Odds and Ends: Angel Moroni secured atop Gilbert Arizona Temple

The Gilbert Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one step closer to completion.

Despite windy weather, crews were able to place a statue of the Angel Moroni atop the temple, according to an article by Sriantha Perera in the Arizona Republic.

Many who witnessed the event described the moment of Moroni's placing as "exciting" and "special." The article noted that the Angel Moroni stands atop most of the 134 LDS temples worldwide.

"The statue of Angel Moroni, with the horn pressed to his lips and his right hand holding an outstretched horn, symbolizes the restoration and the preaching of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world," Perera wrote.

In other temple news, KCSG Television in southern Utah posted a story about "The Temple Riders Association," an international motorcycle club primarily consisting of Latter-day Saints. The group will hold its biannual rally in St. George, Utah, in June. The article, by Bart Howell, estimated there will be more than 200 attendees at the rally.

Elsewhere, Kate Rouse of The Herald Journal in Logan, Utah, wrote a story about an LDS family in Cache Valley with connections to the Ukraine and Russia.

The Hinkson family, from Smithfield, had three sons who served missions in the two locations, and the parents adopted two boys from a Ukrainian orphanage.

“It makes me wonder if we’re just missing something about Russia or Ukraine, some special connection with our family," said son Tyler, who was called to Novosibirsk, Russia, a province in Siberia.

Finally, a news organization in Arizona called the Verde Independent featured a story about resident C.J. Taylor, who returned from serving an LDS mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the article, written by Phillip Wright, Taylor shares some of his mission experiences. As he embraced a new culture and language, he grew personally.

"I was excited to be back in the United States," he told Wright. "But Argentina will always be my second home."

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