Southern temple trip

Joseph's little sister Tara received a mission call to Taiwan in April. After attending the temple for her first time, she set a goal to visit as many of the nearby LDS temples as she could before leaving on August 20. This has always been something I've wanted to do as well, so when my in-laws asked if Joseph and I would like to join them on their temple trips, we accepted without delay.

Before this weekend, we had joined them for visits to the Mount Timpanogos, Oquirrh Mountain, and Jordan River temples. We have also visited the Provo and Draper temples on our own since getting married. 

This weekend, the goal was to visit three more temples: Las Vegas, Saint George, and Manti. And we succeeded!

Here's the condensed version of our southern temple trip itinerary.

Friday :: Started with free slurpees at 7-Eleven because it was 7/11, of course. Drove to St. George to check into the hotel, then continued to Vegas for our first temple. Participated in sealing ordinances for the dead in the Las Vegas temple. Enjoyed the sunset on our way out. Ate a very Mexican dinner at a very highly-acclaimed Mexican restaurant (as verified by Joseph, who lived there). Drove back to St. George and went straight to sleep.

Saturday :: Woke up bright and early for an endowment session at the Saint George temple. Felt blinded by the light as we stood outside for pictures because SHEESH that temple is bright in the sun. Stopped by the outlet malls for some quick shopping (new shoes, new basting brush, woo!). Drove through small town after small town to reach the Manti temple for another endowment session. Enjoyed the flower gardens outside Manti. Drove home and [again] went straight to sleep. 

See how dark that sky looks? Bright temples are hard for phone cameras to handle.

The lovely Tara.

The work we do in temples as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is of a most sacred and special nature. Temple service is one of my favorite ways to build the kingdom of God, and this temple-heavy weekend reminded me of just how important this work is. 

On Friday, we did sealings to bind families together for eternity. This involves the making and keeping of covenants with God, and it includes irreplaceable blessings for doing so. We are fortunate to have these covenants and blessings in our lives right now, but for our dead ancestors who had no such opportunity, we act as proxies and perform the work on their behalf.

On Saturday, we did two endowment sessions, again as proxies for ancestors who did not have the opportunity to receive their own endowments when they were still alive. The temple endowment is a gift from God and, similar to the sealing ordinance, offers great blessings and strength to those who keep the covenants made during their endowment. 

Temple service is sort of like a double-blessing. While our ancestors receive the blessing of necessary ordinances, we receive the blessings of having served, which often include personal revelation and peace. Living so close to so many temples is something I hope never to take for granted. I know that temple work is some of the very best work, and I'm grateful to have participated in a little extra of it over the weekend. 

If you would like to learn more about LDS temples, this link is a great resource (you may have to click "View More"). Or you can comment below to ask any questions!