Draper Temple Open House 參觀聖殿

Self-conscious citing of the photo at left: I do not know what the appropriate method is to give credit to photos found on Google image searches. This one is a lovely picture of the Draper, Utah Temple of the LDS church, and came from a4gpa on flickr.com. I liked this photo because it was taken at night, which is when we visited the temple--so the view was just this striking to us as we drove up in a little ferry-van.

For those who don't already know, temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like the one pictured above, are different from ordinary chapels or meeting houses (pictured below). Temples are special places of worship where baptized church members may go only when they are living good Christian lives and adhering to the highest of moral standards. We go to the temple to worship, pray, and ponder as we learn and make sacred covenants with God. Meeting houses, on the other hand, are open to both church members and visitors for any Sunday service or weekday activities.

After a temple has been constructed, there is usually a period of time during which the general public may take tours inside. After this "open house" time period, then the temple is dedicated to God, and only people following the specific tenets mentioned in the paragraph above may enter in.

Jerry and I have a Korean friend who is very curious about the temple and has said he would like to visit the open house with us soon. We are very happy for him to go and experience the peaceful beauty of that place. We attended once already, as we went this past weekend with a family from our neighborhood. Here we are pictured among photographs of temples from all around the world, which is appropriate because our party that night consisted of a Puerto Rican, a Chinese, and a few Americans. Nearly as global as the display.

We also had a chance meeting up with Uncle Carl, Aunt Becky, and their family at the refreshment table after our tour. How fun to see them and chat a bit. Here is one more picture taken at the display area located outside the temple (in a local chapel):

No photos allowed inside the temple itself...so there is some motivation to go see it for yourselves! One of my favorite parts of the inside is how local artists have painted murals on the walls. These paintings depict the surrounding Wasatch front, so the mountains inside the temple look just like the mountains outside. Also, the bridal changing room is spacious and exquisitely decorated. When we entered the sealing room, where countless families will soon be united for eternity, I felt very full in my heart. I took some time to reflect on my own marriage in the temple to sweet Jerry.

I have made a concerted effort to keep this blog as non-sappy as possible, but will go ahead and take this opportunity to just say once and for all: How wonderful it is to me that a man of such intelligence, understanding, and kindness saw fit to be my partner through this life and forever. I love you, Husby!