i agree! i love the temple. i always have and i always will. there is an unmatched peace that floods into my heart when i walk through those doors. i love light. i love thinking about and studying about light. whenever i am in the temple, i read the same chapter of scripture every time: doctrine and covenants section 93. it teaches me a lot about light. a lot about the Savior and His expectations for us. it begins, "every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that i am. and that i am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
it goes on to speak about the fulness of the Father that is distilled on us as we seek Him. in verse 28, it says, "he that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." there are so many gems in this chapter. which is why i read it and re-read it every time i'm in the temple.
that verse, in its simplest form, is why i go to the temple. to be instructed and receive his truth and light. to feel of His peace and love. i believe that the fulness of the gospel and the fulness the Father has to offer will be revealed to us as we spend time serving in the temple with an open and questioning heart. being focused on the temple so much this past year has been the greatest blessing to my life. in a real way, i've experienced a focus in intentions, a greater increase of light and truth, and the resurrection of my once pondering heart. i've received many peaceful answers to prayers as i've listened to the beautiful words spoken there and felt the spirit of the place.
when i go with a prepared heart, it is filled.
i've often thought about how wonderful it would be to take a utah temple tour and visit all the operating temples in this great state of ut-hah. so, in 2014, i made it a goal for real and made it happen. "14 in '14" i called it.
i learned a lot from my excursions. it was cool to compare and contrast the architecture of the different temples, as well as the cities where they are housed. but probably my favorite part about the experience besides the learning aforementioned was the friendships i strengthened and built as i went adventuring around utah with some great friends.
jen johnson is the most faithful visiting teacher i've ever had. during one of our visits last year, we were chatting about temples and i told her about my goal. she instantly became my temple buddy. it was a blast getting to know her better during the longer excursions we went on. my "rule" was i had to do an endowment session and get a picture in front of every temple in order for it to "count", and that's exactly what i did. sadly, i lost the logan temple picture with melissa k. condie, but here are the rest (in no particular order).
st. george with deb ireland
took a day trip to the old st. geezy. drove down, did a temple session, met up with a friend for lunch, then visited our dear president and sister archibald before making the journey home in the same day.
manti with jen johnson and christiana pinborough
the manti temple is full of beautiful murals. the architecture is so unique. i was blown away by the beauty and authenticity of the paintings from floor to ceiling.
salt lake with myself (thus no pic)
i've always loved the salt lake temple. the live session allows me to hear different things in different ways every time i attend. the salt lake temple will always be close to my heart. and honestly, it was nice to come "home" after many months of visiting other temples.
newly dedicated ogden with jen johnson
ben croshaw took me to walk around the outside of the ogden temple during the open house, but i didn't get the chance to go through it, so it was wonderful to finally see this inside of this beautifully
re-done temple. it was impressed with the grounds and just how extra clean and new it felt.
jordan river with coleman ence
my parents were there too, but they weren't in our picture for some reason. no one i'd rather be in the temple with than my dearly beloved family. the sweetest feelings of my heart are felt when surrounded by those i love the most in the place that seals us together for eternity.
bountiful with madelyn ence
my sweet cousin hermana madelyn ence currently serves in the new york, new york
south mission speaking spanish like a boss. i totally miss her! but it was a great experience to
attend the temple with her shortly after she was endowed and before she left.
she's killin' it out there but i can't wait till she's back...
mount timpanogos with camille smith
the first time i went to this temple for the open house, i was more concerned with the little cloth booties on my shoes than anything else. this time, decades later, i was totally blown away by the beauty of this place. it literally took my breath away. camille smith has the greatest insights; it was so cool to be in the temple with her and hear a piece of what she was thinking about it all.
provo with deb ireland
my final stop in the tour.
vernal with jen johnson
my final stop in the tour.
vernal with jen johnson
vernal is one of those temples that i'll be satisfied having gone just once in my life... haa. it felt more like a church building and was hard to see because of a stone wall all the way around.
highlight of the trip was people watching at the diner we went to for lunch.
monticello with jen johnson, deb ireland, and lacy smith
after the session, a man came up to me and said he didn't recognize us and where were we from, etc. turns out monticello is a small enough town that they don't get visitors too often, and they know everyone. i was impressed with his desire to know the people serving in the temple he presided over. this overnight trip was a blast, experiencing all the small town experiences and a few short sight-seeing stops on the way home (including a speeding ticket in moab.. boo...)
draper with whitney england, whitney ward, and jen jones
i love the way draper temple is situated on the hill. there is no better view than walking out of draper temple on a gorgeous summer sunset. mmm.
oquirrh mountain with jen johnson
ever since my first experience here during the open house a few years ago, oquirrh mountain takes the cake as my favorite utah temple. i will be married here; a fact that was solidified when i witnessed the sealing of my beautiful penny sue wallace to her sweetheart this past summer.
brigham city with jen johnson
brigham city was our first stop on the utah temple tour 2014. for future reference, you need an appointment to go there ;) always been impressed with the art in this temple.. it's different than you usually see, and i love that. peaches for days.
i can' t decide if a new goal of visiting every temple in the US is too ambitious or not... anyone care to join? :)
