Temples

Almost thirty five years ago, my DH and I formed our family unit as we were married and sealed together through the power of God's priesthood, not just for all time, but for all of eternity, in one of God's Holy Temples.  Because of this sealing ordinance, each of our six children are also sealed to us, and we are an eternal family unit.   Even though we may be separated by great distances at times during this life, and eventually separated by death, we will once again be reunited as a family unit in the heavens.   Because of this, temples are very important to us as a family.

We make it a practice to attend Sabbath Day meetings at our local meeting house every Sunday, where we remember our Savior's atonement, sacrifice, death, and resurrection by partaking of the bread and water of the Sacrament ordinance, promising to keep His commandments and to always remember Him.  We also meet together with others who believe as we do, teaching and learning from the scriptures and from each other.

Latter Day Saint Temples  are different from the meeting houses where we hold our weekly meetings.   Marriages are performed there, but other sealing ordinances are performed by proxy by worthy members in behalf of deceased family members who may not have had the opportunity to receive these ordinances for themselves.  DH and I have tried to return to the temple as often as possible to participate in these ordinances, and also to be in a place where we can feel closer to the presence of God and draw personal inspiration from the spirit that is found in The House of the Lord.
We have also taken our children with us as often as possible, even though children are not allowed to enter for temple worship until they reach the age of twelve, unless they are participating in a sealing ordinance to their own parents and family.   It is our hope that our children will each have the desire to visit the temple often, to feel the closeness to heaven and the spirit that can be found there, and to participate in the learning and in the service to their ancestors that can happen in Holy Temples of God.  When the oldest children were young, the closest temple to us was in Washington DC:

"From the very beginning, there have been sacred places upon the earth where God has communed with His children.  They were designated by God and hallowed by His presence as places where He would tech and bless His children.  Many of these places are recorded in the scriptures.  The Garden of Eden was surely a sacred place where Adam and Eve dwelt in the presence of the Father and the Son and were able to converse with Them directly.  After the Fall and their subsequent expulsion from the garden, Adam built an alter to worship God and offer sacrifices as they were commanded.   Their prayers were heard and their lives blessed.

As Moses approached the burning brush on Mount Sinai, the Lord instructed him to "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground"--sacred ground where the Lord would instruct Him and offer covenants for His people.

Centuries later, the Savior would lead Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration where they would experience marvelous manifestations and receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven.   There they were visited by Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of the Father bearing witness that Jesus is His beloved Son."

Source:  Why Latter-Day Saints Build Temples

In the words of our living, latter-day prophet:

"We invite all of God's Children . . .  to come unto the Savior and enjoy the blessings and benefits of their temple and have everlasting life [and] joy."

President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints