The Marmoys find joy in volunteering at Kirtland.

Guiding at Kirtland Temple

Kirtland Temple is part of my heritage. My family attended reunions there before I was born. I remember attending reunion when I was seven years old. Kirtland, Ohio, means even more to me now after I served as a Temple guide.

Little did I dream of guiding in the Temple when my husband, Sam, volunteered to supervise construction of the Visitor and Spiritual Formation Center in 2006–2007.

Before we left for the assignment, Lachlan McKay, team lead of visitor and heritage services, asked me if I would like to guide. But it wasn’t until after arriving in Kirtland with no particular responsibilities and finding the house closing in on me that I asked to join Lach’s sessions for interns.

I was not a church-history buff when I went to Kirtland, but my interest grew as I became involved. The opportunities to learn from the staff, resources, classes, and events seemed endless. My understanding of church history grew tremendously. So did my curiosity.

I worked in the bookstore and when people visited the bookstore, I enjoyed saying: “If you are looking for something and can’t fnd it, let me know. Maybe I can help you. Or if you have any questions, just let me know.”

Many times that would open the way to answering questions they were afraid to ask. For example: “Do you have three presidents at once? These last three men are all living.” (This was a Mormon referring to a postcard with the pictures of our church presidents on it.)

I was on a different schedule than most guides because Sam’s schedule depended on the contractors. But we did have some free time to enjoy the area. We went to Niagara Falls; the Finger Lake district in New York; Ohio’s Holmes County, which has the highest concentration of Amish in the world; and Cedar Point at Sandusky, the roller-coaster capital of the world. Also, Cleveland has the largest performing-arts center outside Lincoln Center in New York. A new Jewish Heritage Museum was close by, and we savored a sunset dinner cruise.

We enjoyed interacting with people during Kirtland’s Strawberry Festival, working shifts in the Kiwanis food stand. We went to ethnic dinners at Lake County Community College. Activities with Mormons at the Historic Kirtland site and their attendance at the Temple or local congregation gave us a chance to get acquainted.

The Kirtland congregation became a wonderful part of our lives. Members taught us a new term: ice-cream church!

But the best part was experiencing the ministry of the new Spiritual Formation Center and the healing service led by Bruce Crockett that evening in the Temple.

I did not expect my guide experience to affect me so much. Guiding at Kirtland is a joy, and the site needs guides desperately, especially in spring and fall. I hope others will find the joy I found at Kirtland.

—Pat Marmoy reporting
January 2010 Herald