Ready to Receive Her Endowment

"Are you going on a mission or something?  Is that why you want to go through the temple?"  This was the common question Lily got asked as word spread that she would be receiving her temple endowment.  The answer to that is, although she's considering a mission, it's not the reason. She just felt it was the right time for her.  If you were to ask me as her mother if I think it's the right time, I'd boldly say YES!  Lily has always been mature in her understanding and responsible.  I'm so happy for her to be able to experience the blessings that come with temple covenants and service.

Provo, Utah temple

Lily chose to receive her endowment at the Provo temple on the weekend of Thanksgiving.  This temple won't be around much longer.  It was the first temple I ever went to.  I did proxy baptisms here the day I turned 12.  I remember as a child, looking out the window of our van and seeing this temple in the distance.  Its orange glowing spire could be seen across the valley.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't glow orange anymore, though I'm not sure.  When I was young, my dad said the shape of this temple reminds him of God's thumbtack.  When I was a youth, I was told the shape actually represented the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day that the children of Israel were led and protected by as they wandered in the wilderness.  I think that's cool.

The morning was quite brisk and a light snow had fallen overnight. It made for such a beautiful scene.  The morning sunlight couldn't penetrate the cloud against the mountain, but it had come up and in places where the mountain or clouds weren't blocking it, the rays poured over places in Utah valley.  That glow was reflecting in the front windows of the temple as we arrived. WHAT A WELCOME!

There was limited seating available online, but those family members who could, got on and made the 9am appointment. The experience was beautiful and I've journaled about it twice.  And I still feel I didn't adequately describe my joy of this wonderful occasion.  

Lily is a VERY special and elect daughter of our Heavenly Father.  I've always considered her an angel God sent me.  I'm proud of her for the life she's choosing to live, one with God guiding and directing.  I'm thankful for the witnesses of the Holy Ghost that she has received of God's reality and love.  I relate to her in one of her spiritual gifts of understanding God's love as it is portrayed in His creations, in nature and in people.  During our time in the Celestial Room of the temple, a place which is symbolic of the presence of God, I pointed out to Lily the picture of Christ and how he's visually represented there.  Then I told her my mind asked the question "Where's Heavenly Father's picture?  Is He represented here?"  That's when the Holy Ghost brought my eyes to the crystals glistening, the colorful flowers, the golden scrolls in the decor.  I could see God's majesty and glory, and love through those things, even though they weren't necessarily symbols of Him.  After I shared that with Lily, she added, "Yes, and His children."  That was the most prominent thing in that room.  His children.  They were everywhere.  In fact the celestial room was so crowded, there was standing room only and even then we were grouped pretty heavily.  God's children, though.  What an insight!  What truth!  We are created in His image.  He endows us with His power.  We are representation of His love as we live the covenants we make, as we serve and bless.  Since then, it's been a good reminder to me to see people as children of God, and in that way, I see God in them!  Even those who publicly shame the divinity within them, God loves them and in them there is still a reminder of God, the creator of all.  And there's another reminder too- Christ paid the price for all to have the opportunity to return to God in this life or one day. There's always HOPE thanks to Christ and the perfect plan of Heavenly Father.  And thanks to temples we get to be reminded of that!

April carrying everyone's temple bags

Afterward, my dad and Deb paid for us all to go to Chuck-A-Rama!