Lost Temple Recommend

Some spiritual experiences I have had are a little to special or sacred to share publicly. Other experiences are of a lesser sort, and I am not completely certain that they are spiritual experiences. I made a post once on auras, one on bibliomancy, and one on fixing a game which turned out to be an answer to my child's prayer. Some may think these are coincidences or something else. I tend to look at these as spiritual experiences, but because they are not exactly part of my testimony I am glad to get comments on them, for better or worse.

This is another one, and probably the last, of these types of experiences. It involves losing a temple recommend.


We live about a three hour drive from the nearest temple. When you consider driving there, doing a session or two, getting something to eat, and driving back it can kick the heck out of a day. And when you consider what to do with small kids it can be a challenge to go often. We are hesitant to ask someone to baby sit all day for a chance to go, so we get a little creative once in a while.

We had arranged to go to the temple with another family who had kids about the same ages as ours. We were going to go together, and one couple would go in the morning when the other couple would take the kids somewhere for breakfast or something, and then we would switch for a second session. We would then drive home together.

We wanted to leave early and so were preparing the night before. My wife asked if I had my recommend at about 9 p.m.. I knew right where it was. There is a small bookcase in our bedroom, and on top is a dish that I put keys and change in. My temple recommend was in that dish right on top. I had seen it there several times in the last couple of days. I went to get it, but I could not see it. I looked very thoroughly because I knew it was there. But no luck.

My wife and I searched and searched. We eventually looked 'everywhere'. To try and be funny and ease my tension I even looked in the fridge, the freezer, the bathtub, the oven. This was getting very frustrating, and it was also getting late. During this time I went back to the dish on the bookcase over and over again. I was sure it was there, but could not find it.

In my frustration, I sat down on the kitchen floor, with my back against the wall, and my head in my hands. I was at the end of my hope of finding the recommend. The practical engineer in me started to think. It was to late to try to get another recommend. I did not know what the policy or resources were at the temple for people who show up from a long distance with no recommend. Just showing up without it is not my style ya know? What do I do? Baby sit all eight kids myself? In Chicago? yuck. Maybe I should just watch the kids at home, with the games and the TV. That made sense. I could cook them a couple of meals, watch some videos, go to the park. This way my wife and the other couple could go in one vehicle. Have a nice quiet trip with adult conversation. My wife would like that. That would be nice. Yeah, that's what I should do.

I called my wife who was still looking and told her what I was thinking. She was ready to give up looking also. When I was through explaining my plan she looked at me in that way and asked 'you sure?' I nodded. She helped me up off the floor and we walked together to the bedroom. We walked past the bookcase. And there, in the dish, right on top, in plain sight, was my recommend. Exactly where I knew it was but could not find it before.

My kids were all asleep, my wife is not at all the practical joke type. I have positively no explanation for this. The dish was shallow and mostly empty. The top of the bookcase was not cluttered. I have no idea how this could have happened. The spiritual romantic in me wants to think of this as a little test God put me through. Once I 'passed' I was allowed to find the recommend. Perhaps he had the recommend hidden from my view in some way. Perhaps he had it removed and then replaced. Perhaps I am an unobservant fool.

What do you think? Does stuff like this happen?