"No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from Progressing"

  This was sent by a Temple Worker in the LA Temple.  It is so wonderful
to see the Lord's tender mercies in behalf of the saints who strive to
live righteously in the face of persecution:

> My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders:
> My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for
> His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share
> this with you. As most of you know, I am a Temple ordinance worker and
work
> the morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the
> privilege of translating sister Martz-the new assistant
Matron's-message
> during our devotional.
> She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no
unhallowed hand
> would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks
when
> mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord
has
> protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who
were
> inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary
> and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the
House
> of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant. After Proposition 8
> passed, the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those
> opposing it. They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the
> Temple and burn it to the ground, and stop its work. The first Thursday
when
> the mob came, the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple
> Offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and
to
> insure the safety of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The
> assistant Matron said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that
> the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming
to
> receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave
> before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the
Temple
> Presidency 's summons and patrolled the grounds and kept the mob from
> entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed
> their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful all around was. They were
> invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and
they
> promised they would. On Thursday, November 13th, sister Campbell, a
> secretary in the Temple , was opening the mail and upon opening a large
> manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened this one, a
> white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related
to
> the demonstrators and feared the worst-ANTRAX. She contacted the
President,
> who in turn called the Salt Lake City Temple office again for
instructions.
> The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again in the grounds
to
> investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around 11:30 AM
to
> 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people
there
> wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to
remain
> in the parking lot. Those entering the Temple had to remain in the first
> floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room. Then,
the
> miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a
> Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances
> every day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was
only
> talc, and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was
> impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said
we can't
> go down but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the
> Celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they
do
> some sealings?"   As it happened, there were four sealers present
that day
> and they ran four sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed.
> Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some
> initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers
and
> sisters alike. Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large
> group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do
Baptisms
> for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when
the
> Temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of
> driving back home. The Temple reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session.
The
> next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had
> performed 2000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day
> before when three stakes had been visiting the Temple . Once again the
> assistant matron reminded us of the words of the prophet Joseph Smith,
"No
> unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing...". But, this is
not
> all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was
set
> apart by President Uchdorft of the First Presidency, he received a
blessing
> and these words were pronounced: " The time has come for the LA
Temple to
> come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to the world
> under your presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown on
TV,
> newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide.
People
> of other faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking the
> Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting
how
> impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks . One
> minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had
> harbored ill feelings against the Mormons before said " I am
impressed by
> your integrity and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to
> consider you my brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first
cousins!". I
> asked the assistant matron if I could share her comments and she said to
go
> ahead. I can only add my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus
> Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth.
God
> Lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to
> redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm,
> steadfast and immobile while the prophecies of the signs before His Coming
> are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only believe" He has said, and
also " What I
> the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though
the
> heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall
all
> be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it
> is the same." I testify that this is true and testify it in the Holy
Name of
> Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my
humble
> prayer. Your sister in Christ, Patricia H. Arnazzi