before we arrived at each temple i would read off interesting temple facts, and history about it. That made it funner as we would look up to the temple and realize all the history behind each wall.
After Logan we set off to Ogden. Although the ogden temple is set in a kindof scary part of town we did just fine in finding it's bright lights and beckoning angel moroni.For Natalie's birthday her dad gave her a GPS, we named it Lola. Lola helped us tons on our journey.
Our next destination was Bountiful. located at the top of a HUGE hill nat's little car finally made it up. it's huge glowing structure beckoned to us from miles away. it was insanely gorgeous to see at night.
We drove into Salt Lake to stay with Nat's aunt at her house. after a short rest (or so it seemed) we woke up ready for a full day of temple touring. we started in SLC, at the gorgeous Temple Square.
We really enjoyed reading the symbolism of the Salt Lake City Temple, so i thought i would include those here for safe keeping.
Temple Symbolism
Rich symbolism adorns the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple, depicting mankind's journey from mortality into the eternal realms. Perhaps Elder J. Golden Kimball expressed it best when he stated: "When I think about that building, every stone in it is a sermon to me."1 Following is a summary of some of the major symbolism of the Salt Lake Temple:
Angel Moroni. The angel Moroni depicts both a messenger of the restoration of the gospel and a herald of the Second Coming: "for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds" (JS-M 1:37).
Towers. The three towers on the east side represent the First Presidency of the Church and the Melchizedek Priesthood; the twelve pinnacles rising from the towers represent the Twelve Apostles. The three towers on the west side represent the Presiding Bishopric and the Aaronic Priesthood; the twelve pinnacles rising from the towers represent the High Council.
Battlements. The castle-like battlements that surround the temple symbolize a separation from the world as well as a protection of the holy ordinances practiced within its walls.
Earthstones. The earthstones, located at the base of each buttress, represent the earth—the "footstool of God." Although the earth is currently a telestial kingdom, it will transition to a terrestrial kingdom at the coming of the Millennium; and at the end of one thousand years, it is destined to become a celestial kingdom.
Moonstones. Located directly above the earthstones, the moon is depicted in its various phases around the temple. The changing moon can represent the stages of human progression from birth to resurrection or represent the patron's journey from darkness to light.
Sunstones. Located directly about the moonstones, the sunstones depict the sun—a symbol of the glory of the celestial kingdom.
Cloudstones. High above the sunstones on the east center tower are two clouds with descending rays of light (originally planned to be one white and one black with descending trumpets.) The parallel of this symbolism is found in the Old Testament. Once temples were dedicated in ancient Israel, they were filled with the "cloud of the Lord." At Mount Sinai, the children of Israel saw this cloud as both dark and bright accompanied by the blasting of a trumpet.
Starstones. Six-pointed stars represent the actual stars in the heaven. Upside-down five-pointed stars represent morning stars, compared to the "sons of God" in the scriptures. The large upright five-pointed stars may represent the governing power of the priesthood while the small upright five-pointed stars may represent the saving power of the priesthood for those who attach themselves to it.
Big Dipper. High on the west center tower is a depiction of the Big Dipper, a constellation used by travelers for thousands of years to find the North Star. It is an appropriate symbol for the temple where patrons come to get their bearings on the journey home.
Handclasp. Each of the center towers features a pair of clasped right hands identified as the "right hands of fellowship" cited in Galatians 2:9. In Jeremiah 31:32, the Lord uses the handclasp to denote covenant making—an act at the very heart of temple worship.
All-Seeing Eye. Located atop each of the center towers of the temple is the all-seeing eye of God, which represents God's ability to see all things.2
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1. J. Golden Kimball, "Elder Jonathan Golden Kimball," Conference Report April 1915: 78–79.
2. Matthew B. Brown and Paul Thomas Smith, "The Salt Lake Temple," Symbols in Stone: Symbolism on the Early Temples of the Restoration (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, Inc., 1997) 117–156.
After SLC we headed towards South Jordan, where we find the beautiful Jordan River Temple. It is my new favorite. one really neat thing about the Jordan River temple is that Angel Moroni is holding Gold Plates as well as blowing his trumpet. there are only four other temples where this is the case (LA, Washington DC, Seattle, and
Mexico City)
Located in the same city, we find the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple, which hasn't even been dedicated yet. up on the hill of this temple is so neat, you can look out and see Draper as well as the Jordan River temple.
The Draper Temple was really neat. And was dedicated while i was in Ecuador. it looks like a huge building block castle, and it's breathtakingly beautiful. there were many brides and weddings going on while we were there, it is always fun to watch the new happy couples come out of the temple.
The Mt. Timpanogos Temple was the ninth temple built in UTah, and the second in Utah County. It's so wierd to me, to think that it hasn't always been the era for temples. That even though in my life time there has been so many, for many years there weren't tons of temples built. The Mt. Timp temple holds one of my favorite features. Huge Beautiful full legnth windows.
Located in the center of Provo and the BYU campus is the Provo Utah Temple.
Last on our Utah stops before we hit vegas was the St. George Temple. we actually were able to do Baptisms there also. walking in those doors was incredible. even though i love all of our new temples, nothing can compare to the history you feel behind the walls of the older temples. while nat and i were confirmed for those who have passed on before us, we were actually confirmed by Brigham Young's GReat Great Grandson.
because we were only 2 hours from Vegas after our St. George stop we decided to go and Visit aunti Heidi and Peter. they took us to the Las Vegas temple which was a blast. it was so neat to see a temple in Sin City. It has a really neat structure.
and last but not least, on our way home we stopped in Manti. It was incredible. as my friend in ecuador says, it just seems un real that there are so many temples sooo close to us!
We are so blessed to live where we live, surrounded by so many Temples, and reaping the blessings of going often. It's also great to have such a good friend, that we could plan a road trip, to see temples!
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