Sister Ong & Sister Ong!

Something remarkable occurred at the temple today that reaffirms to us that the Lord loves His children and sends them 'tender mercies'.

A young Sister Ong arrived this morning to receive her own endowment in preparation to serve a mission in London, England.  Her name is Charlene Ong, and she is from Singapore.  As she was changing into her white dress, another woman walked into the dressing room.  

I welcomed her and asked if she was Sister Ong's escort.  She told me she hadn't expected to be, but could be.  She then explained the situation, and this is what is remarkable: 

She told me her name is Laura Ong, and even though she has the same last name as Charlene, they are not related.  She is originally from Malaysia, but has been living in Salt Lake City teaching school since her husband passed away six years ago. She had come to the temple alone.
Twenty plus years ago a young missionary taught her the gospel and she was then baptized.  This young missionary's name was Elder Ong, and as it turns out, he is Charlene's father.  After Elder Ong's mission, he married, but stayed in contact with Laura.  About 10 years ago, he brought his family to Malaysia to meet Laura and her husband.

Sadly, Brother Ong and his wife eventually became inactive in the church, and Laura lost contact with them.

This morning as Laura approached the recommend desk, she noticed a young woman standing there, but did not recognize her.  Amazingly however, even though it had been 10 years, and they had met only once, Charlene recognized Laura, and told her who she was.   Charlene explained that her mother had come to Hong Kong with her, but because of her inactivity, was unable to enter the temple, and her father had since passed away.  So, there was no one else to go through with her,  or at least she thought. You can imagine the emotions that swept over them both.

Charlene came to the temple this morning expecting to be assisted by someone she doesn't even know, and Laura expected to not know a soul either, but because of the Lord's tender mercy, they both had someone at their side with a special connection.

How did they end up at the Hong Kong Temple at the same time on the same day?

Charlene Ong was to have arrived yesterday, but her flight was cancelled, so it delayed her getting to the temple as originally scheduled.  Laura Ong decided at the last minute to get to the temple a little earlier than she had planned.  If Charlene's flight had not been cancelled, she would not have seen Laura, and this miracle would not have happened.

It is a blessing to have witnessed this miracle, and as Sister Wong suggests, it just may be the miracle needed to bring a change of heart to Charlene's mother.  One can hope!