Johannesburg Temple!

January 13, 2013

We send our love to all.  We are getting to appreciate and love the many missionaries we work with and live by here in Duke’s Court.  It means so much to have other couples stop by to visit and see how things are going.  We also appreciate the emails from home.  We apologize that we haven’t responded to each one personally.  We hope to get better so be patient with us.

The Johannesburg Temple is very beautiful.  I asked the other missionaries if we could arrive a little early so that I could walk the grounds and take a few photos.

It was announced April 1, 1981 with groundbreaking taking place November 27, 1982.  It was dedicated August 24, 1985.

We enter the temple each week by accessing the underground parking.  Therefore, we had really not seen the temple or the beautifully manicured grounds.

I was able to go to the back of the temple and see just how beautiful and peaceful the grounds are.

The flowers and gardens were just beautiful.

Throughout history, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples. Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred promises with God.

When the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in the early 1800s, the Lord again commanded His people to build temples (see D&C 88:119; see also section 95). The earliest temples of the restored Church were built in Ohio, Illinois, and eventually in Utah. Today, the Church has 140 operating temples around the world. Regardless of the place or time period, temples are the most sacred place on earth-a place where earth and heaven meet and where we feel close to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

In the temple we are taught, we make covenants, and we are promised blessings.  We receive ordinances that enable us to live in the presence of God.

Endowment and Sealing

One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment.  The word endowment means "gift" or "bestowal."  As part of this ordinance, we are taught about the purpose of life, the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father's plan for His children.  We gain a glimpse of what it will be like to live in His presence as we feel the peaceful atmosphere of the temple.

Another temple ordinance is the sealing ordinance, in which husbands and wives are sealed to each other and children are sealed to their parents in eternal families. This means that if we are faithful to our covenants, our family relationships will continue for eternity. People sometimes also refer to this ordinance as “temple marriage” or “eternal marriage.”

Last week I said that there were families from the DR Congo scheduled to come to the temple.  Three couples came on Tuesday to participate in the temple ordinances and be sealed together.  Two came with children.  I had the privilege of serving in initiatory when they were there for themselves and then was receiver at the veil when they finished the endowment session.  It was a special experience to use my French to help them have an easier time and hopefully help them have a better understanding of  the power of the temple ordinances.  Tuesday, they went through the temple for their own temple ordinances and were sealed as families. 

Ordinances for the Deceased

In addition to receiving these ordinances for ourselves, we can receive them for our deceased ancestors. In this way, people who died without receiving essential ordinances such as baptism and confirmation, the endowment, and sealing have the opportunity to accept these ordinances.

Wednesday they went to the Family History Center.  They researched and prepared family names so they could come back and do baptisms, initiatory, endowments, and sealings for their own deceased family members.  That way on Wednesday and Thursday, they get to repeat and reinforce what they did themselves.  I was able to work with Elder Rakotonjanahary and Elder Kabey in initiatory when they came back.  Elder Rakotonjanahary is from Madagascar and Elder Kabey is from Lubumbashi in DR Congo.  Therefore, we were able to do everything in French for them.  It was truly a special experience for me and I think for them also.  Then I was also able to officiate one session as they came back.

Two of the brothers recognized me from Kinshasa although I don’t know them really well.  We were able to visit.  I could tell that they had been told to look for me and I think it meant a lot to them to have someone looking out for them in their first temple experience.  They left on Friday, but for three days, I truly felt useful in being able to use my French to help them in what probably will be their only temple experience for the foreseeable future.

Friday was a little slower day, but yesterday was very busy.  Friday morning in the 6 AM session, there were many who work during the day who come for the only 6 AM session in our temple.  It was good to see Thabo who works in temporal affairs and whom we met when he came to Kinshasa.  It is fun to meet others at the temple.  Brother Omdall came with his wife Thursday night to do initiatory and then was there for the 6 AM session Friday morning.  He works for the American Consulate here in Johannesburg.  Saturday morning the first session is at 7 AM.  It was full and the 9 AM session had to be split to create an extra session.  Both filled every chair.  It was a great day.

We enjoyed talking to Ryan, Dallin, Carley, and Peter and also Megan yesterday morning.  We appreciate that Gina shared a video of Kaden’s live performance for his school during lunch.  We are proud of him and are glad that we could see him playing the base guitar.  We truly have the greatest family and are so proud of each and every one of them.