Temple Visit - and thoughts

Back home we visited the temple often. I cannot say that we took the temple "for granted," but it really was not much to just head out and go to the temple. We had wonderful experiences as we worked in the temple for the past few years in our assignments. Also in the last few years, we took the opportunity to visit temples in other areas of the country, particularly the Pacific Northwest and California. Now we are here in Germany and we have found that it is not so easy to go to the temple.

We have a car issued to us as missionaries, but are limited to the number of miles (kilometers) we should use each month. Also, we are not allowed to leave the mission boundaries without permission (which is not often granted). The temple in our mission is the Swiss temple, in Zollikofen (near Bern), Switzerland. It is not easy to get there from here. The members in our branch seldom get to go to the temple. I hope we can find ways to get them to the temple more often.

Yesterday, we drove to the temple in Switzerland. It was a wonderful experience and a beautiful day. The spirit in the temple was astonishing, it was so touching to our spirits. Our sessions were both in Italian, so we had translating headsets. We experienced two endowment sessions. It was glorious to feel that wonderful spirit again. I had some matters on my mind and found solace and direction as I sat in the Celestial room between and after the sessions. The room was very beautiful. I am amazed at how each temple's Celestial room is different and yet always so inspiring.

I had a couple of specific inspiring thoughts this time. First was that how the Savior knows each of us so personally and is with each gathering of Saints, and that it is not a casual interest. I could just feel His concern and love in each of our situations. The second thought was how that the temple's message is not just the words and ceremonies we experience there, but more importantly, it is where we learn to understand the language of the spirit. We have scriptures and conference talks and lessons and programs, but the true learning we receive is very individual and is through that language of the spirit. We do not read nor do we write down what is spoken in the temple. That sometimes bothered me. Why cannot I read those words again when I get home? How can I remember those specific things? How do those specific words tell me to live in my daily life? It is rather the way the spirit works and the way the Lord teaches - that we learn in the temple. It is not the same as what we hear and learn in our other church meetings, though there are similar themes. In the temple, it is strictly our minds and spirits that are at work, not some specific printed text or prepared lesson. We can get too caught up in the physical details and lose the real meaning. We need to learn the language of the spirit.

Elder Dryden of the Seventy spoke to us last week in Stake Conference about the language of the spirit and quoted from the 100th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

"5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say."

This speaks mainly of the work missionaries do, but it does say that when we are in tune with the language of the spirit, we well be able to know and to say and do those things that are the right things. It is often a thought or a scripture that we have recently read, or even a song, but it will be the proper application of it for the moment that the language of the spirit directs. Humility and obedience are necessary for it to work. The hard thing is that we try to figure things out and come up with the answers on our own. Sometimes that is what the Lord expects of us and He works with us, but there are times when we just need to do something unexpected or unplanned at the moment and let the spirit direct us. That is what we learn in the temple. As we are obedient and doing what we should be doing, and are listening to the language of the spirit, the Lord can more readily use us to do His work.

It is a difficult thing for us proud mortals to learn. I have a long way to go. I am just glad the Lord doesn't ever give up on us.

When I started this blog entry, I intended to do a brief summary and show some pictures. I feel that I needed to say these words, particularly that I could hear them myself. The next entry will have more in describing the events of the day.