I believe part of my love of the temple is in my DNA from my father and his parents. Even though both of my father’s parents died before I was born, their example had an influence on my life. My grandparents Magnus and Anna Johnson joined the Church with their three children in 1908 while living in Sweden.
One year later they sailed from Liverpool to Montreal on their way to Utah with 81 other emigrants, 14 coming from Sweden. What prompted my grandparents to leave everything behind, to start over in America? Their desire stemmed not only from a desire to be with other saints, but also the promise of being sealed for eternity with their family. One year after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, their family was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. This was something they couldn’t do in their Scandinavian homeland.
When Magnus and Anna left their homeland of Sweden, there were only four temples on the earth, all within the state of Utah at Logan, Salt Lake, Manti and St. George. After their arrival in Salt Lake they had four more children, including my father. Those children were born within the covenant of their parents sealing and did not need to go to the temple to be sealed. Because of the temple my grandparents along with their seven children, though they are all now deceased, are sealed as a family unit for all eternity.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “What was the object of gathering the people of God in any age of the world? … The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation. … It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings” (History of the Church, 5:423–24).
In 1991 I spent a few days at the temple in Stockholm Sweden, it was built in 1985, the 34th temple of the Church. I’ve been to several temples, but because of my ancestry, this one was special to me. On the temple grounds there are two mounds of earth covered by large stones. I was told these are ancient Viking burial mounds. Following a lane leading away from the temple you can find several more of these mounds in a clearing surrounded by trees. It seemed fitting to me that the work of salvation going on inside the temple would be witnessed symbolically by those long departed who died before the gospel was restored.
The work of temples goes on around the world as these blessings are brought to people in their home countries and localities. The time of gathering is over, with temples within a reasonable driving distance to most Church members. Of course living in the Salt Lake Valley, we have a number of temples we can choose from. How many operating temples are within a one hour drive from our homes? I counted nine temples from Ogden to Payson. How many more are announced or under construction within that same one hour circle? I came up with eight more temples. Perhaps there is more to this than just convenience and having temples closer to the saints. With the increased temple capacity, the Church is prepared for a time of accelerated temple attendance as we “Hasten the work.”
Right now appointments are needed to attend the temple. The Draper Temple is closing in a week and after that will be closed until the end of October. Going online I found appointments for baptisms and endowments are fully booked. However, times for initiatory ordinances and sealings are still available. I checked with the Jordan River Temple, which is actually closer to us than the Draper Temple, and most every session except evenings are available. To get an evening appointment you have to book a few weeks out. It might take some adjustments to our schedule and planning to include temple worship as a part of our lives again. But if our circumstances allow, it will surely be worth it.
I’m convinced that miracles such as this happen in the temple daily. Most of the time they’re not as obvious and we don’t recognize these miracles, or we dismiss them as a coincidence. But every once in a while, our eyes are opened to what is happening around us, and through the Lord’s tender mercies we are allowed to see His hand in the advancement of His work for the living and the dead.
As I’ve worked in the temples over the years, I have seen unexpected challenges met with simple unplanned solutions. I’ve heard testimonies of temple patrons expressing the unexplainable events surrounding their temple experiences.
Earlier I said that my love of the temple came in part from the example of grandparents and those before me. Over the years that love and testimony for the work has expanded as the spirit has touched me again and again. Now that I’m retired I’m able to spend more hours in the temple. I realize that not everyone is blessed with that opportunity. I recognize that in spite of our desires, individual health and family situations may limit what we can do. The pandemic or other emergencies may limit the time the temples can be open. But this much I do know, the work will go forward, and the Lord would have us be a part of it. The blessings we extend to our ancestors in the temples are something they cannot do for themselves and they are dependent on us. But guilt shouldn’t be our motivator to go to the temple. Instead we can go, knowing that the Lord has a gift there for us, a gift to enrich our lives and strengthen our commitment to our covenants.
– Tony Johnson – Retired temple recorder; Jordan River Temple- member of Sunridge Ward – Alta View Stake