Wow, what an incredible Sacrament Meeting program, plus Brady and Maddy Heiner sang a beautiful musical number.
THOUGHT: “We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness....We are the Lord's hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.” Thomas S. Monson
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- High Priest Social, Saturday, November 5th at 6 pm. Food, friends and fun. Put it on your calender. More information coming.
- Also put on your calendar in big red letters, Ward Christmas Party. You're in for a great treat. December 10th.
- Monday, October 31 is ward cleaning time. If you can come help, please do at 4:30 pm, so that parents can get their kids ready for trick or treating. Remember, it's an extra Monday.
- The Moss left behind a full size mattress with box spring and a trundle frame. If you are interested contact Gayla Muhlestein. It's free and will be at her home for this week only.
BIRTHDAYS: October 25th : Amy Rigby, Mckenna Rojas, and Gail Breese; October 29th Mary Tippetts. Happy Birthday to you all. Have a wonderful day.
Our lesson today was presented by Darla Cox entitled The Holy Temple—A Beacon to the World by President Monson from the April General Conference.
I apologize for my voice and hope you will be able to understand me. We will talk about Temples. We will hear about stories of sacrifice, of the service we can render.
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“Now, my brothers and sisters, this conference marks three years since I was sustained as President of the Church. Of course they have been busy years, filled with many challenges but also with countless blessings. The opportunity I have had to dedicate and rededicate temples has been among the most enjoyable and sacred of these blessings, and it is concerning the temple that I wish to speak to you today.”
In reading about President Monson, I found out that Thursday family meals became very important to him, since that is the day that there is fasting and much prayer as he deals with Temple cancellations. He felt that he needed to feel the strength of his family. Temple matters brings great joy, but also much difficulty.
“During the October general conference in 1902, Church President Joseph F. Smith expressed in his opening address the hope that one day we would “have temples built in the various parts of the [world] where they are needed for the convenience of the people.”
My grandfather told my mother that temples would dot the earth. He was the 11th child of 11 children and she was the 7th of 8. Grew up always having heard that temple would dot the earth.
Quote from Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
“We expect to see the day when temples will dot the earth, each one a house of the Lord...Perhaps they will number in the hundreds, or even in the thousands, before the Lord returns.”
I have here a website for you to view. Search: Temples dot the earth. Click on: Mormons Belief: LDS (Mormon) Temples will dot the earth. It is a beautiful clip, with beautiful music. A way to enjoy the spirit of the Temples. In the April Conference, 3 temples were announced and the October Conference, 5 temples were announced. I need 18 volunteers, which is all of you. I will hand out either the name of a city and the name of a state or country and we will see which goes with which. These are the temples named in the last two conferences.
Fort Collins, Colorado
Meridian, Idaho
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Provo, Utah
Barranquilla, Colombia
Durban, South Africa
Kinshasa, Congo
Star Valley, Wyoming
Paris, France
“During the first 150 years following the organization of the Church, from 1830 to 1980, 21 temples were built, including the temples in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Contrast that with the 30 years since 1980, during which 115 temples were built and dedicated. With the announcement yesterday of 3 new temples, there are additionally 26 temples either under construction or in preconstruction stages. These numbers will continue to grow”
Now with the announcement of the five additional temples, that makes 31 temples.
My parent met in the temple, so for their honeymoon they visited every temple in the United States. My dad was on leave; he was a Marine, and was attending the Mesa, Arizona temple. My mom had received her mission call and was attending the same session and they happened to notice each other. They both thought that if they dressed quickly, maybe they could see each other in the lobby. My mother was asked if she was willing to do sealings and she knew if she did, she would probably miss the opportunity to see him, but being the obedient girl that she was, she said she would do sealings. At the same time, he too was asked to do sealings, so went they got to the sealing room, they were surprised to see each other there. So they were able to act as proxy before they were sealed together.
We all have to make sacrifices in order to enter the temple. It may be a sacrifice of setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly. If you do not have a current recommend, then it's time to work to obtaining one. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.
President Monson tells of a family in Brazil and their sacrifice to go to the Temple. “One of the temples currently under construction is in Manaus, Brazil. Many years ago I read of a group of over a hundred members who left Manaus, located in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, to travel to what was ten the closest temple, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil—nearly 2,500 miles from Manaus. Those faithful Saints journeyed by boat for four days on the Amazon River and its tributaries. After completing this journey by water, they boarded buses for another three days of travel—over bumpy roads, with very little to eat, and with nowhere comfortable to sleep. After seven days and nights, they arrived at the temple in Sao Paulo, where ordinances eternal in nature were performed. Of course their return journey was just as difficult. However, they had received the ordinances and blessings of the temple, and although their purses were empty, they themselves were empty, they themselves were filled with the spirit of the temple and with gratitude for the blessings they had received. Now, many years later, our members in Manaus are rejoicing as they watch their own temple take shape on the banks of the Rio Negro. Temples bring joy to our faithful members wherever they are built.”
We lived in Castle Dale, Utah when the Timpanogos Temple was under construction. Anyone here at that time? Jennifer, Julie. Someone said you knew where you were when 9/11 happened or when President Kennedy was killed. Well, we know where we were when the Angel Moroni was lifted on this temple. We attended the Open House as a famil. The Dedicatory Sessions were October 13-19, 1996.
There are some beautiful stories of our own temple. Adolphus Pulley was the custodian of one of the choicest pieces of property in the valley, but few recognized the potential of the land. He loved the bench land and whenever possible would arrange his day so that he was plowing early enough to see the sun come over the mountain and watch the rays settle on the valley.
He was the happiest when he was working the soil and was careful of the crops he planted on the bench land. He always referred to the bench land as good, clean, fertile land.
Ron, his son, recalls his Dad singing LDS hymns and always his favorite song, “In the Garden,” as they plowed or tended the water. Their favorite time, after plowing all day, was at sunset. They would stop and watch the ending of the day as the radiant colors meshed with each other, reflecting brilliantly on Utah Lake.
Adolphus always felt close to his creaor while tending this property and referred to it as his special garden.
He also predicted that someday there would be a temple built and though he would never say exactly where, everyone knew it would be on the bench land.
On March 23, 1953, an Earnest Money Agreement was signed by Adolphus Pulley and representatives from Timpanogos Stake securing and consecrating the ground for a Stake Welfare Farm. Adolphus knew that he could make much more money by parceling the land in residential building lots but this was not his mission. In his heart he was at peace with the decision that had been made.”
Then there is the story of the chandelier in the Bride's Room in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. “On Wednesday, April 24, 1996, my mom went to help hang crystals in the Celestial Room and the Sealing Rooms. When she came home that afternoon, she said what a great experience it was and then broke the news that my sister and I could go with her the next morning. (From the journal of Nicole Bennette-April 26, 1996) On Thursday at 9 a.m. We arrived at the Temple. Many of the volunteers were already there helping in the Celestial Room, and the room that was left happened to be the Bride's Room. The three of us, along wit one another sister, were assigned that room.
First we stared on the sconces. In each box were papers that had step-by-step instructions, explaining exactly what to do. We split into two teams and after studying the instructions, we began. We spent about four hours finishing all 10 of the sconces with very minor problems.
After returning from lunch, it was time to start the chandelier. At this time, the wife of the chief electrician came to help us. The first thing we did was to unpack the boxes and line them along the walls. As we unpacked, we realized that we had not yet found any instructions. By the time we had finished, they were still nowhere to be seen.
Finally, we decided to ask around and we found out that the cleaning crew had accidentally thrown the instructions out with the trash. We were left with boxes and boxes of more that 1,500 crystals and no way of knowing where to even start. (We couldn't wait for another set of instructions to come because there was a deadline set to have the crystals hung by 6 p.m. Friday night.) A lady who worked for the crystal company had an 8x10 picture of what the chandelier was supposed to look like, and this, along with a picture of the bottom, was our only guide. We decided that the best place to start was the bottom, so we began putting on one crystal at a time. The progress seemed to go slowly. Five o'clock came soon. We called it a day and went home.
That night, we all prayed very hard that somehow we would be able to figure out the puzzle that was waiting for us. Friday morning came and we headed for the Temple. We all entered the Bride's Room with a prayer in our hearts that all would go together well. We started by finishing the part that we knew how to do, the bottom. Then we figured out where the chains hung, so we did them next. Then came the hard part – everything else. We began pulling out crystals and placing them wherever we could see a likely place. What happened next was amazing. Everything started to fit perfectly. It seemed that in no time at all it was completed. It was beautiful! Standing back and looking at it, I, (and I am sure everyone in the room) had no doubt that the Lord was right there helping us. I know that the five of us could not have done that ourselves.
The Lord wants His House to be built. Nothing can stop it.
As for me, I have had an experience that I will NEVER forget. Someday, when I have the opportunity to be married, it will be in the Mount Timpanogos Temple. And someday when I have daughters of my own, I will tell them how their grandmother, my sister, and I were guided in putting that chandelier together. And then after I die, my great-great-grandchildren can look up at that chandelier and have this story to tell.”
Martha: It was wonderful to watch the faith of the Saints in Rome. Their temple to attend is the Switzerland Temple. Years ago a friend of ours got married and because Italy does not recognized our Church, by law they had to get married first by the civil law and then to the Switzerland for the sealing. We chose to travel by train, a 14 hour ride all night from South Italy to North Italy, then another train thru Switzerland, rent a car, stay in a hostel on the temple property, all of us in one room. It was a most beautiful journey of sacrifice and time. They go two times a year and in the summer all the kids go in buses to do baptisms. It was a small group of us who went with this couple and my Mission President was the sealer. The Church leaders take note of who attends the temple. In the Switzerland Temple 80% of those who attend are Italian. It is one of the reasons for the Rome Temple. Now they are so excited that they will only have to drive 4 hours.
Pat H: In the Celestial Room of our temple, there is a huge chandelier. The original one was designed by a man from Austria. He came to help put it up and when he saw the size of the room, he decided that it was too small for the room. So back to the drawing board he went, reconstructed a far bigger one, which the one we now have, and even though it was much more expensive, he didn't charge the church for it.
When my oldest daughter was 11 she said that is my temple. I said no, our temple district is the Manti Temple, that will be your temple. No, she said, my temple is the Timpanogos Temple. She got married in that temple.
President Monson: “To you parents of young children, may I share with yu some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if...parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will have already been made.”
Gayla: I had heard that so I decided to ask each child which temple was their favorite and put that picture in their room. It brings it home to them.
My children love the San Diego Temple.
Donna L: It was very special to see them put up the Angel Moroni.
Donna's boys did the excavation for the Temple.
Sarah H: Is it true that all the workers have to have temple recommends? No
Luone: There is a story of a temple worker who wasn't a member of the Church, but later he joined.
Question: Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple?
Sharon H: My great-great grandfather didn't have the money to go to the temple and decided they should wait five years to get sealed. His wife said, no do it now. She died three years later. The sacrifice to not wait, no amount of money was worth the wait. It's not even a question.
President Monson: “May I share with you the account of Tihi and Tararaina Mou Tham and their 10 children. The entire family except for one daughter joined the Church in the early 1960s, when missionaries came to their island, located about 100 miles south of Tahiti. Soon they began to desire the blessings of an eternal family sealing in the temple.
At that time the nearest temple to the Mou Tham family was the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, more than 2, 500 miles to the southwest, accessible only by expensive airplane travel. The large Mou Tham family, which eked out a meager living on a small plantation, had no money for airplane fare, nor was there any opportunity for employment on their Pacific island. So Brother Mou Tham and his son Gerard made the difficult decision to travel 3,000 miles to work in New Caledonia, where another son was already employed.
The three Mou Tham men labored for four years. Brother Mou Tham alone returned home only once during that time, for the marriage of a daughter.
After four years, Brother Mou Tham and his sons had saved enough money to take the family to the New Zealand Temple. All who were members went except for one daughter, who was expecting a baby. They were sealed for time and eternity, an indescribable and joyful experience.
Brother Mou Tham returned from the temple directly to New Caledonia, where he worked for two more years to pay for the passage of the one daughter who had not been at the temple with them—a married daughter and her child and husband.
In their later years Brother and Sister Mou Tham desired to serve in the temple. By that time the Papeete Tahiti Temple had been constructed and dedicated, and they served four missions there.”
He closes by saying: “My beloved brothers and sisters, may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Have a wonderful week and we'll see you next Sunday. It's a fifth Sunday and we'll have a combined Priesthood/RS meeting.
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