Payson Temple Open House

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families are forever. Even after death, we can be bound to our family and live with them forever. This happens when a couple is sealed in a LDS temple. Temples are the Lord's house on earth and are one of the most sacred and peaceful places you will ever enter. Mike and I were blessed to get married (we call a temple marriage a sealing because we are sealed together) in the Oakland temple and because of that, I know that I will be with him and our kids together, forever. 

    Each temple is dedicated to the Lord and His work. To be able to enter a temple after it is dedicated, you have to be worthy and show a temple recommend card that shows you have taken the proper steps to be worthy to enter the temple. Children generally don't attend the temple until they are 12 years old. At that age, they are able to participate in some parts of the worship, but not all. Sometimes children will come to the temple to be sealed to their families if their parents got sealed after they were born or if they were adopted. 

     After a temple is built, and before it is dedicated, anyone who wants to is invited to come and tour the temple, including children. We were so blessed because a new temple was built near enough to us that we were able to take our kids to tour it. It is down in Payson, about 30 minutes from us and the inside is absolutely stunning. Marble floors, carved wooden doorways and panels, stained glass, crystal chandeliers, and beautiful artwork adorn the inside. Payson used to be an apple farm and there was a beautiful plant motif that ran throughout the rooms. I asked one of the workers about it and she explained that in each temple, they try to pay homage to the area and culture where the temple is built. The temple is 3 stories tall (or 4) and the apple blossoms ran throughout the whole thing. The beautiful part was that the blossoms grew and got bigger with each floor so that at the bottom, they were buds and at the top, they were in full bloom. It was exquisite. Brandon called the celestial room the sparkle room and requested to go back in it again when we had finished.  

     You can't take picture while you are inside, but if you want to see pictures of it, they are posted here on the lds.org website. https://www.lds.org/church/news/payson-utah-temple-open-house-begins?lang=eng

Here are some of the pictures we took as a family outside the temple. 

One tired boy, it was nap time for him.