I ask this because I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea of my family members being in this position for 3 years in a foreign land. Spending all day, every day dressed in white and being inside a temple....doing WHAT exactly? Does he set up the schedules? Call temple workers? supervise what's going on at the veil? What? It seems like such a huge waste of TIME! And then what does the matron do? (What an old-fashioned almost sexist word that is).

He supervises the employees. Makes sure the place runs smoothly. Makes sure corporate policies are being kept. Keeps in contact with and reports all the numbers back to HQ. Deals with the consumers only in certain circumstances.

Presides at more meetings. Fills out reports. Closes office door and takes a nap. Takes his medicine. Works on the schedule. Tells everyone they are doing a good job. Eats in the cafeteria. Worries about GA visits.

Probably pretty standard stuff.

half-way around the world. There is a fair amount of general management - scheduling, dealing with the workers, dealing with the building itself, etc. He also has to deal with whatever problems come up with patrons, and just general questions from patrons. He also did weddings.

Mom seemed to spend most of her time on three things: problems with the female workers, first-time attenders, and brides. She liked the brides the best.

It is mind-numbing, and even they recognized they just had to get out of there sometimes.

They also both gave speeches all over the place on Sundays. And they had social gatherings for the workers, and with the local church bigwigs.

They were provided with a nice house and a decent car. They also came home, paid for by the church, once a year while the temple was closed.

They liked the job. I, of course, have a different viewpoint on what they were doing.

I really feel sorry for these people--both temple presidents and matrons. For instance, at the SL temple, there are more than 3000 temple workers:

Each one has to be interviewed and set apart;

Problems between the workers have to be addressed (and trust me, there are a LOT of personality issues and fights going on amongst the workers---unfortunately, many of these people "tattle" on each other and there are power struggles as well)

Temple patrons flood the president and matron with requests for prayers and with questions about the endowment (and who is to blame them!);

The various departments (security, cleaning, office, recorder) have to be supervised (the leadership in the Vertical Vatican across the street requires that supervision and in turn supervises the president and matron);

Temple policies are written and enforced;

Each temple president and matron has to clean up the mess made by their predecessors---and oftentimes, that mess is pretty awful (for instance, if a predecessor was an ogre and a BKP or DOakes type, there will be a lot of hostility and anger built up amongst the workers);

In the smaller temples, although there are fewer workers, the problems are different but equally hard to solve without offense.

So these people really work---and I feel sorry for them because as temple presidents, they are volunteers (albeit powerful volunteers).

But he is also supposed to be an inspired leader (It is kind of a consolation prize for dudes who wanted to be a GA their whole life and never made the cut).

A quick story, if I may:

Since the first time I went through the temple, it bothered me that the creation story was presented in a cronology that was not "scriptural." (the Bible and both mormon accounts say that animals were created over the course of two days - 5 and 6 - the day man was created, the temple has them created on one - a different day than the day man was created). I wondered why it wasn't set "RIGHT" when JS retranslated the Bible for the book of Moses.

This kept bothering me in the MTC, where I was required to do an endowment every week for 9 weeks, and then when i was in San Diego for my mission. When my companion and I went to that temple for P-Day (Ugh!), I finally had to ask the question. A worker told me to direct such a question to the Prez, so I went to his office. After looking at me like a poor, helpless puppy while I asked my question, he gave me this answer:

"We don't know how it happened. All we know is that the Lord did it, and he did it in his time."

It was clear I was not welcome to ask more questions. He smiled in a self-satisfied manner and escorted us out.

So, I guess my answer is that a Temple President quiets dissent through empty platitudes.

The one I talked to served in a small temple in Central America.

The temple was only open one or two days a week. He and his DW did the expected temple pres stuff, worked in the cafeteria, cleaned,did yard work and then played golf 3 or 4 days a week.

He said it was a nice tropical vacation.

...he gets paid for continuing the con...