This coming autumn, well truly the end of summer, I will embark on a wonderful journey. A journey that I am sure will have its shares of challenges and stresses, but one I will never forget due to the joy and wonder that is sure to be a part of it as well.
As I return to school I will also be returning to a place special to me, the Kirtland portion of the Temple. It is here with the new Spiritual Formation and Visitor’s center that I will have the opportunity to do the majority of my field education requirement for my degree. It is an exciting time to do so, for Community of Christ is starting to embrace more fully and grow in its understanding the ministries of Temple and what it means to be a people of temple and in Kirtland there is the new Spiritual Formation Center ready to be utilized as we do so.
While I am one who at times am overwhelmed by my skill of procrastination, I have found myself working on my learning and serving covenant, which is not due until sometime in September or October. At present I am just trying to build out a framework that reflects the discussions I have had with the MC president and with the Kirtland Temple site Coordinator along with MTSO’s guidelines for the learning and serving covenant. It has a long way to go, but the fact that I have started it even before knowing when it will be due, is amazing to me. I just hope that I am up to the task and challenges that I am so eagerly anticipating in the coming year. (Though I will be sad when July comes to an end and my WSC friends leave, and also a tad sad when Aug comes to end an end and I leave my friends here in Nauvoo.)
This summer is a summer of learning and serving without a covenant. It is a summer of memories, and a summer of preparation for when I enter into that learning and serving covenant and whatever lies ahead on my journey of life.
Peace be with one and all
— Lyle II