Here's the info about the trip and the basic schedule for the day (although this is for our upcoming October trip). In the following pictures and captions, you'll see what it's like to be a patron on the Philadelphia Temple bus!
Around 9:15am: Everyone checks in with Brother Ruckart and loads their temple clothes and anything else they won't need on the drive up into the storage compartment under the bus. Our driver helps us get everything situated.
9:32am: Everyone is settled in and we're on our way to Philadelphia! Most people chat with seat mates, read, sleep, or watch videos on the way up. The bus has Wi-Fi, so you have internet access the whole trip, even if your device doesn't have a data plan.
12:00pm: The temple bus makes a quick stop at a highway rest area so everyone can get out and stretch their legs and use the restroom. The bus has a restroom as well, but we try to save it just for emergencies. Once we get back on the bus, most of us will eat the lunch we packed so we can be ready to go to work when we arrive at the temple.
2:30pm: We've arrived safely at the Philadelphia temple. We're a little behind schedule, but it's okay because we've allowed some extra time just for that reason.
We have some time to relax in the beautiful Arrival Center before the temple opens at 3pm for our scheduled sessions that begin at 4pm. Many of us use the opportunity to walk around and take photos of the lovely Philadelphia temple.
From 3pm to 7:30 we spend our time serving in the House of the Lord doing baptisms for our ancestors, along with initiatory ordinances, endowments, and sealings. It's such a privilege to be able to serve our loved ones on the other side of the veil and worship with them.
It's 7:45pm and we've had a beautiful day in the House of the Lord. We meet up with the rest of the group at the Arrival Center and wait for the bus to arrive to pick us up at the curb.
As the sun sets, we board the bus and prepare for another relaxing ride as we travel back to Richmond. We won't arrive home until after midnight, but that just means that the traffic will be lighter and we can close our eyes and rest on the way home, grateful for a successful first temple bus trip to Philadelphia.
If you'd like to be a part of one of the upcoming temple bus trips, here's some more information:
We'd love to have you along!
