Waiting for Moroni

We arrived just moments after the cranes started moving away.

Charlie, Owen, Brenna.
Check out the windy hair.  It was so windy.  I thought that might make it impossible to raise the Angel Moroni that day.

It was Monday night on May 21st.  We were getting ready for dinner and family home evening when we  got word that the Angel Moroni "was in town".  We quickly finished eating dinner and decided that going to catch a glimpse of the Angel statue would be part of our family home evening.  Everyone moved with excitement to get their flip flops on and get out to the van.  We loaded up and drove the 7 minute drive (can you believe we are going to have a temple that close...it's always been my dream) to the construction site of the new temple.  We were not the only ones who had somehow found out about the covert arrival of the angel.  There were a lot of people trying to catch a glimpse.  We had to see him from afar still resting on the back of a trailer until he would make his way to the top of the temple the next day.  We told the kids he was getting his final nap before he had to stand for a very long time proclaiming to the world that the gospel is restored and families can be sealed for eternity.
That night when we got home I had a feeling that just wouldn't leave me alone that I wanted us to be a part of the angel's journey to the top.  So I wrote on the white board in the kitchen for everyone to see when they woke the next morning, "TODAY: lunch with Moroni".  The next morning the children were sure to question me about the sign.   They had big smiles on their faces when I explained that I would not be sending lunch boxes to school with them but rather I would come to pick them each up at their schools and we would go wait for Angel Moroni to be lifted to the top.  I warned them of the possibility that he would not be raised while we were there since the church does not release that information to detract from the event.
There is a park diagonal from the temple with wonderful shade trees(Arizona style), sidewalks, a playground, and a small pond for ducks.  We ate our lunch.  We laid on a blanket under a cool shade tree.  We watched the ducks.  We anticipated every move of the enormous cranes.  Nothing!  After a while, I took some very disappointed children back to school.
Later I decided to check facebook to see if there was anyone who had updated their status with the status of Angel Moroni.  The first thing I saw was Sarah Crawford's status that said "He's getting ready" and showed a picture of Angel Moroni hanging from the crane.
I quickly gathered Charlie and Owen, stopped by Brenna's school(it's on the way to the temple) and made my way to the temple.  He was already there and the cranes were moving away.  We were so excited.  Owen held his toy figurine of Angel Moroni in his hands for 2 days after that.  The next morning we read about Moroni in our scripture study.
I am so grateful that the Moroni helped to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in the latter days.  I love seeing his statue stand boldly at the top of the each temple.  He reminds me that I should be bold and share the gospel.  That I should stand strong as a daughter of God.