Vernal Utah Temple

The Vernal Temple is a very unique temple.  It was dedicated as a tabernacle in 1907.  Then, after it had fallen into disrepair the interior was gutted and rebuilt as a temple, dedicated in 1997.  As I walked through the halls of the temple I found it to be very different from most temples.  The design is very simple, yet still elegant.  It really made me realize that it is not architecture or design that makes a temple.  It is the fact that it was dedicated as our Lord's house.  Regardless of what a temple may look like, the most important thing is the saving ordinances that are performed for the living and the dead within its walls.

View a Gallery of this temple

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is a very beautiful temple, and one that we had some adventures with.  The first time we tried to go to this temple was several months ago.  We learned the hard way that you should check the schedule before you drive to the temple.  It was closed for cleaning and we were very sad.

Luckily, when we went yesterday it turned out to be a great experience.  We were given the opportunity to be the witness couple.  This was our second time in that role.  (The first time was at the Draper Temple.)  Being the witness couple is always a very special experience.  It seems that you get to be more intimately involved in the ordinance.

This temple was magnificent inside.  The first thing I noticed was the two majestic staircases you see the moment you get inside.  The celestial room was a smaller one but was very tall with an amazing and huge chandelier.

The temple sits up where it can overlook the valley.  The view looking out is majestic.  Robyn commented that this truly is the mountain of the Lord's house.

View a gallery of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Las Vegas Nevada Temple

The Las Vegas Temple is one of the most beautiful temples that I have seen.  The word that came to my mind when I first saw the temple was "oasis".  In the midst of a vast desert, the landscape of the temple has a beautiful fountain, green grass and beautiful foliage.  The inside is equally as beautiful.  There is a beautiful sun symbol that is featured throughout the inside.  The celestial room has two beautiful chandeliers and is one of the bigger celestial rooms I've seen.

As I sat through the session I realized that the temple truly is an oasis.  Beyond it's physical landscaping and water feature, it is a spiritual oasis.  In a city that is known for gambling, alcohol and lewd behavior, there is an oasis where one can go to find peace and commune with God.  It truly is an oasis of truth in a desert filled with error, of light in a sea of darkness.  This beautiful temple is one that I will visit again.

View a Gallery of this temple.

Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

The Winter Quarters Temple was a particularly fun one to visit.  It's a fairly small temple but it has some very unique characteristics that made it special.  It sits right next to the cemetery where many early saints who passed away at Winter Quarters are buried.  It also has incredible stained glass all throughout the inside that portrays scenes related to the exodus of the early saints.

While inside this temple I was able to contemplate the sacrifices that the early saints made.  After leaving Nauvoo, many of them didn't have a real home to live in for several years.  Winter Quarters was a particularly difficult place, many died from disease and exposure as they passed through this area.  I was very touched by their sacrifices.  Their suffering allowed the church to survive and eventually thrive.

This temple stands as a monument to their sacrifice.  I was very moved by its beauty.

View a gallery of this temple.

Monticello Utah Temple

We had a great experience at the Monticello Temple.  This temple was the first of the templatized temples built during Gordon B. Hinckley's presidency.  It is nestled in a small town in southern Utah.  Robyn and I made the trip with our friends Cameron and Tammy.  We drove down on a Friday night and then attended a session the following morning.

The mini temples, as I like to call them, are much simpler in their design.  Robyn and I commented about how it was really neat to be in the temple and not necessarily be marveling at how amazing the building itself was, but to marvel at the spirit that dwells there.  There's something magical about the simplicity of these temples.

One of the other things that I really enjoyed was the small town people that we met here.  This temple is small enough that there isn't a chapel to wait in while the ordinance room is occupied.  So we were waiting in the dressing room after we had changed into our white clothes.  I met a number of the locals and we discussed our goal to see every temple in Utah and we also discussed many other temple related topics.  One man was there because his granddaughter was getting married in two weeks and she was receiving her endowment in the session we were attending.

When we actually went into the session and saw his granddaughter and all the family around her, it made me feel like I was part of the family.  I think that was the biggest thing I took away from this particular temple trip.  We really are all one big family.  We are all children of our Heavenly Father and we are all brothers and sisters.  I love that the temple workers always address me as "brother".  It is one more outward sign that we are truly one big family.  The temple helped me realize that again.

View a gallery of the Monticello Temple

Bountiful Utah Temple

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the Bountiful Utah Temple.  This beautiful temple is very similar in architecture to the Mount Timpanogos Temple.

As always, I love the peace that is felt in the temple.  After doing the session we were in the celestial room, enjoying the spirit that is there and doing some pondering and soul searching.  Robyn was sitting next to me on the couch as I was taking it all in.   She turned to me and said, "You're happier in the temple."  I just smiled, because I think it's true.

View a gallery of the Bountiful Temple.