What's Inside a temple?

 I LOVE the temple and so when I was asked to take a temporary calling (a responsibility) as a tour guide to the Boise, Idaho temple open house I was ecstatic.  What an honor!  When a temple is first built or renovated (which is the case with the Boise temple) it's opened to the public so all can see inside.  A few weeks later the temple is dedicated to the Lord and then only worthy members of the church will be able to enter.  If you ever have an opportunity to go to an open house, I recommend it.  Temples are not only beautiful, made of the finest quality materials and workmanship but there is a special feeling inside.  You'll feel peace, the spirit of the Lord as you tour.  You may not have that opportunity though and so I thought I'd take you on a tour of the Boise, ID temple- virtual style...and you don't even have to get out of your seat.

Boise, ID LDS temple

     Temples are different than meeting houses which are for Sunday worship as well as other meetings and activities for youth and other members.  They are reserved for our highest sacraments or ordinances such as marriage.  For us temples are the most sacred place on earth.  We dedicate the temples to the Lord.  On the front of each temple you'll see the words, "Holiness to the Lord - The House of the Lord".

     Also on the outside of temples you will see the statue that represents the Book of Mormon prophet Moroni.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  The plates that contained this record were delivered to the Prophet Joseph Smith by Moroni.

     Temples vary in their architecture but they are similar in that they have the same types of rooms.  They are similar in purpose to ancient temples.  The ordinances performed in them were restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Baptistry

      Christ taught the need for all to be baptized to enter His kingdom.  John 3:5  And Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the spirit he can not enter the kingdom of God.   So what about those people who die without baptism?  Baptisms are performed in temples by the living on behalf of those who have died without baptism.  The deceased have may accept or reject this gift.  We seek out names of our own ancestors and take their names to the temple so their work may be done.

Brides Room

     A bride needs to feel beautiful on her special day.  Bride's rooms are beautiful to compliment the her.

     There are also locker/dressing rooms where we change from our street clothes into white clothing which signifies purity and equality before God.  I love that in the temple each of us are equal in the site of God, he loves each of us the same.  Women wear white dresses and men wear white pants, shirts and ties.

Sealing Room

Peter was given the authority by Jesus Christ, to bind on earth and in heaven (Matthew 16:19)
Each temple has at least one sealing room.  Sealing means to join a man and a woman in marriage not just for this life but for eternity.  Children can also be sealed to their parents to form an eternal family.  Yes, families can be together forever!  Is there anything more wonderful than that?  Each sealing room has mirrors facing so that when a couple or family is sealed they can look into one of the mirrors and see themselves forever and ever.

Ordinance Room

The ordinance (instruction) room is where we learn.  Some of the things we learn about are that before we were born we lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit children.  He created the world of us so that we could obtain a body, gain experience outside of his presence and learn to walk by faith.  Here we learn truths that were known anciently and restored in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith such as the purpose of life and how to prepare for life beyond the grave.  In the temple we learn of Jesus Christ's love for us.  His atonement and sacrifice on our behalf are central to the teachings in the temple.

Celestial Room

I can think of no other place I'd rather be than the Celestial Room.  It is symbolic of Heaven and the feeling inside is warm, peaceful and inviting.  The room depicts the serenity and joy we are promised when we live in the presence of God and Jesus Christ.

I'm grateful for the blessings of the temple.  I love that I feel closer to my Heavenly Father when I'm there.  The day I was married to my husband, not just for this life but for eternity was one of the greatest days of my life.  I'm grateful that my family can be together forever.  Because of that we try a little harder to form bonds, to love each other and to strengthen our home with God at our head.

Thanks for taking my tour of the Boise, Idaho temple.  I hope you enjoyed it.


(The pictures used are of the Boise, ID temple released to the press by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.)

Joseph's testimony, your testimony, my testimony

Growing up my favorite testimonies were the funny ones:  When a young boy announced that his mom was having a baby- information that as I recall wasn't supposed to be shared and the best part, that he'd learned how she got the baby got in there and that's just gross.  And my all time most memorable, the sister who was recalling a mission experience where she dropped a peeled, boiled egg on a floor covered in cat hair and the woman of the house popped it in and out of her mouth to clean it off for the sister, who, to be polite, ate it- I should mention I was 5 when I heard that story, it's stuck in my head for almost 40 years (Yes, I just gave a hint to my age.) I'm sure she related it to something spiritual but I don't remember that part.

When I was still young, sometime in elementary, a friend (who I thought was THE coolest around) bore her testimony and really cried, hard.  She couldn't stop even after she'd sat down.  I'd seen ladies cry at the pulpit but not kids.  I remember wondering if something was wrong.  My mom told me that my friend just really felt the spirit, she was crying because she was happy.  I remember thinking I, too, wanted that experience someday.

And I have had it.  I've had that feeling when I've born my testimony and when I've had spiritual experiences.  And a few times I've had that feeling when I have heard others bare their testimonies - that feeling when you feel the spirit, felt that persons passion, love and conviction and get tingly, a testimony where the spirit isn't just in the room but seems to be all through you, where love, joy and peace overwhelm you and all your desires become Christ centered.  I've been fortunate enough to have felt it twice in a week.  The most interesting part?  They were both memorized lines from Joseph Smith's first vision.  These are lines I've heard many times but but in both instances they weren't just borrowed lines, they came from the barer's heart.

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other- This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

The first time occasion was when we were sitting in on a discussion with sweet Makenzie and one of the missionaries, Elder Bloomfield softly spoke those same words then humbly let us know that he believed them to be true.  That feeling poured through me and I couldn't stop the tears.  Their words (Joseph Smith's and Elder Bloomfield's) moved me and I am grateful.  There was no doubt in my mind that Joseph Smith was a true prophet who as a young boy desiring to know which church to join, did as the scriptures say and prayed to our Father in heaven about what to do.  I also knew in that moment that our Father and His son answered Joseph's prayer in person.


The second time I heard this was this past Sunday.  A sweet Sister in our ward said that when in the mission training center she and her husand were challenged to memorize those lines from Joseph Smith's account so that they could share it with investigators.  She then recited it to us, with quiet feeling.  And the spirit was strong.  I wasn't the only one who felt it.  The spirit testified to me in that moment  those same things that I'd felt one week prior.  It's significant that Joseph's question was of such importance that for the first time our Father didn't just send his Son but they came together.

I've decided I must memorize those words.  I hope someday the time will be right that I can share them with someone and that Joseph's words will effect them in the same way they did me.