Brigham City Temple Open House

During the last week of August, we had the privilege of attending the open house for the Brigham City Temple.  The girls were so excited to get to go inside a temple, and we were excited to have the opportunity to teach them more about temples.  For a couple of weeks before our visit, we took the chance to explain the importance of temples, and why this was a unique chance for them to go inside before it was dedicated.  

We had tickets for the 1:30 pm tour, so the kids and I picked Danny up from work and we headed north.  It's amazing that with the Brigham City Temple, there will be 3 temples within about a half an hour drive from our home.  How blessed are we?!  Anyway, we arrived in Brigham City at the old K-mart, and parked the car.  Claire and Sophie were pumped to find out that we'd be taking a bus from there to the temple.  A real bus!  Johnny was a little less excited, with it being nap time and all.  Our tour guide on the bus explained the rules and the instructions for getting back to our vehicles, and she let us know some things to look out for.  In the upper rooms of the temple, including the Celestial Room, there would be a pattern carved into all the wood moldings.  The dot, dot, dot, dash pattern was actually Morse code for "Victory".  Apparently, Brigham City received that message after WWII was over because it was home to a military hospital.  Pretty cool!

The tour was amazing.  It is such a beautiful temple!  It is much smaller than the temples I've been in so far, but nonetheless spectacular.  On our way in, we were given little white booties to cover our shoes while in the temple.  The girls were a little unnerved by them, but compliant.  Johnny, on the other hand, had a full-on fit!  Because the temple is such a quiet, reverent place, we had to wait outside the doors until Johnny calmed down.  I ended up taking his shoes off and letting him walk in his clean socks through the temple.  Have I mentioned it was nap time?  Sheesh.  

Sophie and Johnny had a harder time paying attention, so the significance of the event was kind of lost on them.  But not on Claire.  She was so impressed by how beautiful and clean everything was.  She loved the rooms with the murals on the walls, and especially loved the beautiful baptistry.  On our way to the Celestial Room, we took a moment in a sealing room to explain to Claire and Sophie that this was a room very much like the one that Danny and I were married in.  We showed them the altar, and then lifted them up to see the mirrors and explained eternity to them.  What a special moment!  I even got a fleeting glance at our entire family's reflection extending forever and was so grateful for having married Danny in the temple so our family would indeed last forever.  

Then we entered the Celestial Room.  Heaven on earth.  The room was immaculate and stunning and peaceful and bright.  I know the kids felt something special there.  And I enjoyed those brief minutes of having my children in the Celestial Room of the temple with me.  

The Celestial Room was the end of the tour, so we headed out of the temple and back into the parking garage that was turned into a series of rooms during the open house.  We disposed of our booties (much to the girls' delight) and enjoyed some cold water and cookies.  Then it was time to explore the temple grounds before we found our bus back to the car.  

I'm sure I mentioned by now that we missed naps. :)  This was the most cooperative picture I could get of our kids.  Somehow, they're cute despite themselves. :)

The Brigham City Tabernacle is right across the street from the temple, and I thought it was just a beautiful view from the grounds.

But even more beautiful to me than the grounds and the temple are my husband and baby.

Danny and I love the temple.  I love the peace it brings to me every time I'm there.  How blessed we are to be able to have the chance to visit this special place.

Danny thought this would be a cool picture.  He was right!  My greatest accomplishment of 2012...

As we were walking back to the car, I happened to turn back and caught this image of the temple.  I loved how majestic and white the temple was, with the sun behind it, accenting the Angel Moroni.  And the sky was so brilliantly blue.  Just beautiful.

I have a testimony of the temple.  I know that it is God's temple.  I know that it is there that we are sealed to our families for eternity, and given the instruction needed to navigate this life and make our way back to our Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for the covenants we make there, and that we are able to do that work for our dead.  I look forward to going there and doing Rachel's work for her, so that she can continue to progress on the other side of the veil.  I love this gospel with all my heart, and I feel like the temple embodies all the magnificence of the Restoration.  

As we left, Claire said, "That was the greatest place ever."  I hope Danny and I are able to give our children every opportunity to develop a love for the temple.  If they stay close to the temple, they'll stay safe from the adversary.  And that is our greatest wish for our children.