When I talked to my sister a few months ago about doing the Arizona Temple tour, she suggested I visit the temples in chronological, or historical, order. I really liked that idea. So on July 8th I set out with my friend Emily to attend a session at the Mesa temple.

In my previous post, I spoke a little bit about why the Mesa temple is so significant to me and my family. Here’s a little bit of history about the temple:

• Originally named the Arizona Temple, the Mesa temple was announced in 1919 and dedicated in 1927.
• It was the 7th temple built and is one of four that doesn’t have a spire with the angel Mornoni.
• In 1945, Mesa became the first temple to offer the endowment session in Spanish. For years Mesa was the temple that Saints in Central and South America came to in order to perform temple work.

Oh the stories that temple holds! I love its rich history. Earlier this month Church leaders announced that the Mesa temple would be closed starting in May 2018 for two years in order to undergo renovations. I was utterly distraught when I found out about that because it’s been my dream ever since I was a little girl to get married in the Mesa temple. The thought of getting married anywhere else leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Anyway, on to happier thoughts!

Emily and I had a wonderful time at the temple. We decided to take a back route, since there were some closures along I-10. We ended up taking the 303 there, which I had never done before. When we finally got to the temple we were in time for the 8:30 session, but I realized that the 8:30 session was in Spanish and Emily doesn’t speak Spanish! So we decided to do some initiatories first. And, oddly enough, there were to other women with my same last name doing initiatories. I thought that was really cool because my last name isn’t super common!

After initiatories we decided to go and do a session and made it to the chapel just in the nick of time. It was a wonderful session, as always. I even saw one of my old home evening brothers from BYU-Idaho. I guess he’s a temple worker. He didn’t see me, which was completely fine. Probably my favorite part of the temple is the celestial room. I love sitting there and just feeling of God’s love.

I didn’t receive an answer to any of my concerns or questions, but I felt a lot of peace – more than I’ve felt in a long time. This might sound a little odd, but I also dedicated this temple excursion to Him. I want my heart to be open to what He wants me to learn. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better place to begin this tour. I guess I learned that sometimes we don’t receive answers right away. I’m at a point in my life where I want to see what exactly lies ahead of me and what direction I need to take. But when I am still and know who my god is and why I need to trust in Him, the fact that I can’t see everything in my path doesn’t bother me. Sitting still helps me put things in perspective and helps strengthen my faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

After the session we decided to look around the visitor’s center. I’m still in awe at how much it’s changed since I was a youth. It definitely has a look and feel similar to the Temple Square visitor centers. My absolute favorite part of the visitor’s center is the Chritus statue. I don’t spend nearly enough time sitting and looking at it as I should. That small area of the building is so full of the Spirit. When I was standing there, staring at this representation of my Savior, I felt peace and calm all over again. How wonderful of a feeling it is to know that I am cradled in the hands of the One who, under the direction of the Father, created the universe; who knows each sparrow that falls; who atoned for me. I don’t know why I have depression or why it’s been so bad this year. I’m not sure why I feel so worthless and like my life has no meaning or value. But what I do know is that my Savior and my Heavenly Father love me ardently. One of the reasons I love the temple so much is because I can feel Their presence stronger than anywhere else.

Sadly, Mesa has been the last temple I’ve attended because of some other obligations that have cropped up. But I’m hoping in August I can get back on track of attending the temple once a week. There definitely is a difference in my life when I try to attend the temple as often as I can.

Next month: Snowflake!