How the Temple Has Blessed My Life

There is an area temple history project going on in our area right now. Our local church area wants to document the history of our temples in the North America West Area, which is California and Hawaii. They have asked members to participate in the project by submitting their stories on "how the temple has blessed your life". It is supposed to be submitted to the Stake Clerk. Well, Alan is our Stake Clerk and nobody was submitting any documents so he asked me if I would submit one. Reluctantly, I wrote and submitted the following:

“How the Temple has Blessed My Life”

By Joan Stott

Somerset Ward, Lancaster California Stake

My fascination with temples began as a child as I periodically said goodbye to my parents when they left me and my siblings with a babysitter so they could go to the temple. I often wondered what was so special about the temple that they would leave us behind for hours to go there. As I grew older and learned more about temples and what occurred inside, I made it my personal goal to someday go there to be sealed to the man of my dreams. I understood that families sealed in the temple are forever and I would settle for nothing less.

It has now been 40 years since my husband and I kissed each other across the altar in the Provo Temple as we were sealed together as husband and wife. With each passing year, my love for the temple has grown. Even when my kids were younger, I looked forward to the day when I could become an ordinance worker like my parents had been so I could assist with the saving ordinances for others. Once all five of my children were grown and gone, I asked my Bishop if I could be an ordinance worker. We submitted the paper work, and soon I was called and set apart to do that sacred work in the Los Angeles Temple. I have served as an ordinance worker for over five years and I love it.

Being an ordinance worker has blessed my life in many ways. My testimony of temples and their importance has grown, my understanding of God’s plan for His children has grown, my desire to serve has increased, and my love for others has grown. The peace I feel inside the temple cannot be found anywhere else on the earth.

I have had a couple of amazing experiences in the temple. One took place in the Nauvoo Temple shortly after it was dedicated. I was on a Church History tour with a group of strangers, some extended family members, plus my husband and our two youngest children who were teenagers at the time. As part of the tour, we went to Nauvoo. I was very excited to see the new temple. We adults were fortunate to be able to go on a session and then we were allowed to go to the baptistry where our teenagers were doing baptisms for the dead. I was asked to distribute towels to the females as they exited the baptismal font. One female I was privileged to hand a towel to was my 17 year old daughter. I still don’t fully understand why I became emotional as I handed her the towel, but for some reason I felt the spirit very strongly and was moved to tears. That simple act of service made my love and appreciation for her grow immensely. I could tell that it was a special moment for her as well. She whispered to me that this was the first time I had ever been with her when she had done baptisms.  What a privilege it was to share that experience with her. A special love exists in the Lord’s House which binds people together.

Shortly after that magical moment with my daughter, the room went dark. A bad electric storm had arisen, which caused a power outage. Thanks to back-up generators, it wasn’t long until the lights came back on. This turned out to be a learning experience. It felt like God was giving me an object lesson reminding me that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Without Him, the world would be in darkness just like we were temporarily in darkness in the baptistry. I was grateful when the lights came back on and I am grateful for the light of Christ which resides inside each temple and which resides within each of us individually.

Another experience I had took place years ago in the Los Angeles Temple. My husband and I had gone to the temple to do an endowment session. In the Los Angeles Temple, members move as a company from room to room during sessions. As I exited room three and was walking down the hallway towards room four, an overwhelming impression came over me that Jesus Christ had walked that very hall. The impression was so strong that I could not deny it. It was very moving and very personal. Now that I am an ordinance worker there, I get the privilege of walking down that hall weekly and it serves as a reminder of that special experience. I cherish the knowledge I gained that day. I testify that the Lord visits His temples, that it is His house, and that the work done there is of an eternal nature. The veil is thin in the temple and experiences like this are common among those who frequent it.

Along with my eternal family, I can honestly say that the temple is one of the biggest blessings in my life.