William

Thank you for reading my postings.  I'm grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.  The gospel of Jesus Christ means everything to me and I am so grateful for this opportunity to share my thoughts and testimony.  I adore my wife and my three awesome children. My wife and I currently teach Sunday School to the young single adults in our ward (congregation).  I welcome your comments and suggestions.

What a privilege it was to attend the magnificent new Draper Temple open house and dedication.  The structure is beautiful, as you would expect, but I was surprised at the amazing Spirit that I felt there -- even before it was officially dedicated. True, the ground had already been dedicated and set apart, but I was surprised by the peace that I felt and the way it elevated my thoughts.  Every room in the temple draws your eyes upward and I felt myself examining the ceilings more than I have with any other building. Delicate paintings and carvings of the Sego Lilly greeted my examination of the ceilings.  Even the baptistry, where often my eyes are drawn to the 12 sturdy oxen which hold up the font, my eyes and thoughts were carried upward by arrows all around the outside lip of the font which pointed skyward.

When we went through as a family, I told my children to pay attention not only to the building and the beauty around them, but also to notice the feeling that they had.  As we left the temple, my 10-year-old son observed, "Dad, I couldn't have any bad thoughts in the temple -- even though I tried." 

I said, "you tried to have bad thoughts in the temple?"

He responded, "I was just testing." He was obviously experiencing the same types of feelings that I was enjoying.

Later, my wife and I served in the reception area where people would gather after going through the temple open house.  A woman came up to us, visibly moved by the experience of touring the temple.  I asked how she liked the temple.  "Wonderful," she responded. She then told me that she lives in Sacramento, California and is not a member of the church, but is friends with several Mormon families there that she met through school events. "My friends would drive two hours each way almost every Saturday to go to the Mormon Temple in Oakland," she said. "They were so happy when the temple was built in Sacramento so they could go more often."  She paused for a moment and went on, "I could never understand what the attraction was.  But, now, after being in the temple, I understand."

That is the power of the temple.  Not just the new one in Draper, but all temples.  As we enter, there is a profound feeling of peace, yet we leave with renewed power to live as we should. Peace and power, what more could we want in a world filled with uncertainty, doubt, fear, and helplessness.  I love the temple.  

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