In her work as a part-time groundskeeper at the Laie Hawaii Temple, Cayden Mai Eliason, a junior marine biology major from South Dakota, said she feels a sense of spiritual fulfillment as she seeks to create a clean, beautiful environment that resembles the Garden of Eden.
“God is a god of order. I believe this plays into cleanliness. When things are clean and in order, [people] can feel the Spirit more. … It’s humbling to know what I’m doing is in the service of the Lord, and it’s blessing other people’s lives as well.”
She said the temple provides an environment for people to leave their personal worries behind and enjoy the Spirit that thrives in and around the temple. “I’ve seen people come to study their scriptures or do homework just because this is a place they can come and feel peace away from the commotion in their own lives.”
Working while serving
Back home in South Dakota, Eliason said she worked for the city parks and roads department. This work included mowing and weed whacking the city parks, campground and baseball fields as well as maintaining the roads, she explained. Because of her experience, Eliason said she wanted to find a similar job when she moved to Hawaii.
“When COVID hit, I wanted to be able to work at the temple, and I have so much experience in this,” she said, adding she was grateful not only to find a job during the pandemic, but also one she knew she would enjoy.
Eliason began working in Oct. 2020, and said she is responsible for maintaining the hillside area behind the temple. She said her duties include mowing, weed whacking, trimming trees, cleaning the gazebo and cemetery and disposing of discarded leaves, palms and invasive plants.
“I love working with my hands and being outside. This is the kind of work that [makes me] feel like [I’m] being productive, and I’m able to see the end results and the progress I’ve made.”
Eliason shared she also finds peace knowing she is serving. “Even though it’s a job I get paid for, I have so much pride in my work, and it’s helped me to draw closer to the Lord and to respect him more.”
Working on the temple grounds has made her more sensitive to what music she listens to, shared Eliason. She said she remembers being prompted while working to listen to a song about Joseph Smith by Michael McLean.
“I felt the Spirit so strongly confirming to me Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Without him, [people] would not have the opportunity to be sealed together as families for eternity. That knowledge brings me a lot of peace.”
Cleanliness is godliness
Eliason said she was excited to work at the temple because it is close to where she lives. “It’s a nice reminder to be worthy, to keep the commandments and be recommended to the Lord.”
Eliason’s landlord, Becky Strain, said Eliason is almost like another member of her family. “She’s always asking my children about their day, saying hello to them and bringing cookies to our family.”
Strain said Eliason is dependable, hard-working and knows how to maintain a sense of order in her environment. “I trust her a lot when we’ve gone on vacations. She’s the first person we [ask] to house sit and take care of things while we’re gone.”
Strain said working as a groundskeeper fits Eliason well as she consciously keeps things well-maintained in her rental unit.
When Eliason moved in last year, Strain said she worked for the summer doing extra cleaning to help get her unit in better shape. “She was always willing to put in the work to help us make it a better, cleaner and safer place to live.”
Small town origins
Close friend to Eliason, Sterling Kerr, a senior from Millcreek, Utah, majoring in biology, said he has witnessed Eliason’s care for other people because they serve together in the Laie 16th Ward. Kerr serves as Elder’s Quorum president and Eliason serves as the Relief Society president, he explained.
“[Eliason] definitely has everyone’s best interests at heart and makes sure everyone gets what they need,” said Kerr, who explained Eliason had a goal to meet all 120 members of the ward’s Relief Society. “I thought that was cool because I feel like most people would just count an occasional visit to call it good.”
Strain said it is difficult to discern if Eliason is having a bad day because she is always smiling and asking others how they are doing.
Kerr said Eliason is a small-town girl and harbors close-knit relationships with her family and high school classmates. “I think a lot of how she perceives the world comes from that, and it gives her a unique angle. She applied those small-town values very well in her life, which is why she is the way she is.”
Eliason said her hometown, Howard, South Dakota, has only about 850 people where “everyone knows everyone” and where she and her family are the only members of the Church. “Because of that, we were and are a really close family. We did everything together growing up. My siblings are my best friends because of it.”
Eliason said because of differing standards, she and her siblings didn’t always join in on certain activities with their neighbors and peers. “Instead, we worked on our house, did yard work or provided service to others.”
But community is still important to the Eliason family, she shared. They have a small restaurant that is open in the summer, and they are all involved in town sports and clubs, she explained. Eliason said she has close friends who are strong Baptists and Lutherans who have blessed her life with their testimonies of Jesus Christ. “I want to be involved and help those around me. It has helped me be more aware of needs of others. I also do believe most people are good, have good intentions and are God-fearing.” •