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This time that invitation went to Gracie Awerkamp, 8, Justin Spainhower, 9, and a brother and sister, Christoffer and Katrine Hotvedt, 13 and 7, who came up as a pair.
President Monson's kindnesses continued:
Referring to Justin Spainhower, he said, “That little boy is on his knees already. He's getting ready for a mission.”
“Girls go first,” he said helping Katrine, when she came up with her brother.
“He's got bright eyes. He's going to be a good missionary,” he said of Christoffer.
Yet President Monson's choice of Gracie Awerkamp, who was on the front row in a brightly striped sweater, meant more to her teary mother standing behind her than anyone could have known.
It is a tender mercy that has been repeated often in the apparently random choice of a child to come up to stand by the prophet and put mortar in the joints—someone being chosen to participate for whom the opportunity would have special meaning. In Finland it was the daughter of Paivi Haikkola, whose great grandmother had sacrificed dearly to be a member of the Church. At The Hague, it was Daniel Klunder, who told his mother he didn't want to put on a tie but said again and again, “I just want to see the prophet.” In Sacramento it was Joshua Sanders, whose three-year old sister had been intensely looking forward to the temple's coming and had been killed by a car the summer before.
At the Draper Temple dedication, Gracie's mother, Cheryl, shared why it meant so much to them, “My ancestors settled Draper. To settle here they sacrificed, lost babies along the way, had their homes burned. I almost brought their pictures here today, because I knew what a temple being here would mean to them.
“I'm related to the Ennis, Fitzgerald and Day families,” she said. “The cabin where my several-greats-grandfather was born is still preserved in Draper Park. I feel so connected to these lines. When we go to the Draper cemetery on Memorial Day, I practically drop a flower at every grave.
“To have Gracie be called up by the prophet to be a part of the cornerstone ceremony is a dream come true,” she said. “Gracie is an eight-generation native of Draper.”
“Gracie didn't say much about the experience,” she said, “but I could see it in her eyes.”
Inside the cornerstone of the temple is a box, filled with mementoes meant to be a reflection of the period when it was dedicated. In the box inside the Draper Temple are the following items:
This box also contains a most unique addition, contributed by Jim West, chairman of the historical subcommittee of the Draper Temple Dedication. It is a box of pens, crafted from the wood of the scrub oak that was removed from the temple lot when excavation was begun. He asked someone to alert him when the scrub oak was removed and piled up to be hauled away. Instead he came, took the wood, and created beautiful pens.
After the Prophet and his entourage of people headed back into the temple, one of the men announced than anyone else who would like to come and add some mortar to the cornerstone might do so.
Many enthusiastically came forward, especially the youth, to take such a personal part in the completion of the temple.
Mothers and fathers wanted to take pictures of their children as they put the mud on the joint. There were smiles on every face.
Click here to go back to Part 1 of the Draper Cornerstone Ceremony
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