By Christine Patterson
Despite efforts to keep the event a secret, about two hundred people discovered that the Angel Moroni was to be placed on the Redlands, Calif. temple, and turned out to watch.
Church officials did not publicize the event in an effort to keep crowds to a minimum, protestors at a distance, and neighbors happy.
Those who attended felt privileged and watched quietly as cranes lifted the statue and placed it on top of the nearly completed temple.
'My heart skipped a beat,' said Sister Mary Schoggen, a full time missionary serving with her husband in employment services. 'This is very exciting. I thought, ''What have I done to have the privilege to see the angel put on the temple?'' He will stand there until the second coming.'
Construction workers pulled the gold plated statue from a crate and inspected it in detail for any flaws, according to Dixie Patterson, a member of the Redlands, Calif. stake who witnessed the event.
Patterson said the workers attached an 8 foot pole to the bottom of the statue, which anchored it to the tower it stands on.
'It was really overwhelming,' Patterson said, fighting back tears. 'We got close enough that when they pulled it out of the crate, you could really see it. I''ve never seen one so close before.'
The temple is scheduled to be completed at the end of the summer.
Police blocked off the road in front of the temple and those who watched parked their cars and walked to the site, cameras in hand.
'It was a gorgeous day,' Patterson said. 'We waited all day because we didn''t know exactly when it would happen.'