LDS Draper Utah Temple

On Thursday, we had the opportunity to attend the Draper Utah Temple open house as a family. It was such a special experience because my children have never been inside a temple. LDS temples, for those who may not know, are considered sacred houses of the Lord. After temples are formally dedicated, only adult members of the LDS church who are living high moral standards and Christian principles can be admitted. Therefore, when we knew that this temple would be open to the public, we were very excited to take the kids and show them what a beautiful and special place it is.



We enjoyed walking around this breathtaking structure and taking in the beauty. Austin was especially impressed (he's told me many times since that night) to hear that all the limestone was imported from China, the bricks from France, and the interior wood is African Cherry. The chandeliers and the light fixtures inside were stunning. I loved all of the fabrics and the decor. I thought it was very modern, and just gorgeous.

I loved being inside the temple with my family. I had images of us all going on a Family Temple Night when my kids are older (over 12) and we can all go together. I hope that they remember this unique experience they had, being able to tour the temple. I hope that they want to keep themselves clean and worthy to enter the temple when the time comes. I hope they know that it's a very sacred place and the closest we can get to God on Earth.



We took a few photos in front of the temple, but due to the cold there were a lot of heated tents and tunnels leading to the temple, so it was hard to find a good photo spot on the outside. We had a great experience and really felt a wonderful spirit there.



Tomorrrow Austin is giving a talk about the temple in Primary. I told him that he should get onto the church's website, www.lds.org, and research his topic. Later, I found him on the computer, looking up information all on his own. He found an article from the Children's Friend about how our bodies are like a temple. I was so impressed with the talk he wrote (and even typed) on his own. This is what he prepared for tomorrow:

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? … For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. “ 1 Corinthians 3:16–17. Satan is jealous of everyone who has a body, because he cannot have one. He tempts us to ruin our body’s purity by wearing immodest clothing or taking harmful substances like drugs or alchohol. He even tries to make us think that our bodies aren’t good enough, tall enough, strong enough, or pretty enough. But if we follow the Spirit, we will be able to build “strength and virtue” into our bodies, and we won’t believe the devil’s lies about them. Heavenly Father is pleased with the earthly temples created for our spirits. We must show reverence for our bodies and treat them as holy temples.

Two days ago my family and I went to the new Draper temple in Utah. We were amazed how well they decorated it and how clean it was. The temple was so beautiful and white. It had very beautiful lights. I felt happy inside the temple. I love to see the wonderful temples that are built because we can feel the Holy Ghost inside our hearts with warm love inside us that we know that the temple is sacred. I know that our bodies are like the temple and when we make the right choices we can keep our bodies clean and pure, and have the Holy Ghost to be with us.