Ross and Katherine Workman, the former president and matron for Laie
Hawaii Temple, were released from their calling on Nov. 1, 2012.
President Workman recalled how he received this calling. He was serving as a General Authority in 2007. One day President Gordon B. Hinckley called him and asked, “Elder Workman, are you tired?” He answered, “No, I am not.” President Hinckley then continued, “Great! I want to call you to [be] president in the temple in Laie.”
President and Sister Workman are from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. President Workman was called to serve as a mission president in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission from 1998-2001 and returned as a Temple President in the Laie Hawaii Temple from 2007-2012. They got to participate in the Laie Temple rededication by President Thomas S. Monson in November 2010. The Workmans said they were happy to be able to return to Laie. “We lived here before for three years as a mission president. We were happy to serve the Lord whenever he called us to go. We have many friends here, so we are happy to be back,” said President Workman.
President Workman said he witnessed the remarkable sacrifices from BYU-Hawaii students to serve in temple. He shared story about a Chinese student who served as an ordinance worker for two semesters. Later on, he returned to China and saw the members in his home ward that made sacrifices in order to attend temple in Hong Kong, the closest temple to China. It reminded him of how blessed he was to live in Laie with a temple closed by.
“None of us ask for hardships. They just come,” said Sister Workman. She
believes that the temple is a blessing to BYUH students to find
strength in overcoming worldly challenges. “We hope when people come to
the temple, they leave the world outside and feel the love, peace, and
the spirit of the Lord that exists in His holy house…There is no room
for contention in the temple. [The] temple is full of grace and love,”
said Sister Workman. Even making sure there are enough ordinance workers can be a big challenge to the temple president. President Workman said, “At the end of each semester, we have a whole bunch of people leave or change their shifts [schedule to work in temple]….In fact, in the last April graduation, we had 63 ordinance workers [that] walked. We love them.” He continued, saying, “We almost always need ordinance workers. We ask stake presidents to invite students to become ordinance workers.”
“Getting married is as important as your education,” counseled President Workman. “Secular education is important, but not as important as spiritual education. Your spiritual education will lead you to a mission, then your temple covenant, and your temple marriage. We really need more marriages here.”
President Workman left his promise and blessing to BYUH students: “[If] BYUH students take the temple to be a part of their education, [they] will be better prepared to face the challenges of this world.”
The Workmans are looking forward to visiting their grandchildren in Arizona and Utah when they leave Laie. “After, we might go to see [the] bishop and ask for assignments in the church, maybe as a nursery leader,” said Sister Workman.
BYUH students thanked the Workmans for their example and trust. Makoto Asai, a senior majoring in finance from Japan and New York, served as a temple worker since 2010 after the rededication. He said, “[President Workman] makes sure that everyone leaves the temple feeling sanctified and uplifted with a spiritual experience…Whenever I see the Workman’s on campus, they greet me with the biggest smile and hug. They tell my friends that I’m their son.”
“In China, we do not have a temple yet. The nearest Temple is far away from my home. It is not easy to go on a temple trip,” said Yile Zou, a senior in exercise science from China. She found joy serving in temple and felt that it was an honor to work with the Workmans. “We never had a long conversation, but I know they care and love each single ordinance worker who works with them.”
See this article on Ke Alaka'i
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