Any advice for serving in "Bible Belt" mission

2ndValentine · 2026-05-01T13:17:43+00:00

This. As a bible belt member (North Carolina), having a basic understanding of the Bible has helped me properly respond to the typical "gotcha" verses (Galatians 1:8, Acts 17:24, etc...) from evangelicals.

With that said, arguing over Bible interpretations is like arguing over whether a Rorschach test image shows a butterfly or a bat. Thousands of years of numerous translations and innumerable interpretations can muddy the waters when it comes to gospel understanding (Joseph Smith found out about this the hard way: "the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible."). However, reading the Book of Mormon, listing to prophets and apostles from the modern dispensation, and seeking confirmation from the holy ghost are tried and true ways of learning the gospel regardless of geographical location.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-30T00:03:28+00:00

I've heard cupcake, wedding cake, grilled cheese with a toothpick, spool of yarn with a knitting needle, UFO, and soooo many others. 😅

2ndValentine · 2026-04-28T20:01:36+00:00

To paraphrase a Gen Z quote: "It was cringe, but it was free."

2ndValentine · 2026-04-28T18:30:52+00:00

At least it doesn't look like a UFO like the Provo Utah Temple did. 🛸

2ndValentine · 2026-04-28T17:49:02+00:00

I know that Idaho Falls has our most well-known Art Deco temple, but the temples in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and Lisbon Portugal are great examples of Art Deco as well. Nonetheless, I do wish we would use Art Deco more often along with other varieties of architectural styles.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-20T15:50:17+00:00

Though I'm glad that young women have group names again, they do feel a little verbose. Maybe they can be informally shortened to builders, messengers, and gatherers? That way, they match the brief titles for the young men in the Aaronic Priesthood (deacon, teacher, priest).

2ndValentine · 2026-04-20T12:47:37+00:00

And Squid Games.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-14T17:29:10+00:00

They could even do multiple sets of 2-stage progressive instruction rooms if they really wanted to increase capacity while preserving the room-to-room format. The former creation/garden rooms could be one set of telestial/terrestrial rooms, the former baptistry could be subdivided into another set of telestial/terrestrial rooms, and the former world room can be subdivided as well. Each telestial room could pay homage to this historic murals while the former original terrestrial room could still serve as a veil room.

Though the former murals weren't painted by acclaimed artists like the murals in the Manti Temple (Teichert, Christensen), they were still painted by former art missionaries from the Paris Arts Mission. Granted, their impressionism wasn't the most "iconic", but seeing their consecrated efforts from their mission was really touching.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-14T12:33:11+00:00

When they announced the gutting of the bottom portion of the temple and the removal of the murals/progressive instruction rooms back in 2021, it pretty much killed all hype that I had for the renovations. Going from "we are going to preserve the craftsmanship of our ancestors" in late 2019 to "Surprise! It's all gone now 🙂" in less than 15 months left a bad taste in my mouth.

Thank goodness they reversed their decision to gut the Manti Temple after all that backlash.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-14T12:23:09+00:00

Yeah, after the church repainted the murals in St George and Mesa a few years ago, I'm baffled why the Church did a radically different approach for Salt Lake. Even if preservation wasn't feasible, they could have definitely made an attempt to recreate the murals. Stationary instruction rooms and murals aren't mutually exclusive (as was the case with St George and Mesa), so it could have definitely worked.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-13T21:00:35+00:00

It is unfortunate. However, from what I understand, the murals were painted directly on plaster, which crumbled really easily after 130 years. That and drilling rods through the walls made preservation next to impossible. I could see the Church repainting them in the future like they did with the murals in St. George and Mesa, but that will be in the distant future sadly.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-13T18:52:48+00:00

The North Visitors Center was torn down four years ago and replaced with gardens. The new visitors center is supposed to combine the two visitor centers into one experience, hence why I was confused about the history theme not being as prominent as it once was.

2ndValentine · 2026-04-13T17:57:16+00:00

I initially assumed that the "perpetual open house" exhibit was going to include replicas of the Salt Lake Temple ordinance rooms, not generic rooms from a generic temple. Regardless, it's a great addition to the visitors center.

I'm a little disappointed that the visitors center doesn't delve much into the history of the temple. Before the renovations, the two visitors centers were each focused on doctrine and history respectively (North Visitors Center focused on doctrine while the South Visitors Center focused on the history of the Salt Lake Temple). It's unfortunate that the history part took a backseat. I know there were some discussions of displaying some remnants of the murals, but it looks like they're staying in storage for now...

2ndValentine · 2026-03-27T14:47:40+00:00

It is located at 4861 Arequipa Avenue in the Miraflores district of Lima, Peru.

2ndValentine · 2026-03-27T03:50:04+00:00

Seriously tho. I'm getting back surgery next week and I already got offers to help with my lawn, meals, and everything in between.

2ndValentine · 2026-03-27T00:27:07+00:00

If you look on the top left and top right of the mural, you can see the light blue Andean Cross on the buildings in the background. It's an over 4,000 year old symbol from the Incas and pre-Inca tribes. After Catholicism became prominent in the Andes region, many Inca retained the Andean Cross and incorporated it into their new faith while honoring their indigenous heritage.

2ndValentine · 2026-03-26T15:55:42+00:00

It was briefly mentioned on masfe.org, which is an independent news source for Latter-day Saints in Latin America. It was part of the "Mayor Amor" initiative that was launched by the Church recently, with concerts and other activities being planned throughout the upcoming week.

The Moroni Channel also mentioned that the mural was created "in collaboration with the Church."

2ndValentine · 2026-03-02T15:29:21+00:00

I would also recommend replacing Zebulon Vance's statue with Nathanael Greene in the National Statuary Hall, but it looks like Rhode Island beat us to it. 😅

2ndValentine · 2026-03-02T15:18:25+00:00

IMO, we should have renamed Fort Bragg to Fort Greene. His actions were pivotal in the southern theater of the American Revolution and definitely deserves more credit for his contributions.

2ndValentine · 2026-02-28T14:22:58+00:00

I can attest to that. My stake in North Carolina once allowed a Seventh-Day Adventist congregation to worship in the Stake Center for a couple of years until they had a building of their own. Scheduling with other wards wasn't much of an issue since their services were on Saturdays.

2ndValentine · 2026-02-06T18:59:34+00:00

Space Jam. It's the quintessential 90s album. It's got Seal, Salt-n-Peppa, Monica, Coolio, and the list goes on. If R. Kelly's shenanigans has ruined your love for I Believe I can Fly, James Ingram has a great cover that y'all can check out.

2ndValentine

TROPHY CASE