Cleaning the Temple

So yesterday I did something I have never done before. Our stake was in charge of volunteering to clean the DC Temple. Having no job and kids I would have felt guilty if I didn't volunteer and I was excited to see the temple from a different perspective, however I was not excited to get up at the crack of dawn in order to do it. LDS people always seem to be early birds but not just early birds super early birds because unlike in Utah the temple isn't 15 minutes away so you have to get up even earlier to travel to get there. But after my initial sleep interruption grumpiness I was excited to clean the temple. I was given a white jump suit and the assignment of cleaning the women's locker room. In the middle of my shift the temple practiced an emergency evacuation. That was interesting we got to exit through this hidden back door in the temple and listen to the workers give scripted instructions- some of which were very amusing. Then we went back in and completed our cleaning assignments. When we were finished we found we were trapped because there was wet cement that had just been poured all around the temple. Luckily we found a tiny path on the side of the temple that had not yet been done so we got to our car ok. It was different to be working in the temple that way. Temples are beautiful inside and out because of the spirit and also because people keep them clean -every inch it seems like and that is alot of work.