The first thing that my eyes were drawn to, was of course the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Temple is so beautiful and magnificent. I couldn't believe I was finally standing there in the shadow of the temple. As, me and my roommates went about our day at Temple Square, we explored many things and met and chatted with many people. We met two Sister Missionaries of the Church, one of them was from Hawaii and the other was from the country of Taiwan. The sisters were very nice, and they took us on a small tour of the North Visitors Center. Speaking with them and seeing how the work they do at Temple Square as missionaries for the Church, can help so many people and can help spread the Gospel, has really made me rethink if I should go on a mission for the Church, possibly one to Temple Square.
When we went back around to walk by the Temple, we met an old man, who is pictured here with us. He is a Host at Temple Square. He was so cute telling us different stories about the temple and the other buildings at Temple Square. He also told us that he reads 10 chapters of the Book of Mormon everyday! Which we thought was amazing! I truly hope that from his kind words and example, that I can be better at reading my scriptures on a daily basis. Later on in our day, we went to explore the Relief Society Building at Temple Square, which also houses the Young Woman's Organization and Primary Organization of the Church. Me being a Relief President in a student ward at BYU-Idaho, I wanted to gain inspiration and knowledge about what more I could do as a Relief Society President, to better assist and council the sisters in my ward. When we entered this building, we met a nice lady, who was serving as a hostess in the building. She took us on a short tour of the building. One thing that was amazing to me, was that when we met her, she said, "Oh, you must be the girls from BYU-Idaho." One of the hostesses that we had talked with near the Temple, had told her that we were visiting from BYU-I. It amazed me that they had been watching us, but at the same time, it felt good to know that we were being watched, because it helped me see that people really do watch us, and that we always need to be an example, and as the scriptures say we need to "...Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9).
While we were at Temple Square we also took a short tour of the Conference Center, where the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is held twice a year, in April and October. This building was amazing! When we got to walk into the actually seating area of the Conference Center, my eyes were drawn to the stage seating area, where President Thomas S. Monson, the Prophet and President of the Church and the other General Authorities sit during conference. It truly was a magnificent site, as was the rest of the building. On the roof of the Conference Center, there is a beautiful garden, which was amazing to see on the roof of a building. This picture was taken on the roof. I love this picture!As we finished our tour of the Conference Center, we walked through the Hall of the Prophets which had a head sculpture of each of the prophets of the Church, up to President Gordon B. Hinckley. This was special to me, because I walked up to the sculpture of President Hinckley, and just stood there for a moment. He was a great man and did a lot for the Church, its members, and he greatly helped in the effort of spreading the Gospel all over the world. I miss him a lot and am truly happy that in a way, I was able to pay my respects to him.
Overall, our time and my first trip to Temple Square, will be one that I never forget! I am grateful that I was able to share it with Sariah and Hannah. They helped to make it even more special for me. I do wish that I didn't have to leave, but now that I have been, I know that I will indeed, someday go back. Temple Square, the Temple itself, and the many other places that we visited helped me to feel the Spirit of the Lord and helped me to see what great dedication, hard work, and great effort can accomplish. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.I want to encourage anyone who reads this blog post of mine, whether you are a member of the Church or not, take a trip to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. There is so much to see and do, but more than that, there is so much to learn and understand.
