I Love to See the Temple

I had quite the weekend. 

My parents came to visit me together for the first time in a year and a half. 

My best friends came up from Seattle and Monterey, respectively.

 I hosted like three dinner parties.

But most importantly, I went through the temple! After I posted some adorbs pics of myself and my gal pals outside on the gorgeous grounds of the Oakland Temple, I got a barrage of text messages from college and real-life friends and colleagues asking about my day inside this sacred building. 

I was a bit unprepared for this, to be honest, and was at a loss for words at first. Which, if you know me well, you know is fairly rare! I wasn't sure how to explain why my weekend was so special.

Naturally, my millennial tendencies kicked in and I turned to Google for some assistance. I jumped on Lds.org (please note this and Mormon.org are the only reliable resources when researching the Mormon church) and started searching around for information on the temple, and found the perfect way to explain it! 

See below.

What Happens in the Temple?
"In the temple we are taught, we make covenants, and we are promised blessings. We receive ordinances that enable us to live in the presence of God.

One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment. The word endowment means “gift” or “bestowal.” As part of this ordinance, we are taught about the purpose of life, the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father’s plan for His children. We gain a glimpse of what it will be like to live in His presence as we feel the peaceful atmosphere of the temple.

Another temple ordinance is the sealing ordinance, in which husbands and wives are sealed to each other and children are sealed to their parents in eternal families. This means that if we are faithful to our covenants, our family relationships will continue for eternity.

In addition to receiving these ordinances for ourselves, we can receive them for our deceased ancestors. In this way, people who died without receiving essential ordinances such as baptism and confirmation, the endowment, and sealing have the opportunity to accept these ordinances." --Lds.org

So, as I'm sure you gathered from the above notes, the temple is of the utmost importance to members of the church. It is a place we can go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world and worship God to increase our spirituality and gain precious blessings.

Thanks to all who made it a wonderful weekend, and especially those who traveled from afar!

xoxo