Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Draper Temple Open House

A little over two years ago we moved from Draper, Utah (20 miles south of Salt Lake City) to St. George, Utah located at the very bottom of the state.
One of my biggest struggles in the move was leaving behind two of my five children who were living in Salt Lake. Our oldest son recently moved to New York, but daughter #3 is still in Salt Lake attending the University of Utah. Elizabeth is currently in her senior year double majoring in International Studies (with an emphasis in Japanese) and Linguistics.
As a mom I worry about her being alone in "the big city" while we live far away. Elizabeth is very independent and doing great. But I miss her like crazy, so we make the trip to Salt Lake often so I can hug her, kiss her cheek and make sure she has enough food to survive.
We arrived home this evening after spending two days with Elizabeth. We left sunny St.George and drove into a very cold and snowy Salt Lake City.
The meter box on Elizabeth's apartment building was completely frozen over and covered in a layer of ice.

Not only was it freezing, but the area was covered in a temperature inversion. The valley was socked in with gray, yukky air. The sun did not penetrate through the haze the entire day.
Even the trees looked a little sad.

One bright spot was having the opportunity to attend an open house for a new temple that our church has built in Draper Utah. This beautiful building is just a five minute drive from our old house.
The picture below is what the temple looks like on a sunny day. It's built on South Mountain with a spectacular view of the Salt Lake valley. The Draper temple will be the 129th operating temple we have in the world.

The open house will run for several weeks and they expect over a million people to participate on the tours. In order to accommodate the large crowds, we were asked to meet first at one of 11 local church buildings. After watching a short video on temples, we boarded a bus that drove us up the mountain to the temple site.

The volunteer staff was very helpful and informative, guiding us through every step of the way.

Mr. Cactus and Elizabeth

Once we got off the bus we walked through long covered tunnels that led to the inside of the temple. I appreciated the covered corridors that were heated and free of ice and snow.
We weren't allowed to take pictures on the inside of the temple. I can only tell you that it is one of the most beautifully decorated buildings I have ever seen. Words cannot describe the intricate detail work in construction and furnishings. I didn't want to leave.
Temples for us represent a place where we can worship the Savior and communicate with our Heavenly Father. The feeling and spirit inside calms my soul as no other place can.
At the end of the tour we went into a building where there were refreshments and beautiful artwork depicting the life of Jesus Christ.
Me with my daughter Elizabeth.
I was able to snap a few pictures of the outside of the temple before we were ushered quickly back on the bus for our trip down the mountain.
The angel Moroni is placed at the top of many of our temples.
Here are some great photos including pictures of the interior of the temple:

8 comments:

Browndirtcottage said...

ooouuuu...Nedra.....I would 'love' to have seen inside...the outside is so spectacular I can just imagine the 'inside'....seems your daughter is doing 'ok'!!

Material Mary said...

It never ceases to amaze me the beauty the church and others keep creating. Just when I think we're topped off on creativeness and beauty, we always seem to step it up a bit. Beautiful.
Mary

Di~ said...

Great post Nedra, you guys all look great and your daughter is darling.

Sherri said...

Gorgeous photos...and a fun visit with your daughter. Two of my children live far away too...my son in Provo and my daughter in Rexburg...so I know how it is to miss visiting your children!

Live Well With Judi said...

Nedra: Glad you're home safe and got to spend time with Lizzie. She looks great. Also glad you enjoyed the temple. Can't wait to see you next week! You can see my quilt again at quilt meeting on Nanette's blog. She talks about you there too. Hugs

Amy Dayton said...

Mom, I'm so jealous! Happy you guys had that experience. I sure don't miss that nasty inversion. Those gray skies make me feel so depressed just looking at the pictues. The temple looks so beautiful, can't wait to go see it in person.

Nanette Merrill said...

My kids went last week with the YM/YW. They were wowed. The last open house was Timpanogos and the youngest 3 at home were too young to really remember that. I was happy that they were so excited after going. We talked to them last night for a long time about the temple. My 13 year old son didn't know that he would go before his mission. He was very excited. I looked at the pics online right before the kids went. My husband and I haven't gone yet. I've gotta get tickets! IT really is so beautiful.

Eileen said...

I think you are a little bit spoiled in that sunny St George weather! The ice on the meters is only too familiar. :-D

Wonderful photo of you and your daughter. I know what you mean about missing her!!!