On September 7th, over 60 volunteers from the nearby Woodland Hills Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent a productive service day helping devotees at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.  

When Hare Krishnas first came to Utah Valley, they found common ground with the service-minded Latter-day Saints. Devotees Caru Das and Vaibhavi Devi Dasi discovered many shared values with them, including chastity before marriage and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea. Since the temple was built over 20 years ago, partly with funds from the private LDS Foundation and pro bono work from the LDS Church’s well-wishers, the pioneering couple has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Sunday feast guests, festival-goers, school field trips, and curious commuters to the iconic temple, which can be seen for miles away.

The day of service was inspired by Chuch member Tammy Olsen, with work behind the scenes from Monica Ringger Bambrough. Tammy said,  “In honor of the 9/11 National Day of Service, we wanted to serve in our community and get to know our neighbors better.” She continued, “We thought that it was a way for our members to learn more about the temple and be willing to serve in a way that they hadn’t done before.”

This wasn’t Tammy’s first time visiting the temple. “I have attended services at the temple a few times in the last couple of years.  I always enjoy Caru’s message.  I also love the joy that the attendees have while chanting.  The first time I attended was for the 20th anniversary of the temple’s construction. I was so happy to learn that our church was helpful in building the temple.  I also enjoy learning about different religions and how we can work together, and it’s beautiful when that feeling is mutual.”

Tammy, coordinating with Vaibhavi Devi Dasi, divided the generous group into teams focused on painting a fence, planting 20 willow trees, grooming vines on the temple stairs, trimming trees, caring for llamas, harvesting the gardens, and moving a fence from one side of the property to another.

Reflecting on the day, Vaibhavi said, “Srila Prabhupada asked me to ‘make our Temples beautiful.’ That has been my aspiration. All these wonderful spiritual souls were so kind to help in this endeavor. They came with tractors, tools of every kind, and most of all, genuine hearts wanting to serve without conditions. We are deeply grateful.”

Also serving for the day was Latter-day Saint Monica Ringger Bambrough, who serves as one of the Assistant Directors for the Mount Nebo Communication Council, which is focused on outreach across nearly twenty cities in the area. This includes interfacing and cooperating with government, non-profit, and other religious organizations. 

Stressing the importance of interfaith connections, Monica said, “When we take the time to get to know our friends of other beliefs or religions it gives us an opportunity to expand our knowledge, strengthen our communities, and to open our hearts to love more. I am grateful for my friends of all beliefs, and we were blessed to serve with them on this National Day of Service.” Monica continued, “All those that served said, that they were grateful for the opportunity to serve and learn about what is taught here at the temple, and that they would happily come back and serve them again. It was a beautiful day!” Monica shared a fun photo collage from the service day on her Facebook page. To view click here. 

Though tired after the hours of work, the volunteers came away feeling like they had accomplished a lot. “Our members also talked about how they enjoyed the tour of the temple that Caru had given them and were happy to have been welcomed so warmly,” noted Tammy.

“The men, women, and children alike from the Woodland Hills Stake modeled the gold standard of neighborly love by showing up and showing out with efficiency, kindness, and good humor,” said Caru Das.

To follow the ongoing service and upcoming events in Spanish Fork and the Salt Lake City Temple, visit their website. You can also follow Caru Das on Facebook, where he teaches a live-streamed Srimad Bhagavatam class.