I Love To See the Temple

The last couple months I have had some kind of obsession with the Temple. I don't really know why, but it just seemed like all at once it was all I heard for a long time -Our monthly Primary themes the last two months, pictures, talks from the Prophet, and being asked to speak in Sacrament on the blessings of temple attendance. At first I did not want to speak, after all, Lee and I just spoke 6 months ago and then we were being asked again. I am now grateful for the opportunity, I learned so much and was able to reflect on my own experiences from going to the Temple. Here is a copy of my talk.

Attending the Temple blesses my life

When I was 5 years old, my parents bought a new house. My sister and I shared a room upstairs. From our bedroom window, I could look out and see my Elementary school, tall trees, sunrise mountain and the best sight of all, our beautiful Temple. I loved being able to see something so wonderful from my window and at night, it was all lit up and I could see it shining! I remember occasionally standing at my window, staring at the Temple and reciting my favorite primary song – I Love to See the Temple. 1. I love to see the temple. I’m going there someday, to feel the Holy Spirit, To listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, A place of love and beauty. I’ll prepare myself while I am young; This is my sacred duty.

As the years passed by, those tall trees grew even fuller and taller and I could no longer see the Temple from my window. The older I got, the more my love for the Temple grew. I remember driving in my car as a teenager and young single adult, and as I drove myself around to the Bank, the store or even a quick trip to the Temple, just to walk around, I would turn off the radio and sing my sweet song. This time, I would sing the first and the second verse. 2. I love to see the temple. I’ll go inside someday. I’ll cov’nant with my Father; I’ll promise to obey. For the temple is a holy place, where we are sealed together. As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth: A family is forever.

These simple moments didn’t happen every day or every week, but occasionally they did. They filled me with the spirit and I loved having the spirit with me.

One blessing I know I have received is the….

v Knowledge of Knowing I am worthy to enter the Temple.

· I knew that someday I would go to the Temple, and I knew that I had to be worthy to enter. I tried to live the best I could so that I would be ready. One night, when I was 18 years old, I went to bed and like most of you, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was being exceedingly rude to a girl that in real life I didn’t care for too much. And then in that same dream, I saw my Grandma , who had passed away when I was 8, she had come to see me. I remember her looking so beautiful, and I was so happy and excited to see her again. I held onto her so tightly because I had missed her so much. She told me that I was doing things in my life that she was not happy with. She said I needed to be a better person and to prepare myself to enter the Temple. If I was going to listen to anyone, It was going to my her! A few years later, I met Lee and I know that when I entered the Temple, that I was worthy to hold my recommend, to receive my endowment, and to be sealed to Lee for time and all eternity.

v The special feeling you feel when inside the Temple.

v The temple is a place of peace and revelation. It is a place where spiritual guidance can be received for crucial decisions or concerns. In 2009, Lee and I decided that it was time to start a family. This like for many, did not come easy for us at first. We attended the Temple frequently that year under the direction from President Shields. Each time I went with the prayer of wanting to start a family. At each visit, I felt a peace come over me and I knew that someday soon we would welcome a baby into our home.

v Knowing you are helping someone in the spirit world progress who has been waiting for a long time.

• When you serve in the Temple, you are doing work for someone who has passed from this life. My last visit to the Temple, the sister who was helping me pointed to the name of the woman whom I was doing work for and then pointed to her own name tag. It was her family member that I was serving. That visit and experience at the Temple that day made Temple work so much more real to me and I am grateful that I was able to help that women progress.

• Knowing you will be reunited with loved ones you miss so much.
• I never realize how much the temple blessed my life until my Grandma Owen died when I was a young child. Even though I was a young child at the time, I had a special connection with my Grandma. She had the friendliest smile, worked out of our home so I saw her every day, she helped me with my homework, and took us out for LOTS of chocolate shakes!! I was 5 years old when the Las Vegas Temple had its open house. I remember holding on to my Grandma’s hand as we walked through the Temple. I remembered walking up some stairs and seeing a very large picture and my Grandma asking me if I knew who it was? I knew the answer to that one, it was a picture of Jesus Christ. As time would go by, I would think of that moment a lot but couldn’t picture that picture in my mind. And as I would go to the Temple for Baptisms for the Dead, I had a mission, I wanted to find that picture. I would see lots of beautiful pictures of Christ, but never the one that I held in my memory with my Grandma. When I went to the Temple to receive my Endowment, I knew I would be seeing more of the Temple, and I was bound to find my picture. We were all getting ready to leave the Celestial room and I still hadn’t found it. Had I forgotten it? Did they remove it and replace it with another? I was left feeling a little empty inside. And then, as we walked down the stairs, there it was!! I had found it! I have seen that same picture a thousand times, but that exact print meant something special to me, and in a childlike kind of way, I squeezed my hand as if my Grandma was holding my hand again, because I know she was there with me, I just couldn’t see her. I know she was proud of me and I know that because of what takes place in the Temple, that I will see her and other loved ones again someday.

• Knowing your family will be together forever.

As I look at the family that I have created and have been blessed with, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father. He has given me my best friend. A man who loves me and does anything to help me feel special and happy. He has blessed me with the silliest, craziest and most handsome little boy and has entrusted me to bring him up in the Gospel and to teach him right from wrong. I meet a lot of families in my field of work, and I see how much they love each other, I only wish they believed the knowledge of Eternal families. I am blessed to know that my cute little family will be together forever.

The Lord blesses those who attend to the sacred ordinance work in the Temple, and the blessings He gives will not be limited to the time spent in the temple. Those who do temple work will be blessed in all aspects of their lives. Their labors in the temple will strengthen them and refine them spiritually.

Lee also gave a great talk on being worthy to hold a temple recommend. I am grateful for his example for our family.

I have also had an obsession with temple pictures. We have been told a lot lately at church that we should have a copy of the Temple in our home so that our kids will see it everyday and have a want to attend it someday. I'm totally fine with that, I just have yet to find a picture that I liked and that I could afford. So, one day I told Lee that I was going to make my own picture. We set out one night to the Temple, I'm sure it was a comical sight. I stood in the back of Lee's truck on top of a ladder in order to get my angle. I edited it to my liking and now it is showcased on our wall in our living room. I also set out to get more temples in Utah while I was there for my cousins sealing to her family. So far I have Las Vegas, NV, St. George, UT, Mount Timpanogos, UT, and Logan, UT. I sell these pictures now, and it makes me so happy that I can give families a beautiful picture for their homes and for their families to enjoy.

A couple months ago, our niece Hannah came out to visit. We took her up to see the Temple and we took a lot of great photos. A couple days later, I deleted them! A total accident, but I was devastated!! So tonight for family home evening, we went up to the Temple. This was Williams second trip there. He was so excited, he would squeal and laugh and run. He was so cute. I am so thankful for our sealing in the Temple so that we can be together forever.