by Hannah

On July 22 of this year, I commemorated an anniversary of sorts. Twenty years ago on that day, I was baptized, along with my sister, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was something I had looked forward to for a while. Earlier that spring, my mom started coming back to church and my sister and I came too. We wanted to be baptized, so we started meeting with the missionaries. I can still remember some of our lessons with them, and being touched by the Holy Ghost that what they taught us was true. My aunt and uncle came out to San Diego with their family and my Uncle Ben baptized & confirmed both of us – he later would baptize my brother, and finally my dad. I had been at Girl’s Camp the week before my baptism and so many girls from camp came to support me. It is a day I will never forget, and I can’t believe 20 years have passed.

I don’t think I realized at the time how pivotal that day would be in my life. It helped set my whole family on a path that led to being sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. It helped set me on a personal path that got me through high school relatively unscathed. It led me to Brigham Young University – which was definitely the place for me. It led me to my wonderful husband and to the Salt Lake Temple, where we were married and sealed. It has made it possible for our two beautiful children to be ours forever. While the last 20 years have not been completely blissful, even in the difficult times, my membership in the Church has blessed me immensely, strengthened me when my strength was gone, provided me with an eternal perspective when my own was myopic, and helped me realize how much Heavenly Father loves me and has a hand in my life. That wonderful day, 20 years ago, truly has made all the difference! I can’t imagine my life without the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are times that we get so absorbed in life, in current situations, that it is hard to have perspective. It is hard to remember that God loves us, that there is a plan, that everything will be OK. And when I say, ‘everything will be OK,’ I don’t mean it in a “Pollyanna”-like way. I mean that really horrid things happen, but with the help of God it can all be overcome, it can be healed and in the end we can survive it triumphantly.

Yesterday I went to the temple with an older couple in our congregation. Two years ago their adult son committed suicide. It was one of those really horrid things that happen. I saw in the temple how something like this can be overcome.

Their son’s life was filled with trial and his bodily imperfections made it even more difficult. In the temple, through proxy ordinances he was promised blessings now as if he had been born in a good and righteous family from the very beginning of his life. I felt hope that his healing is taking place in heaven, that he is sorting through what happened to him; looking forward to the resurrection when his body will help him, instead of hinder his eternal progression. The sins of others, that impacted him so greatly, are being lifted off of him through the power of the atonement of Christ

What this meant to his mother and adoptive father yesterday was renewal. They have spent the last two years missing and mourning their son, afraid of what awaited him in heaven because of the mistakes in his life. And even doubting themselves because they couldn’t pull him away from the demons that haunted him. They now have the hope that he can heal, move forward and be happy in heaven. And most of all, to know that their family can be healed, to be together in joy forever.

This life is but a moment, a teaching pause in the grand scheme of eternity. Sometimes we let life become too real, we forget that we are more than this moment. Our vision is shortsighted, seeing only what is obvious between birth and death. Instead we must keep an eternal focus to live our best life, to remember that our choices here build our eternity. This is the plan of God, to learn and progress, to return to him as his precious children to enjoy eternity.

Answer:
by Michelle**

As the Oquirrh Mountain temple will soon be dedicated (services will be held on August 21-23, 2009), we thought this would be a good question to address.

After the construction on a temple is completed, the Church holds an open house so that anyone interested can walk through and see the inside of the temple, and learn a little more about what happens in temples and why temple worship is so important to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Once the open house is completed, a dedicatory service is held. The service includes the singing and performing of sacred music, discourses from Church leaders, and a special dedicatory prayer. Members of the Church ages 8 and above are given the opportunity to participate in the services. In a sense, we are presenting the temple — which for Mormons signifies one of the most sacred places on earth — to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ. We ask Heavenly Father to accept the temple and bless those who serve therein.

We bring white handkerchiefs to participate in what is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the service — the Hosanna Shout. This is a sacred moment for us, when we join our voices in unison, praising God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is reminiscent of the praises voiced at the triumphal entry of the Savior (Matthew 21; Mark 11; John 12). There are also times in the Old Testament that are similar in this spirit of praise, where rejoicing was part of the sacred rituals of the tabernacle. We also see such sacred use of a cry of “Hosanna” when the Savior visited the American continent after His resurrection and ascension in Jerusalem, as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Temple dedications have always been important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the first latter-day temple dedication in Kirtland, Ohio,

“[h]undreds of Saints came to Kirtland for the dedicatory services; some traveled long distances to attend. There were nearly a thousand seats inside the temple, but many more people wanted to attend the dedication. The Prophet told the people who could not get seats in the temple to hold a separate meeting in the schoolhouse nearby, and the next Thursday the dedication service was repeated so these people could hear it…. [This illustrates the reason that multiple dedicatory sessions will be held, thus allowing many people the opportunity to participate in the sacred event.]

While the Kirtland temple dedication was more extensive than dedicatory services held today (it lasted over seven hours!), reading about it can give an idea of what happens each time a temple is dedicated:

The Prophet Joseph Smith read the dedicatory prayer, which had been given to him in a revelation. This prayer is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 109. In the prayer the Prophet thanked Heavenly Father for the blessings he had given the members of the Church. Joseph prayed that the temple would be a place of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order (see D&C 109:8, 16) and that those who came to the temple would grow in faith and wisdom (see D&C 109:14–15). He asked the Lord to accept the temple and make it a holy place (see D&C 109:4, 12–13). After the prayer the choir sang “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), which had been written by William W. Phelps for the dedication of the temple. The congregation then…ended the service by giving the sacred Hosanna Shout: they raised their hands above their heads and shouted three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen.”

Temples are dedicated today following the pattern of the Kirtland Temple dedication. The prophet (or someone he chooses) gives the dedicatory prayer, “The Spirit of God” is sung, and the entire congregation gives the Hosanna Shout.

(All quotes above were taken from this lesson.)

For more information on our site about the topic of temples, see the following articles:

What can you tell me about Mormon temples?
What the Temple Means to Mormons
Why Mormons Build Temples

***Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the administrators at Mormon Women. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

This past week I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. Fifteen years ago, I made my husband the happiest man on earth. With us both being devoted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we decided to marry in a Mormon temple; the House of the Lord. With it came the promise that our continued devotion to each other and to living the gospel of Jesus Christ would bring the blessing of eternal companionship—a partnership, a marriage, a family– not just for the here and now and ‘til death do us part, but for, well, forever. I won’t say that I love him even more today than I did 15 years ago. I don’t even know what that means. I mean for me, if I love someone enough to commit to forever, how much more love can there be? But I will say I’ve never stopped.

Here are 15 things I love about my husband.

1.  Early on in our marriage he volunteered to be the designated fridge-cleaner-outer, and he’s still doing it.
2.  I can always count on him to make a corny joke.  And he loves it when I roll my eyes.
3.  He often can’t remember things I’ve told him 5 minutes before, but he recalls our courtship in vivid details even I had forgotten.
4.  He takes care of all the maintenance on my car and sometimes even makes a special trip to make sure the tank is full, not because he thinks I’m incapable or that it’s his manly/husbandly duty, but just so I won’t have to bother with it.
5.  I always know when I’ve “caught” him doing something because he has a guilty smile/chuckle that gives him away every time. He knows that I know, and he still smiles.
6.  He always compliments me and tells me I’m beautiful, even when I feel (and, let’s be honest, look) worked over.
7.  He’s very loyal. When I’m upset, he always takes my side—sometimes even when I’m upset with him.
8.  He still writes me love notes and makes me mix CDs, often pointing out the lyrics of special significance.
9.  He is careful with money (our finances are great), but he is not a tightwad, and if he’s ever been worried about my spending habits, he’s never let on to me. We have never had an argument over money.
10.  Whenever he needs to go out of town, our kids are very upset and make a BIG deal over his homecoming.  That says a lot about him as a father.
11.  He always asks my opinion.
12.  He sends me links and things that he thinks will make good blogging material.
13.  He would rather spend time with me than hang out with the guys, but doesn’t mind giving me a girl’s night out.  (Or at least he’s very good at pretending.)
14.  He is quick to reassure me when I doubt myself, quick to recognize my accomplishments (even if it’s just that I’ve managed to get the dishes done that day), and always without my feeling patronized our doubting his sincerity.
15.  He has a special appreciation for my particular flavor of crazy. He must, after all, he’s still here!
Happy anniversary, sweetheart!  I still love you!
One of our readers, L.B.S, has submitted the following in celebration of her 15th wedding anniversary:
This past week I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. Fifteen years ago, I made my husband the happiest man on earth. With us both being devoted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we decided to marry in a Mormon temple; the House of the Lord. With it came the promise that our continued devotion to each other and to living the gospel of Jesus Christ would bring the blessing of eternal companionship—a partnership, a marriage, a family– not just for the here and now and ‘til death do us part, but for, well, forever. I won’t say that I love him even more today than I did 15 years ago. I don’t even know what that means. I mean for me, if I love someone enough to commit to forever, how much more love can there be? But I will say I’ve never stopped.
Here are 15 things I love about my husband.
1.   Early on in our marriage he volunteered to be the designated fridge-cleaner-outer, and he’s still doing it.
2.  I can always count on him to make a corny joke.  And he loves it when I roll my eyes.
3.  He often can’t remember things I’ve told him 5 minutes before, but he recalls our courtship in vivid details even I had forgotten.
4.  He takes care of all the maintenance on my car and sometimes even makes a special trip to make sure the tank is full, not because he thinks I’m incapable or that it’s his manly/husbandly duty, but just so I won’t have to bother with it.
5.  I always know when I’ve “caught” him doing something because he has a guilty smile/chuckle that gives him away every time. He knows that I know, and he still smiles.
6.  He always compliments me and tells me I’m beautiful, even when I feel (and, let’s be honest, look) worked over.
7.  He’s very loyal. When I’m upset, he always takes my side—sometimes even when I’m upset with him.
8.  He still writes me love notes and makes me mix CDs, often pointing out the lyrics of special significance.
9.  He is careful with money (our finances are great), but he is not a tightwad, and if he’s ever been worried about my spending habits, he’s never let on to me. We have never had an argument over money.
10.  Whenever he needs to go out of town, our kids are very upset and make a BIG deal over his homecoming.  That says a lot about him as a father.
11.  He always asks my opinion.
12.  He sends me links and things that he thinks will make good blogging material.
13.  He would rather spend time with me than hang out with the guys, but doesn’t mind giving me a girl’s night out.  (Or at least he’s very good at pretending.)
14.  He is quick to reassure me when I doubt myself, quick to recognize my accomplishments (even if it’s just that I’ve managed to get the dishes done that day), and always without my feeling patronized our doubting his sincerity.
15.  He has a special appreciation for my particular flavor of crazy. He must, after all, he’s still here!

Happy anniversary, sweetheart!  I still love you!

When I was in the seventh grade, I had a Bishop who took a puzzling and compassionate concern with my well-being. He called the house and persuaded me to join the youth on a temple trip — whatever that was — and I cajoled my sister, Lisa, into going with me. I didn’t have a clue what a temple trip was, or even what a temple was. The week-long multi-state itinerary included a day at “the Y,” which I assumed must be the YMCA, having never heard of BYU. But it was a chance to get out of the house for a week, and so I agreed to go. (I later discovered that the rest of the youth had spent an entire year raising funds for this trip, and I was being invited without having done a darned thing to pay my own way. Ungrateful child. I didn’t even appreciate it.)

The trip involved a bus ride from Seattle to the Oakland temple, and from there to Provo, and then back north through Salt Lake City via Ogden and Logan back to Seattle, covering half of the continental US temples in existence back in those days. (Today you could stand in Seattle swinging a cat and hit about the same number of temples as we visited on that week-long trip. But I digress.)

In California and on the road I picked up that the temple was meaningful, and needed to be treated with respect. I also fought with Lisa and our new friends Patty and Kristine, and discovered the Beach Boys, but I just didn’t get it. I wasn’t sure what the point was of this whole experience.

Until we got to the Logan temple. There, on the last night of our temple trip, we had a testimony meeting. I don’t remember a word that was said at that meeting, but I do remember feeling an outpouring of the Spirit (I didn’t actually recognize what I was feeling at the time, but now it’s nameable) and I remember being filled by the sense that I belonged here. At the close of the meeting we stood together and sang “I Know that My Redeemer Lives,” (one of the few songs I had learned during my years of spotty Primary attendance), but I was unable to sing. I was completely overwhelmed by the Spirit, and stood there openly weeping while trying to choke out the words.

That was my real introduction to what it meant to be LDS, and I committed myself then to doing whatever it took to have that same sense of peace permanently in my life.

Thirty-some years later, it’s still good.

By L’editrix

Saturday, four buses were waiting for us when we arrived at the temple at 5:45 a.m. It was a glorious day. The baptistry was filled with youth. One of the boys was Benjamin who will soon submit his mission papers. Two years ago, he set a goal to do 1,000 baptisms for the dead before he entered the mission field. He comes every week to the temple — sometimes twice — and is getting close to completing his goal. His countenance glows. When I see youth like him I don’t worry about the future of the world, or the Church.

Hermana G. was at our “greeting station” Saturday morning. A woman arrived who seemed to be hanging back from entering. Hna. G. began to talk to her and learned that this sister purposely tries to go into the temple last so that she could sit in the back of the endowment session because she is embarrassed about the brown birthmarks on her hands. Hna. G. assured her that the temple is a place of love and acceptance. Then she showed the sister her own hands.

This dear sister was burned by her mother as a child, and one of her hands is very deformed. It was the perfect answer, and she was the perfect person to give it. It is another testimony that the Lord is in charge of his temple.

Temples are symbols of our faith in the eternal plan of our Father in Heaven. They are symbols of our faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. They are reminders of our belief that families can be eternal through the ordinances of the temple. They are reminders that our hope is that someday, we can return to live with God, through the grace of the atonement of Jesus Christ and our efforts to follow and become more like Him.

Please share your thoughts about what the temple means to you in the comments section below.

For a general overview, see here.

This article, by Elder Boyd K. Packer may be of interest.

Elder Packer mentions washings, anointings, reception of the endowment, the garment, sealings, as well as baptisms for the dead. (See the above link for some explanation of these things as well.) He also explains the importance of these ordinances to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is important to note that we believe that temple ordinances have ancient connections. Consider, for example, the following, which have some parallels in our temple worship:

• Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness, which included rituals of washing, anointing, and symbolic garments/clothing.
• The architecture of the tabernacle reflected three levels or stages of spiritual progress and light and increasing nearness to God. (See more about that in this article and this article for more discussion about ancient temples.) For those who have been through an open house before one of our temples has been dedicated, they will note that there a similar element of progression (room organization and décor symbolize Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial kingdoms or glory. See also 1 Cor. 15:40-41 and Doctrine and Covenants 76.

While we realize not everyone will share our interpretation of ancient scripture, and while there are certainly distinct and important differences between our temple ordinances and those in ancient days (for example, the death of the Savior, Jesus Christ, ended sacrifice of animals and replaced it with the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit; also, it changed the role of the high priest in the law of Moses, who had symbolized the Savior’s role in helping us come back to the presence of God), a thoughtful reading of the Old Testament might help people understand at least some of the elements of our temple worship.

For more information and help studying the scriptures relevant to this question, see the following:

This talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson includes numerous references and notes that could help the interested reader focus his or her study of the roots of temple worship in the Old Testament.

Also, see this Old Testament study manual, used in the Church education system, which explores Old Testament tabernacle rituals. (See, in particular, ch. 13 on The Lord’s Tabernacle in the Wilderness.)

For more information, you can also search for articles, talks, lessons and scriptures at lds.org on topics such as the following:

temple
tabernacle Moses
law of sacrifice
baptism for the dead
temple endowment
temple sealings or temple marriage
temple garment
washing and anointing
law of moses
broken heart, contrite spirit