Timothy Gibb (2nd ward), Bishop Christian Reiner (3rd ward - my ward!), Branch President Miguel Cervantes (Spanish branch), and bishop Ralph Munguia (1st ward).
Look - our bishop is totally working the hardest. :)
Brother Dave Miskin and Bishop Reiner (Brother Paul Cramer was out of town)
Some of the members who have been here in Lafayette almost since the beginning. (The beginning of the earlier congregations, not the beginning of Lafayette. They're not that old!)
Spencer and his good Primary buddy Ethan. I like how both of their heads are tilted at the same angle. I also like how they look so sweet and innocent. (These two are trouble!)
The cutest baby at the ground breaking. No, I'm not biased. We all took a vote.
Our family's turn to help at the groundbreaking. Josh was so excited to get his hands on a shovel he could hardly stand it.
Then it was my turn to wrangle Josh out of everyone else's pictures. He decided that if he couldn't keep using a shovel then he would stand behind the sign and keep bonking his head on it. Weirdo. It was a very Joshie way to end the event.
A local news crew was there as well. Here's the short clip they made:
5 comments:
Thanks for posting the map! I have been trying to figure out where the building was going to be!
That is awesome, what a fun thing to be a part of!
Yeah! That building is soooo needed. We just wish it had been finished while we were there. I wish we could have been there! I feel so "close" to our building here. "Only" 17 minutes! :)
Wow!!!! I'm so excited! I've noticed that the church up there has a good relationship with the media. It's so great to see. I loved the pictures. Loren and I know all the old people. Funny how that happens. What an exciting time. I'm happy for you guys.
Maren, THANK YOU for posting this! Of course, we knew that they would get the new building going as soon as we left...but it's so crazy to think that it's actually happening! We loved seeing the pictures of all our old friends - it felt like we were there with you all, just from seeing all your pictures. Like Ginger, I loved the picture of the old people - but the Provonshas aren't that old, are they? :)
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