Temple Trips Are The Best

A few weeks ago, Em and I went to the Bountiful temple to do baptisms for the dead. This one day has been replaying in my mind over and over again. I have never felt the spirit so strong before in the temple until this day. I don't know why, but I feel impressed to write about it and my experiences there.

Em and I were planning on going to the temple at about 8 in the morning. Not that early for us since we already wake up at the crack of dawn every morning. Em texted me and said she couldn't go, she needed to help set up and clean for Mama G's Pampered Chef party. Honestly, I was excited. What?! Sleeping in?!

YES.

Did I go back to bed?

Nope.

So I went and watched some Grey's Anatomy. (Side note: New favorite show. Oh, Doctor Owen Hunt. You're fabulous)

As the day started to progress, something kept nagging at me. I didn't feel right about not going to the temple that day. Emily texted me and said she could go at about 11:30. I'm defintely not a fan of going during that awkward time of day. Not early enough to be morning, not late enough to be afternoon. We talked about how we needed to be back early for her mom's party, so we had to book it to Bountiful.

When you have a time limit on going to the temple, it get's stressful and you lose the spirit a bit.
So I scrambled around my house, getting ready for Emily to come and pick me up. The bonus of going with my best friend who has seen me look like crap, I don't have to wear make up or do my hair. #winning

SO.

She showed up, I opened the car door and...

We were wearing basically the same outfit. Black. With white polka dots. You can't say we aren't super intune with each other.

As we starting driving to the temple, I could tell something was up. We needed to have a vent session. Tears were shed. Many tears. By the time we made it to the temple, we were both emotionally drained. To our surprise, there was NO ONE at the temple.

As much as I love to see tons and tons of people there, serving the lord, sometimes you just need those silent, reverent, peaceful days to really connect and feel the spirit. We went and got changed and headed in to do confirmations. It was different this time. You could almost feel the people getting confirmed there. You know that they were so excited to finally be a part of this church.

After confirmations, we headed into the font. There were about five people in there, so we took a seat and started reading the scriptures. Nifty fact about my friends and me. When we are at the temple, we always search through the scriptures like mad men to show each other cool verses. Chances are we find about twenty different verses that we just love. While we were sitting in the font, I decided to pray. I needed some help.. guidance. Whatever you want to call it. I was praying for about five minutes straight, and started crying. If you know me, you know I never cry during prayers. As I finished, I looked up to see a boy going into the font to be baptized. This boy wasn't completely normal. He was in the beginning stages of cerebral palsy.

Yup. I lost it.

As he walked down the steps, into the water, I felt the spirit SO strong. His dad started to baptize him. Because of his condition, he couldn't bend backwards to go under the water. He had to bend his knees, just so he could be submerged. You could tell it wasn't the easiest thing for him to do. He did his baptisms, and both Emily and I were brought to tears. Here is one of Christ's servants, doing work, no matter his own circumstances.

As he was being baptized, a mother and her daughter walked in. It took me a second to realize, but the daughter had down-syndrome. Again, tears. This whole experience was just a testimony builder. No matter what, we are all missionaries. We can all serve our Lord and Savior. The fact that these kids look at their trials and just carry on is such an example to me.

Brother Sunday was then in the font being baptized for his deceased family. He started crying when a Sister from his family's name was being read. It was amazing. This man came, by himself, just to see that his family could have the gospel like he has.

We finished with our baptisms, doing ten each. We got ready and started to head home. While leaving the temple, you could tell we were changed.

It's always bittersweet to leave the temple. You are so excited to go and share your experiences and continue on with the spirit, but at the same time, you are heartbroken that  you have to go back to the real world. I wish I could stay all day at the temple. Avoid the ways of reality and the world. But alas, we cannot.

This whole experience was such a testimony builder. I've never had anything really hit me hard that this church is true. It's just something I've always known. I grew up with my testimony. This temple trip though... definitely changed me. It's said that God gives his toughest challenges to his strongest soldiers. All of the people at the temple that day were just proof of that.

I'm grateful for this gospel. I'm grateful that we have the oppurtunity to go and serve the Lord in His house. I don't know what I would do without this church. It has helped me in so many ways, that it would take a lifetime to explain. I wouldn't be who I am without the love my Savior has for me. I can't wait to go and serve on an 18 month mission. I know it will be hard, but I'm ready to GO and DO as the Lord has commanded.