From Katherine:
This year, as I have attended the
temple, I have been able to participate in all the ordinances from baptism to
sealing. I have had sweet experiences
and learning opportunities as I have been in God's house.
The day I did baptisms, I had
only one family name. Oddly, the
baptistery was very slow the morning I was there, and I was asked if I was
willing to complete some family names for another patron. I happily agreed as then I would be soaking
wet for more than one person. The young
man who baptized me had Down Syndrome. I
was told by another worker that he had been a missionary at the humanitarian
center in Salt Lake, and worked at the temple once a week. As I was being baptized, watching and
listening to this brother perform the ordinance, I was reminded that God loves
each of us. We are his children and he
loves us each individually. He wants all
of us to return to him and makes that possible through the temple. If I had only been baptized for the one woman
whose name I had brought to the temple, it would have been time well
spent. I was opening the door for her,
and the sweet brother baptizing me was contributing in a significant way to the
salvation of others. What a wonderful
lesson!
I love participating in the
initiatory ordinance. We are promised
such rich physical blessings that have such powerful spiritual blessings
attached to them. We will have strength
to bear our burdens, energy to run and walk and not faint, we can hear counsel
and discern truth and error, we are given strength to perform good works, and
offered protection from Satan's power.
We are told that through the initiatory ordinance we can be sanctified
or made holy. Although we are expected
to be obedient to the covenants we make during the endowment ceremony, our
loving Father in Heaven promises and offers us all we need to thrive during
mortality, working with the physical bodies He created.
As our year's theme has been
coming closer to Christ through temple attendance, each time I have done an
endowment session this year, I have tried to focus on the Savior and his
mission. Additionally, I have thought
about what I can do to be more like him.
The endowment beautifully portrays Jehovah's love and willingness to act
as our Savior. We can look to him and
return to the presence of God. He is
immediately obedient to his Father's requests and does all that is required of
him with exactness. God calls for our
obedience, sacrifice, chastity, and whole-hearted commitment to building His
kingdom on the earth, but promises so much in return that his expectations seem
modest by comparison. All the Father has
can be ours, and all made possible through his Son.
Each time I do a sealing session,
I am reminded of my wedding day and the two occasions Kent and I had our children
sealed to us. Those were joyous days
when we felt incredibly close to Heaven.
Kneeling at the altar across from my good husband, with our small
people, knowing we and they could be together forever, was incredibly sweet and
tender. Now, as I act as proxy for
others who are receiving that same blessing, I am touched by my small
contribution to their happiness. I
rejoice for their unions, and the knowledge that they will have their children
for eternity just like I have mine. Can
there be a better work in all the world?
I love the temple. My life is better because I am there often; I
have greater peace, increased patience, and a wider view of the purpose of my
life. I love to see the temple and feel
God's love and spirit each time I attend.
Katherine Barrus
Pleasant View 6th Ward
29 November 2015
From Kent:
Temple service is service.
Since we committed ourselves to attending weekly, we have been blessed
with an increased love of those ancestors we have done work for, and an
increased awareness of their love and gratitude to us.
We were doing sealings on one occasion. One of the other couples was newlyweds. The woman was from Denmark and was doing work
for Danish ancestors. We were doing work
for Italian ancestors. The woman turned
to us and said, " Do they talk to you." I said not so much but asked about her
experience. She said frequently the
people she was doing work for would appear to her and thank her for doing their
work. They would also discuss their
lives, which had been difficult, and their joy at finally being allowed to
progress. Their discussions were in
Danish, and I figured I needed to learn Italian or French if I were to have the
same sorts of experiences. However, the blessings of knowing that life continues
after death, and the peace of the eternal plan of salvation, are the greatest
blessings that come from service in the temple.
Kent Barrus
Pleasant View 6th Ward
29 November 2015
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