A Place of Love and Beauty

       One thing I really struggle with is sharing my testimony of the temple.I want to be able to put it into words so I can share my love of the temple with those around me and I hope to strengthen their testimony's. So this post I hope will help me to put my thoughts and feelings into words.
       I love to go to the temple and perform baptisms for the dead. I try to go as often as I can. Lately, I have been blessed with the opportunity to go once a week. I have been super stressed out so this have been a huge blessing in my life. It helps me to take off my worldly goggles and to see the big picture. I often feel like everything has plotted this plan to take me down. Of course that is silly and I am being dramatic but with being sick with some unknown deadly disease (Sarcasm but i really have felt like butt) and then with missing school for a week and quitting track from being sick and stressed, then my Grandpa Campbell was put into the hospital in critical care I have not exactly been on top of my game. But when i step through those white doors all my worries disappear. I feel complete peace.

        While my Grandpa was in the hospital my faith was tried like you would not believe. I began to question so many things that I knew were true. Like, will I see him again if he does no make it. Well of course I will. But I laid in bed one night just crying because I was not sure anymore. It is so easy to tell someone "Oh don't worry you will see them again" until it's you. I put his name in the temple, and then I began to question, will this even help. He doesn't believe, I'm not even sure if he is a member. After talking to my sister I knew that it would help. I exercised my faith by putting his name in there and God will take care of it from their. Another blessing of the temple. It is not just for the dead it is for the living too. And for those who do not attend. As i did baptisms that week, I knew that my Grandpa was going to be okay wherever he was. God is not a cruel God he is fair and just. He is going to give us all the opportunity to better ourselves. My mom told me something that really helped me. She said, "You will be able to visit him just like you do now."

        My favorite thing is when I am in the temple and I am not rushed. I love to look at the names I have and an opportunity to just ponder. One time I went with my friend and it was a time I was able to really feel the spirit. The temple was fairly busy so we waited for a while which was great. While I was being baptized I came up out of the water and I could smell my Grandma Egan. At first I was like what the heck then the second time I knew it was her. It was so touching. I knew she was there with me. Oh my gosh I'm crying just writing about it. My Grandma Egan is my role model. She would visit the temple weekly with my Grandpa. I love feeling like I might just be as strong as she was. She had an incredible testimony that could hold millions up. Even though she is gone now she is still holding me up. She is one of the reasons I love the temple so dearly.
          PROM 2013 date started off at the temple. How wonderful that was. There were three couple who came and let me tell you that is the best date I have ever been on/ There was a ward in there and in talking to one of the leader she told us we were going to shine at the dance. At the dance I was so happy and it was crazy because I wasn't feeling very good that day but at the dance I felt better. It was extremely interesting to me and I feel it was because of that ladies comment as strange as that seems.
           So, I think I have discovered while I struggle sharing my testimony of the temple! It is long. It is not a sentence or two answer. It is all my experiences that I have had with the temple. This is only a few of them that are close to my heart and have come to my mind as I type. But the one thing the temple has done for me is created a firm foundation. I will never do anything that will get my temple recommend taken away because without the temple I would be lost and so would my posterity.
          I know we have temples for a specific reason and they are a blessing to us not a chore or a hassle. They are here for a divine purpose and we must treat them as such. Some people are not granted such wonderful blessing as I to attend the temple. I am going to take advantage of this blessing and attend the temple as much as I possibly can because not everyone can and not everyone will. God is asking for our help and it is our duty to answer with a willing heart. I know that this church is true with all my heart and that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet and I know that if we will visit the temple our lives will be blessed and we will be able to have a shield to wack Satan with.I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.