I love to see the temple

It was at the Visitors' Center last night, that my appreciate for the temple grew. Just two weeks prior, I had attended the temple and prayed for an experience there that would strengthen my testimony. I was hoping to better understand the purpose and sacredness of the temple in my life. I walked away feeling certain that God was there and that He loved me, but I wasn't sure if I left with an answer to my prayer. Per usual, the answer came when and how I least expected it to. Heavenly Father always provides the best answers at the best time - something I've grown to really understand and appreciate here in the mission field.

We were there for a tour with one of the young single adults (oh how I love these young people I get to serve!), and it felt as though everything was perfect. The spirit was there in abundance as we discussed our loving Savior, the temple, and the best ways to prepare for the spiritual experiences that await us within. Although the tour was meant for someone other than me, I felt overwhelmed with peace, love, and happiness as the spirit testified to me that there is no purer place to be than inside one of the Lord's holy temples. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of his children and that we can feel closest to Him when we attend the temple. I know that reading our scriptures daily, attending church weekly, and doing our best to follow the example of Jesus Christ prepares us for the direction and love that we discover inside the temple.

I mean it when I say it, I love to see the temple and I feel honored to be a sister missionary here in the Washington, DC Temple Visitors' Center. I couldn't pick a better place to be.


“In the temples, members of the Church who make themselves eligible can participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances that have been revealed to mankind.” -- Elder Boyd K. Packer

Have questions about the temple?? Leave a comment below, I'd be more than happy to answer!
Also visit mormon.org or lds.org for more information about temples and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Let yourself notice

I was at the Visitors' Center the other day and was asked to share what I've learned serving as a full-time missionary. I've only been here for three months, but I have learned A LOT. Do you have a million years to sit & listen? Because I have at least ten million lessons I've learned so far. There is one lesson that stands out most to me though, and it's this: God loves me.

It was a regular Monday afternoon, the busy kind where we prepare ourselves for the upcoming week. Everything seemed fine, but then in an instant it wasn't. The tears came and they just would not stop. It's not unusual for me to cry, I'm an emotional person, but really?... again?! My poor companion! Let it be known that I have the most wonderful, patient, and forgiving companion out there (shout out to Sister Mendenhall!). We battled my bad day with some bottomless french fries, ice cream, and writing letters. As I was writing my parents, a thought popped into my head. I was reminded of a story I had heard numerous occasions about a young Gordon B. Hinckley serving a mission in England...

"As a new missionary serving in Preston, England, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was facing a major trial in his life. He was sick when he arrived in the mission field, and he quickly became discouraged because of the opposition to the missionary work. At a time of deep frustration, Elder Hinckley wrote in a letter to his father that he felt he was wasting his time and his father’s money. A little while later, Elder Hinckley received a reply from his dad. It said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work."

Forget yourself and go to work, that's the part of the story that had always stood out to me. But this time it was different, this time Heavenly Father had a different message for me. It had finally donned on me... I'm not the only missionary who struggles! It was in that moment that I realized I'm not alone. I have missionaries around me who go through similar challenges, I have loving friends & family back home who support me and pray for me, my Mission President and his wife are the most amazing, caring, selfless people I know, and then there's my Heavenly Father, my Heavenly Mother, and my Savior - Jesus Christ. I am not alone.

Just a few days later I received a letter from my dad written the exact same day, talking about the exact same story, highlighting the exact same point. In that moment it was reaffirmed... God loves me. If God loves me, then of course He loves YOU! It's no accident that the very first principle we teach as missionaries is that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I promise with all my heart that Heavenly Father knows and loves you on a very personal level. He wants to help you and is waiting to hear from you, let yourself notice how much He loves you.