Baptistry Etiquette

We were in the Baptistry again this week and had some very sweet experiences.  But also a little frustration.  While we don't like to focus on those, we thought maybe we would share this, in the hopes that it could help others.

For the most part, the youth who come to the temple start out being very reverent.  But from time to time we have had a group of leaders who are not.  They stand in the back and talk about worldly things, and not in whispers.  Or the male leaders will play-punch the young men, or put them in a half-nelson.  We don't want to chastise or embarrass leaders any more than we do the youth, but we (ok, maybe one of us more than the other) have decided we need to be proactive.  

Besides inviting the leaders to help with the reverence when we greet them, we whisper as we communicate, etc.  That works for most people.  But last week we had our local former Stake President joining a youth group and he talked with other adults nonstop.  In an attempt to subtlety minimize this I would ask the person with whom he was chatting to help in this area or that.  So he would go to another adult leader.  As he left he glibly apologized for talking so much and I said, "President - adults can go several places in the temple to have a spiritual experience.  This is the only place in the temple for the youth to have that.  When adults talk they rob them of potential spiritual experiences."  He was shocked, but agreed and apologized, this time sincerely. (Though it wasn't to us that he owed the apology.)

We bring this up because we can all lose perspective of what our actions do to others, and just wanted to share this in case it helps any of you on Youth Temple Trips!

A neighboring town has the most amazing open-meat market.  They are not
exaggerating when they say, "freshly cut!"

Their fresh Scottish Salmon is amazing, and so reasonably priced

We are not including really scary pictures (furry and
feathered former friends).  This is oxtail!  We passed....

Our silly local ghetto phone wouldn't send the pictures, so these are pictures of the pictures on the phone, so the quality isn't great.  Which is probably better, considering the subjects!  :)