...I esteem it as great worth...

Amishaddai Brobey set in the chair at the rear of the hall and bowed his head as if to ponder the reason he was there that Thursday afternoon. A sacred mediation befell him as he examined the small paper in his weathered hands. He is a little man, not standing more than 5 feet in stature, born 1931 and was showing his age of 80 years, retired farmer and school teacher who spends most of his time now, setting next to the building he lives and acknowledges the passersby. His friends have all passed on and 4 children have moved away from Abomosu years ago. They seldom visit he and Comfort his wife, except for holidays and prominent funerals of the village. He and Comfort are one of the faithful who every Friday evening makes their way to the chapel and cleans with several of our other senior members of the branch. It is a ritual for these very elderly who serve as keepers of the branch building. Though they may be slow and sometimes must set a spell to recapture a breath or two, they never fail to arrive for the weekly cleaning and the social atmosphere of the “keepers” of the Lord’s House. I contemplated the scene and looked over his printed record; born in Abomosu, married traditionally in 1962 to Comfort Korang who was 15 years old, both were baptized 1993, and he received the Melchizedek Priesthood in 1998. But today was special, for in his hand was a temple key with an attached page for live ordinances. Right then Comfort quietly shuffled into the hall and took her place by Amishaddai, acknowledging each other by their glancing eyes and without a word spoken. I marveled at this honorable and humble couple as they each held in their hands that small sacred paper that was most important for their eternal future which they knew all too well was on the horizon for them both. One by one they entered a room with the presiding authority and behind closed doors; each declared their worthiness to receive temple covenants and ordinances that will bind them through their everlasting lives of eternity. We graciously hugged as they parted together and began the walk down a path to their home; Amishaddai in priesthood attire and Comfort in a bright traditional wrap with a matching head scarf, side by side toward the closing sun. This Friday, May 11, 2012, Amishaddai and Comfort Brobey will each receive their own endowment and then kneel across an altar to be sealed for time and all eternity and their oneness will then be complete. Oh, what beauty Heavenly authority and Gospel truths bring to God’s worthy children.