By Lu Ann Staheli
Several years ago I had a very special opportunity—I was called by my bishop to serve a Temple Mission by attending the temple once each week for a session of my choosing. This seemed like a perfect way for me to have the blessings of a mission when I was unable to commit to serving fulltime.

Continue Reading »

By Ken Craig
For me, one of the greatest blessings of the temple is the promised personal revelation that comes with regular attendance. We have been counseled:

Continue Reading »

By Nettie H. Francis
It’s temple morning!” I can still remember the excitement in my sister’s voice each Saturday as she woke me up. At twelve and ten years of age, and the oldest children in the family, we had the responsibility of being in charge while our parents attended the temple each Saturday morning. Rising well before any of us woke; they would participate in temple ordinances, and then return home just after breakfast.
Part of the thrill for us children was the prospect of eating Cheerios while they were gone. Cold cereal—a rare treat in our family—was enough to get all 8 of us out of bed, dressed, and ready for the day in half the time it took on a school morning.
Then we would sit at the table, say a blessing, and thoroughly enjoy our cereal and bananas. By the time the last bowl was finished, our parents were usually walking through the front door.

Continue Reading »

By Pam Ellis
Alan and Mary Harter have been serving as ordinance workers in the Las Vegas Temple for the last fourteen years. Temple involvement is what anchors their family.

Continue Reading »

By Pam Ellis
Dorothy Graff Winder says that serving in the temple just might be a “genetic thing” with her. She tells of her great-grandfather, Dudley Leavitt, from Bunkerville, NV, who encouraged his 16-year old daughter, Betsy, (Dorothy’s grandmother) to get her temple recommend so that she might accompany him to the St. George Temple. Grandma Betsy went on to serve as an ordinance worker for over ten years at the St. George Temple, as did Dorothy’s parents, Elmer and EmmaRene Graff.

Continue Reading »

By Kathryn Blose
I was endowed in the Provo Temple in 1979 just be-fore I was married to my first husband. I’m sure I heard the workers there invite me to come back often to the temple, but even though I lived twenty-five minutes away, I went there maybe once a month. I sure wish I knew then what I know now about the blessings of frequent temple attendance. I know now that if I’d been going often to the temple then it would have softened the hardships that I endured during that time.

Continue Reading »

by Mark Severts
Eleven years ago, in Ft. Myers, Florida, doctors were convinced Melisa Pugh would not live. Raging encephalitis had taken its toll.
In just five days, the brain infection had destroyed her ability to communicate, had numbed any awareness of her devoted husband and family, and reduced her to a near-vegetative state. She would remain on total life support for the next three weeks.

Continue Reading »

by Pam Ellis

There was a time, not so very long ago, that faithful Latter-day Saints traveled to St. George to go to the Temple. Some even served there as ordinance workers. It was a sacrifice, but a sacrifice given freely. Then in 1984, it was announced Las Vegas would be getting its own temple, which was dedicated on December 16-18, 1989.

Continue Reading »

By Danielle Ellis

In the September 2008 CES Devotional, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke on the lessons we can learn from Joseph Smith’s time in Liberty Jail. I felt that his comments bear repeating here.

Continue Reading »

by Alonzo L. Gaskill

While it is commonly the case that many outside of Mormonism have strange ideas about who we are, and what exactly we believe and do – particularly in our temples – nevertheless, Latter-day Saints occasionally also have misconceptions about the beliefs and practices of other faiths. A prime example of this would be how some lay Mormons view the Roman Catholic practice of petitioning saints. While some in the LDS and Protestant communities see this practice as heretical, context is important for understanding what these acts of piety mean, and what the Catholic Church officially teaches on this matter.

Continue Reading »