I Love to See the Temple

One of my favorite Primary songs has always been 'I Love to See the Temple.' I especially love the second verse. I remember many, many times going running by the Provo Temple in college or the Bountiful Temple near my parent's home. As it happened, running entirely around the temple was part of my route, and every time the words to the song came back to me:

I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.
For the temple is a House of God, a place of love and beauty.
I'll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty.
I love to see the temple. I'll go inside someday.
I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever.

I didn't have the chance to attend a temple open house when I was younger. The church wasn't building as many temples then, and we certainly never lived close to one. In college, my roommates and I drove to San Diego for the open house, and it was just as beautiful as I had always imagined.

With temple building going on in earnest the past several years, there have been more opportunities to visit various temples, and I definitely wanted my children to experience it for themselves.

In July 2008, I visited family in Utah and my mom drove back to Washington with me. Unbeknownst to us, the open house for the Twin Falls, Idaho temple was going on, and we drove right on by. Last summer, we barely missed the Oquirrh Mountain, Utah temple open house in August. So when I found out about the Vancouver, Canada temple open house in April, I made sure not to miss out again.

The kids were on Spring break, so that part was easy. We already has passports, so crossing the border was no big deal either. I found an awesome hotel for FREE*, and it included breakfast AND an indoor pool--our only hotel criteria. What's more, the pool had a two-story water slide. The kids were going to love it!

The only down side was that Gavin didn't have any leave time since we used it all up on our cruise. I could either wait for him to get off work and be stuck in Seattle traffic for hours and hours (time otherwise spent on the waterslide), or leave without him. I chose the latter, and since I'm a genius, I found a way for him to take a train and a bus and join us after work.

{Oh, yes I did. Before you think I'm a shmuck for putting my hard-working hubby on public transit while journeying across an international border, know this: he was thrilled to have the extra study time. That's my man!}

I've learned from experience not to tell my kids about an upcoming trip, however great or small. The main reason is because I don't want them to 'help' pack. It's also kind of fun to surprise them. So Friday morning was just like any other day off from school--we went to a storytelling sound-effects guy at the library, had the oil changed, and hit the open road.

The kids did great in the car. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive, and we stopped midway for lunch. They were thrilled to be going to another country (!!!), and Aubrey insisted we take pictures at the border.

I know you just want to start belting out the Canadian national anthem. 'O, Canada!! Our home and native land . . . '

The jumbo-sized water slide did not disappoint. The freezing water in the pool, however, was a big disappointment. And, as luck would have it, the hot tub was closed. Bummer!! Even the native Canadians were cold, and they're practically polar bears. The kids still bucked up and swam and slid for a while, then enjoyed a nice hot bath in our room.

That little speck at the top of the slide is my Linc--it was big!

The kiddos in action--love those smiles!

I think their teeth had stopped chattering by this point.

As much fun as we had getting there and playing in the pool, we had clearly come for a purpose. Gavin rolled into town late Friday night, and Saturday morning we went to the temple.

It was so great. I love many aspects of my church, and one of them is how very organized and efficient things are. There were thousands of visitors at the temple, and many of them were not of our faith. Smiling volunteers were everywhere helping move people through and offering a pleasant and informative experience. People who came with no knowledge of the purpose of temples left with a greater understanding of what we hold so dear.

There was an older couple in our group, and we chatted with them a bit. They had grandkids our kids' age, and were not members of the church. Their church had organized a bus tour to visit the temple, but they couldn't make it, so they came on their own. They felt something special in the temple and commented on how beautiful it was. Before we left, the gentleman told Gavin that we ought to keep up our good work, because it was apparent to him that whatever we were doing with our kids was working. And in the end, it was family that mattered most. What a sweetheart.

After we returned home, I asked Aubrey and Lincoln what they liked most about the temple. Lincoln liked the 'quiet room,' and Aubrey liked the 'two mirrors so we could see our family going on forever.'

I would have to agree with both of them. The 'quiet room' offers peace and tranquility found nowhere else on earth. I'm so glad my sweet 5-year-old son felt that for himself. My darling 8-year-old often can't stand to sit at the dinner table with her family, yet her heart was full when she saw our images reflected in the mirror for as far as she could see.

The words to the song sum it up better than I ever could: 'For the temple is a holy place where we are sealed together. As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever.'

*Thank you, Uncle Sam, for paying Gavin's hotel while at AFIP and scoring us a bazillion rewards points. At least I got something out of the month that Gavin was living in the lap of luxury in Washington, DC. Humph.