Thanks for sharing!

What would a temple resident say about it?

Well I can make a few remarks from my talks with others.  In the courtyard at the Chaiya Meditation Monastery in Las Vegas there is a Ganesha statue off  in a corner.  I mentioned this to my teacher and he said no one consulted him and he didn't know how it got there.  One of the monks told me that another monk who used to sweep and water plants in the evenings, had many dreams of the elephant deity.

Also I visited a Vietnamese temple in Davie, Florida a couple of times.  The temple hall was smaller than the Houston temple you visited, but otherwise it was very similar.  I inquired about programs and all they offered to the public consisted of chanting.  They said it was very powerful and that you reached concentration through chanting.  One time I had the good luck to meet the head of the temple, who appeared to be a lay man as he was not wearing any specific robe or uniform.  I inquired about meditation and he was knowledgable but their main discipline is group chanting, in unison, for long periods. 

Deities are acknlowledged by all schools of Buddhism, but the relationship to deities as well as the status awarded to them, differs.

In Theravada Buddhism, we are recommended to just note any visions or sounds and not dwell on it. For those seeking liberation, the siddhi powers are not to be displayed or pursued.  Rather, one should not grasp the experience in any way but instead look to see how it is impermanent, unsatisfactory due to inconstancy, and not comprised of a permanent self.

What you relayed about the voice of the Buddha is great!  The Buddha vowed to not get up from his seat beneath the bodhi tree, until he either died or attained freedom.  And it is stressed greatly by all Buddhists to sit still, not moving, internalize the mind and see the true nature of things.  

So, go for it! It seems to have been a really auspicious visit.