courtesy of...a website i found on google (sorry can't remember)
i remember singing "i love to see the temple" in primary. ever since then, i've always loved seeing temples. not only are they beautiful on the outside, but inside it is spectacular. only the best is used for the temple. the temple, for me, has always been a place of refuge- of solace. my sophmore year of college was the year that i attended the temple the most- at least once a week. i loved the peace that would come from sitting, pondering and waiting my turn to go into the font. i thought of the people whose names were being read- what were they like? how were they feeling right now? i didn't want to leave because i was on this spiritual high. unfortunately, i have gotten worse at going to the temple. is it because we have a baby and don't have much time? all the excuses i make up in my head aren't really valid. we are so lucky to have all these temples nearby. the draper temple, mt. timpanogos, south jordan, provo, salt lake and now the oquirrh temple are within 50 minutes of where we live.
we were priviledged enough to see the oquirrh mountain temple dedication. i didn't enter spiritually high (i was rushed) but as the meeting progressed my heart was softened and humbled. i've heard many stories of families sacrificing to go to the temples hundreds of miles away from their homes-but this one stuck out. sorry i don't remember specific details but this group of members from ecuador planned to go to the lima, peru temple which was like 3 days drive. if y'all have been in south america you know the roads aren't all paved and people are crammed into little vans they call buses. they were supposed to arrive on tuesday night but were stopped at the border because they didn't have some paper they needed. the temple president was notified on friday in the middle of the night that this group was arriving soon (3 days after their supposed arrival). the temple president asked the janitors to turn all the lights on at the temple (which are usually shut off at night) and to get ready for their arrival. as the bus pulled up to the gate the temple was shining in all its glory and the angel moroni stood proudly on the steeple. could you imagine traveling all these days, crammed in a little van arriving in the middle of the night and seeing this majestic building- shining brightly against the dark sky....one man exclaimed "we've arrived! we've arrived!" i wonder if that is what we'll feel when we return to our Heavenly Father, to our home after the journey of life. i think this story stuck out to me because it was the lima peru temple. that is where i was sealed to my parents. where we became eternally bound. lorin and i visited the temple on our trip to peru last year. it was closed so we took a picture outside of the gates. we were in front of this beautiful temple, thousands of miles away from where lorin and i were married, but it was for the same purpose. to be bound eternally. how often do i take for granted having all these temples right near my home while thousands of faithful latter day saints plan months in advance, take work days off, hire babysitters, sacrifice other things to be able to have the finances to travel,e tc. all i have to do is call up a willing member of my family to babysit for a couple of hours while we drive 10 minutes to the temple. not only do i need to go to the temple for my own spirituality to progress but those people who have passed NEED us to do their work. When I think about the people I am doing the work for, I can feel their presence and pure joy as they choose to accept the gospel. it is a miraculous feeling, one that i need again in my life. i have never felt so close to the lord as i have when i went every week to the temple. never have i felt so much pure love for my husband as when i am in the celestial room with him while holding his hand. this dedication holds a special place in my heart- it has reminded me of what is important and i wanted to share that with you so that we can all make it a goal to go to the temple :)
