After my audition today, my friend Liz, who had given me a ride to Salt Lake City from Provo, took me around Temple Square on foot and for a short drive through Salt Lake City. She grew up in the area and is a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. When I asked her, she gave me a very nice tour of Temple Square, answering my questions about how the church worked and what they believed. Mormons are often shrouded in a bit of mystery for non-Mormons. They are a very strong community and perhaps because of that, they seem to find their communities wherever they are, and stick with them. It's been interesting to start to glean how they can accomplish such a feat of strong community. There are a lot of systems of support that come from the church community, many ways to be involved, people assigned to look after one another, and a rotation of responsibilities in everything from watching the nursery to giving sermons to serving as clerk, all of it apparently volunteer.
It's been interesting to visit this pocket of America, where roughly 50% of the population is Mormon, a far higher percentage that anywhere else. It's almost like a separate country within America. And the grounds of Temple Square were beautiful, especially on this clear Sunday, with blooming tulips and pansies.
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| Assembly Hall |
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| Salt Lake Temple |
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Model of the interior of Salt Lake Temple;
because only members are able to enter, this is a way for other to view the inside |
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