Over 25+ years of living in Utah I’ve been able to attend a lot of temple open houses. This weekend I made it to Payson for the open house by virtue of an invitation given to my father. This means I not only got to tour the new temple but I got to do it with my parents, five siblings, and nine nieces and nephews. We entered the temple with a partial party due to inconsistent arrival times and some rather excited children. Everyone was to have a buddy so I had an eight-year-old nephew on the left and the six-year-old niece on the right. I got to tell them about the baptistery, the recommend desk, the instruction rooms, alters, sealing rooms and mirrors that stretch into eternity. I also got to keep my niece from being the first person to test the shiny locker room bathroom.
Having toured the temple from bottom to top we were wandering the top floor where three large sealing rooms and a massive central marriage waiting room dominate. There was a group of people entering the floor from the stairwell. There we found our missing family. Benson and Bailey laid eyes on us (and Grandpa) and immediately their awe-filled faces switched to delight as they broke free from mom and dad and raced through the crowd with peals of laughter.
What did Lehi feel when he saw his family following the rod? What will heaven feel like when we recognize the faces waiting for us there? I think I can guess. And it’s worth building temples to feel it.
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