Saint George Utah Temple

The Saint George Temple is the oldest temple currently standing.  It is a beautiful temple in a beautiful city in southern Utah.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into this temple was a painting depicting Wilford Woodruff and a number of the founding fathers of our nation.

I couldn't find a color copy of the picture.  This is the painting but it has color inside the temple.

It brought to mind a glorious vision that took place in this temple.  The following are Wilford Woodruff's own words.

Before I left St. George, the spirits of the [Founding Fathers] gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, “You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God.”
Everyone of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General Washington, called upon me as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them.
I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McCallister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others.
When Brother McAllister had baptized me for the 100 names I baptized him for 21, including General Washington and his forefathers and all the Presidents of the United States--except three. Sister Lucy Bigelow Young went forth into the font and wa baptized for Martha Washington and her family and 70 of the 'eminent women' of the world. (Wilford Woodruff, in a Conference Report, April 10, 1898; Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 160-61; Wilford Woodruff Journal, August 21, 1877)

In the April 1898 General Conference, President Woodruff again recalled this sacred experience:

I am going to bear my testimony to this assembly, if I never do it again in my life, that those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men that labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord. . . .
Everyone of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General Washington, called upon me, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them. (Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, April 1989, pp. 89-90)

As I made my way through this temple, I pondered the above experience and the miracle that is our nation.

We had the opportunity to be a witness couple as we did an endowment session.  The ordinance room was beautiful and it lead into a special veil room which was a unique feature of this temple.  The celestial room has a large sealing room adjacent to it.  We watched a family with small children come in to be sealed together and have the opportunity to be an eternal family.  It was special to sit there and ponder what a blessing it is to be together forever.  It was somewhat difficult for us because we're struggling with fertility issues.  Of course, we both have faith that we will have the opportunity to have children and be with them forever.  We just don't know when or how that will happen.  I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord will provide this blessing, and I am grateful for the experience we had in this temple.

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