Manti Temple

I went to the Manti Temple today for the first time. It is such a beautiful temple! It is also VERY different from Timpanogos - the only other temple I've ever done baptisms in. It is SO SO much smaller. But I really loved it. It is simple, but you still feel the spirit just as strong, and for me maybe even a bit stronger than I've felt it other times. It was kind of a humbling experience actually. I've been so lucky to have temples so close to me all my life. Yes the Manti Temple is very close to me here in Ephraim. But for other people, it is the closest temple to them and its like and hour or so away. Also, I've only ever gone to the Timpanogos temple for baptisms (like I said before) and it is quite a large temple in my view. So going from a place that is so big, to such a small place was quite the experience. A very good one. :)
The temple workers were so incredibly nice. There weren't nearly as many workers there as there are in the Timp Temple. They were amazing. Such cute old people! They thanked us for coming so many times I honestly lost track of how many times they did. In Orem, so many people go to the temple, but here in Ephraim - or Manti - not too many attend. We had to call in advance to let them know we were coming so they could make sure that we had someone there to help us.
Inside the temple was beautiful. Like I said, it was very different, but I loved it. It was different than anything I've ever experienced. While we were sitting on the bench waiting to start, one of the temple workers decided he would remind us of the importance of attending the temple and why it was such a great and amazing thing that we decided to come. I had never heard someone explain it the way he did. He said,
"There are women up in heaven who are shouting for joy that you girls have come today. They are saying, This is the day, Finally it has come. They have been waiting a long time in the afterlife for someone to do this work for them, and it is finally their turn. If you had not come today, they may not have been given this great blessing today. They would have had to wait another day, or week, or year to have the work done for them. This work you are now doing is so important because it is the first step. It opens the doors to everything else. Without this ordinance the other ordinances aren't possible. You are saving someone by being here today."
Now he didn't say it in those exact words, but it was very close to that. I loved it and as soon as he said it I thought to myself, I'm not only going to write that down, but I'm going to share it. Because I don't know about any one else, but that stood out to me because I'd never heard it explained like that. It really struck me and helped me understand the importance of going to the temple and doing the ordinances. How it is important to go often because you may think "someone else will go" but if you don't go, someone in the afterlife has to wait longer to have that joy and that blessing.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share that because it really meant a lot to me. I am very excited to keep attending the temple, especially the one in Manti. I love going there and feeling the spirit so strong. It is one of the best feelings in the world. I'm so grateful that I have the gosple in my life. I don't know where I'd be without it.

forever & always,

me.