Our Gilbert Temple Experience

Three weeks ago Merle and I and my son Mark and his wife, Sherri, and 11-year old son,Nathan, visiting us from Vancouver, went through the new Gilbert Temple Open House. I had to reserve a wheel chair since I can’t do that much walking, so we got a V.I.P.tour. It was the last day of the Open House and they had 25,000 people go through in one day, or over 400,000 for the whole period.

It was very well organized and nothing was left out. The beautiful theme carried out in the temple decorations was the lotus blossom. The temple had a feature I had not expected, a 3rd floor waiting room for wedding guests. The sealing rooms themselves were much larger had than those in Portland. You could seat large families or half a ward in one such room or 30 chairs on one side times 4 sides.

Last Saturday we had an outdoor cultural event put on by the youth in that temple district but shown in all the valley stake centers and on TV. We also had rain–lots of rain–sheets of rain but the show went on. My son Mike had three daughters in it. All the youth were smiling and you could say, singing in the rain. His oldest daughter, Chelsea, who has received her mission call to Puerto Rico was part of a group of 45 young women who have their mission calls but haven’t left yet, who performed in a flag waving part of the celebration. [I stayed home and watched it on TV]

The next day all the stake centers in east and west valleys were turned into temples, as those baptized members eight years and older were admitted by ticket to watch the cornerstone ceremony and temple dedication. No other meetings were held in any of the church buildings all day. It was so peaceful and reverent as we listened to the music of the Tabernacle Choir before the meeting started. There was no whispering, no babies crying. It was very sacred. Sisters, if you ever get this experience please don’t wear 4 or 5 inch heels on the gym floors.

Merle and I have been reading Tad R. Callister’s books, The Inevitable Apostacy and The Infinite Atonement, so we were thrilled to hear Elder Callister as one of the dedicatory speakers . President Eyring gave the dedicatory prayer which was marvelous. I recalled other temple dedications I have been to. The first one was at Los Angeles in 1956. Merle and I have been to both Seattle and Portland in person, and to the Winter Quarters, Palmyra, Nauvoo II, and now Gilbert, AZ temples via television. Within the year the Phoenix Temple will be dedicated and we hope it will be when we are back in Arizona next time. How blessed we are!

For now, we look forward to coming back home to our friends and family in Washington, about the last part of April. Sunshine is nice, but it gets boring too.