Temple Talk

In my world geography class we often talk about current events. In my 9:00 class this morning we talked about floods in Venice, droughts in Southern Africa, using toxic plastic trash as fuel to make tofu in Indonesia, uprisings in Bolivia (first indigenous president out of power), Chile (increased subway fares), Iran (increased gas prices) and Iraq (end corruption and stop Iran's meddling), and about the unwise reversal in US policy that now states that Israeli settlements in occupied territories are not a violation of the 4th Geneva convention. We then turned to LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson's recent trip to Southeast Asia.

I started out my current event temple talk by showing three of my photos from Cambodia. 

First I asked where and what is this. Answers included Thailand and Cambodia (correct) and then someone knew Angkor Wat. When asked what religion is represented the first guess was Buddhism followed by the correct Hinduism. I then explained that the center tower is symbolic of Mt Meru where the Gods of Hinduism dwell and that this abode of the gods is then surrounded by four lower mountain peaks and mountain ranges and then a moat.



I then showed this photo of the Silver Pagoda which is a Buddhist Temple in the royal complex in Phnom Penh.

Then I asked what this building was. No none knew. I explained that it is one of two stake centers in Phnom Penh. I also told of a visit I once had with President John Colton who was the mission president when this chapel (the first built in Cambodia) was approved and constructed. He told me how it was his hope to make the building fit in with and be a part of the Cambodian landscape. To do so architects were directed to use Cambodian motifs (mainly the roof lines) in their design. He lamented that not everyone liked the idea. I for one do.

By now some students were catching on to where this was all leading. One raised his hand and when called on described how the architects' drawing of the new Phnom Penh Temple looked very Cambodian. Bingo. He took the bait and ran with it. The temple was announced in conference two years ago and while President Nelson was meeting with Saints in Cambodia he unveiled a rendering of what the temple would look like and where it would be built. I then showed this photo. It does look Cambodian.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-cambodia-2019

It was a fun moment for me, as I flipped back and forth between these three photos, to see the minds of the students start to connect the looks of this temple with the layout and designs of the central spire and four smaller spires of Angkor Wat and the designs on the Silver Pagoda. I think the general consensus was that it looked Cambodian. I asked the students if there were other temples that were built to fit the local landscape and culture. One student remembered me mentioning the Hartford Connecticut Temple that looks like a New England Congregational Church

Another mentioned the Aztec motifs of the Mexico City Temple

And I mentioned the Spanish Mission looking Newport Beach California Temple.

I then switched my Temple Talk to Indonesia and showed this photo of last night's devotional with President Nelson--attended by 1,800 members and watched by another 300 in chapels throughout the country. 

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-indonesia-2019

I explained how for the last few years there have been high hopes in Indonesia that one of these General Conferences a temple for Indonesia would be announced. Some (including me) even dared hope out loud that President Nelson, who likes to mix things up and to spring surprises, would use his visit to Jakarta to make such an announcement. Yesterday as my Facebook feed started to light up with happy posts from members at the devotional, I knew immediately that a temple had not been announced, otherwise my Facebook feed would have exclaimed the news.

I then referred to this morning's Deseret News article about the visit (based on the the above noted Newsroom article) and about how a temple was not announced.

Here is how Aischa Meyer Tandiman, long time member from Jakarta, remembered President Nelson's temple moment in his talk. She writes:

He started by noting that "some have wondered when Indonesia would have its own temple" Then, "after a long pause that got everyone on the edge of their seats, he said: 'I don't know!' and everyone just laughed." President Nelson then stated: "YOU determine when that happens....It takes a long time to build a temple, but longer to build a people READY for the temple."
 
 Because we had talked about the temple in Cambodia I shared the following statistics for comparison:

	Cambodia	Indonesia
Start of Missionary Work	1994	1970
Members	14,725	7,477
Stakes	2	2
Congregations	29 (10 Wards, 19 Branches)	24 (15 Wards, 9 Branches)
Missions	1	1

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/indonesia

I then explained that while Cambodia has more members, Indonesia has multiple generations of committed members.

I then asked the students what factors (besides revelation) might help to explain why a temple is being built in Cambodia, but not Indonesia. One student wondered if it was because Cambodia was a more compact country and thus members would have easier access to a temple. Another student explained that certainly one country being mostly Buddhist and one being mostly Muslim would be a factor. Both good answers.

I then added my thoughts. First I noted that the Church entered Cambodia just a few years after the horrific and chaotic decades of the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge and then the occupation by Vietnam. Those years certainly prepared many people to receive messages of love, peace and eternal salvation. They also probably led to the disillusionment of many who were troubled by the carnage wrought by fellow Buddhists.

For Indonesia I then showed this photo and asked what might be the impact or challenges of a temple being built in Indonesia


President Nelson meets Ma'ruf Amin, vice president of Indonesia, on November 21, 2019.

Someone asked if there were any temples in Muslim majority countries and when I said no, he then noted that building one in Indonesia may raise concerns or even lead to opposition to the Church there and in other Muslim lands. I agreed with what he said for that had been my thinking too. I then explained that even now it is very difficult to get permission to build Christian churches in Indonesia--even though there is freedom of religion. To get a building permit requires signatures of approval from 60 residents of the neighborhood where the church will be built. Most neighborhoods are Muslim majority so it is hard to get such approvals. As such, two ward houses in the Jakarta suburbs of Bekasi and Tanggerang are located (hidden away with no steeples or signs) in shop/house structures in shopping malls.

I then summarized by explaining that there certainly are local factors to be considered when deciding where and when temples should be built.

I agree with President Nelson and Sister Tandiman that members certainly need to be ready for a temple. I also think that given the distance and cost of travel from Indonesia to temples in Manila and Hong Kong, given the steady and deep faithfulness of so many Saints in Indonesia who are ready for a temple, and given the slow rate of growth for the Church in a Muslim majority country, at some point hopefully sooner than later Indonesia should get a temple--even though it may never meet the threshold of statistical requirements.

Temple Talk will continue in my geography class next Monday when we discuss the geography of China. After lecturing about the the history of Hong Kong--Opium Wars, British control, and then the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, I like to show these two photos.



I first show this photo and ask if they notice anything unusual or familiar. They usually pick out the angel Moroni.

I then show this photo of the Hong Kong Temple and tell the story of teaching my world geography class at BYU in 1992 when President Hinckely made a surprising announcement that a temple would be built in Hong Kong. As we were talking about the return of Hong Kong to China in class, one of my students raised her hand and innocently asked: "Do you think President Hinckley knows about the return in five years?" I smiled and said "Yes." It was an ah ha moment for her. I think that day she realized that prophets know what is going on in the world (and, like I require in my classes, they also read a daily international newspaper). We then talked about how Hong Kong may not have had all of the members normally required to build a temple, but President Hinckley certainly understood that there was a narrow window of time remaining to get British permission (easy) to build. He knew that once China took over permission may never come. The unique multi-story, urban design of the temple came to President Hinckley on a visit to Hong Kong in 1991. The temple was completed one year before the return of Hong Kong to China.

Without (or perhaps with) the Angel Moroni, someday a similar structure might easily slip into Jakarta's growing urban jungle.

Halloween 2019

Sarah's pumpkin is singing Christmas carols.  Self timer photo by Will.
 

Before beginning to carve, Marie laid out a selection of knives. Will chose what has been Marie's favorite knife from her days in DC over 30 years ago. After cutting off the top of his extra thick pumpkin (which we had just bought at the Springville Farmer's Market), Will tried to pry it off and in the process the knife snapped! Marie almost cried. Will fell to the ground lamenting Marie's loss. Good thing her now favorite Cutco knife was unharmed in the carving.

The broken knife with the tip still embedded in the pumpkin. And a smiling Marie rolling with the punches. Given that our washing machine and garage door both bit the dust over the weekend, this was a minor loss.

 Looks like a knifing.

For the last few years I have enjoyed roasting our Halloween pumpkin seeds. No one else likes them in the family so I take them to my office for snacking.

 
My other seed project currently littering the front porch is husking walnuts so they can dry for a month and then be shelled.

Sunday night we enjoyed a Halloween dinner with my sister Mary and her family--who always come up with costumes extraordinaire. We were minimalists. Will went as Jim from the Office going as Dave, Sarah as Arthur the Aardvark and me as Batik. The batik robe I am wearing was a gift to my dad that I had made for him in Indonesia on my mission.

We missed Joel joining these festivities. Today we got this photo of him with his new companion (from Tonga) in a new town (Nyenasi) in the bush of Ghana with this family they are teaching. 

Squaw Peak

Morning sun on Squaw Peak

Saturday I hiked Squaw Peak. I'm surprised and a little embarrassed that in all of my years of living in Utah County, I have never done this hike. To be honest it wasn't even on my radar until this past summer. I have driven up the Squaw Peak Road many times to the Squaw Peak Overlook for its excellent view down on Squaw Peak and Utah Valley, but didn't realize that there was a trail up to the actual peak.




I first became aware of Squaw Peak in the fall of 1975 while learning Indonesia in the old LTM (Language Training Mission) in the now demolished Knight Mangum Hall on the the south edge of BYU campus. We lived further south in a old home turned missionary housing and as we walked in the early morning to begin our day at the LTM, Elder Mark Huggins and I both thought the early morning silhouette of the peak look like the muzzle of Snoopy sleeping atop his dog house.Recently there have been murmurings to change the name of the peak to something less degrading to Native American women. I propose Snoopy's Snout.

For one of our p-days the eight elders bound for Indonesia went for a hike part way up Rock Canyon. A few years ago I accompanied Young Men in our ward on a rock climbing outing at the mouth of the canyon.

The mouth of Rock Canyon.

The out and back trail is 7 miles long with a 2,739 foot gain in elevation.

Notice the flag flying on the summit. I didn't notice it when I took this photo.

Soon after my start, I ran into a colleague from BYU coming down the canyon from an early morning walk. She has recently returned from a year of teaching at the BYU Jerusalem Center so I asked her how her year was. She was happy to talk, especially to someone who could relate to what she had experienced. That stop set me back 45 minutes, but I was in no hurry.

First photo after making the northward turn off from the Rock Canyon Trail to the Squaw Peak Trail. This section was dirt track as opposed to rocky track. Rock canyon is a busy canyon full of rock climbers, bikers, hikers (many with dogs) and runners.

Looking east to Provo Peak

Curl leaf mountain mahogany

Northward to Mt Timpanogos

The Peak.

Provo and the BYU Campus.

Marriott Center, MTC and Edwards Football Staium

Provo Temple

Utah Lake and Northern Utah Valley

Rock Canyon and Provo Peak


Looking down in to Rock Canyon and the trail.

South end of Utah Valley with Mount Nebo in the distance.

After my bagel lunch I was joined on the summit by two pairs of hikers: two brothers, both with shaved heads and who both live in the neighborhood at the mouth of the canyon, and a father and his young adult son.

For about the last 14 years one of the Collins brothers (on the left),  has erected a flag at the summit of Squaw Peak. Today was the day to retrieve the now tattered flag that has been waving in the wind all summer. Collins started with a small wood pole and has progressed to using a long, sturdy and heavy metal pole. With the help of his brother--holding a rope tied to the pole so it wouldn't fall off the cliff face when extracted, Collins and the son wrestled the pole out of its hole. Before the father and son had arrived, I had offered to help, but I'm glad someone else arrived to help out on the edge of the ledge. The rope holding Collins and I were both a little nervous about working so close to the edge.

Patriotic Collins told us that on several occasions people have cut down the flag--hence moving from a wood to heavy metal pole. He doesn't know the motive. He wondered if it was too much show of patriotism in a non-traditional setting or it it was deemed not respectful enough by flying the flag at night.

An amazing fault.

The actual hike took me about four hours, but I was on the trail longer given my conversations along the way.

Provo Temple with Snoopy's Snout rising above.