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| Vintage Postcard of the Mesa Arizona Temple Source: Postcard Bought on eBay |
It wasn’t fame or fortune that called to them, but the desire to gather together “in Zion” with other members of the Church and to receive the blessings of the temple. At that time, the only operating temples of the Church were in the United States and Canada, and there weren’t any announced plans to build any others in Europe anytime soon.(1) If families wanted to receive these saving ordinances and be sealed together, they made the sacrifice to emigrate.
Mesa, Arizona, would be their final destination, with the family coming in waves: First George in December 1948, then Kate and Ella in May 1949, and Ina following a few months later in October 1949. (Read more about their emigration story here and here.)
The Mesa temple was just a few blocks from their home. And the day for them to be sealed together as a family had finally arrived, in spring 1950.(2)
Ella was 16 at the time. And unfortunately, when I finally thought to ask Ella about details of the day, she couldn't remember much. However, when we visited Ralph's first cousin MJ in October 2018, MJ shared what she happened to remember about that day - it made such an impression, recalling it almost 70 year later. How is this relevant? MJ, although a cousin of Ralph's, she was also a classmate and friend of Ella's.
MJ recalled (3):
We were friends in high school, and I remember the day they were all going to be sealed. And they were looking forward to that day....And then they had a dance that night; it was a big party. It was like the Gold and Green Ball. And I remember you [Ella] said to me, "But isn't being sealed together such a sacred thing that would we want to end the day joyfully and jolly, you know, going to a dance?" And I thought, Wow! This girl is just golden! I mean, I was so impressed with that because the sacredness of finally having your family sealed together and you didn't want the day to end partying, you know, or taking away from that sacred [experience].This girl certainly is "just golden"!
Ralph's cousin MJ, who was also a classmate of Ella's, recalls when Ella's family
was sealed in the temple. Filmed 26 October 2018.
1:03 min
Notes:
- The first LDS temple in Europe (and 9th operating LDS temple) was built in 1955, in Bern Switzerland. Source: http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/chronological/
- I'm still trying to track down the exact details, but it looks like George and Kate were sealed together on 7 February 1950, while Ina was sealed to them on 31 March 1950. If Ella was sealed to them on either of these, or another day close to this time, she would have been 16 at the time.
- From a visit on 26 October 2018.
