evan, lindsay, nina, elena and esther

Some of you may be familiar with Nephi and Elder Bednar's concept of "tender mercies". Evan and I definitely are; we had a huge one this weekend. On sunday the Rexburg temple was completed and dedicated for service. A ceremony was performed giving thousands of locals here a chance to join together in gratitude to God for this new temple. There was music, stories, and our new prophet President Monson offered a special prayer asking God to dedicate this building to His service. As in ancient biblical times, we also have a house of the Lord in our community. One of the things that a speaker said, "There is no greater love than to give another person the opportunity to serve someone else." That is what God does for us. I wish that we could adequately describe what it felt like to be there on this occasion.

When I first came to school here in winter of 2002, arriving here at this one horse town of windy cold tundra, the taylor building and the towering mcdonald's arches were the most noticeable icons in town. even the spori building hadn't been rebuilt since it burned to the ground a few years back. little rexburg has been growing steadily -- another movie theatre, beautiful new buildings on campus including the newly constructed spori building, a thai restaurant (CAN'T forget that one) tons of new student housing, steps toward a blooming metropolis! But I can't think of anything more exciting than when a new temple was announced in 2005, to be built in rexburg.

Time has stood still as all the students and all the local rexburgians anxiously watched on while a handsome plot of land was marked, the ground was cleared, foundations were laid, and the months went by as one by one each wall went up, the stained glass windows were placed, each piece of the house of the Lord was carefully set. I'm sure everyone in the area would recall the first time they drove in from the freeway at night and had their breath stolen by the sight of the beautifully bright white beacon beaming from the hillside.

The Provo temple is the temple of my mission. The seattle temple is where Evan and i were married. I've loved attending the Idaho Falls temple since my mission. The rexburg temple is where the beginning of our forever will be given meaning and where we hope to be able to visit often to spend time learning and remembering the promises we have made to each other and to God, and His sure promises to us. I can't believe that I have so many temples in my life that hold meaning to me. That is a tender mercy.

posted by Lindsay  # 7:52 PM