Last weekend, Chris and I drove to Logan and did a session up there. After the session, Chris made the comment that the outside of the temple looked like it was built in Pioneer days and the inside looked like the 1960s. That's pretty much accurate. The temple was originally finished in 1884 and the outside walls are still the original walls. The inside was completely gutted and renovated in the 70s.
My parent's were married in that temple, and even though I'd never been inside it before, I felt like I belonged there. This is the temple where my parents began their life together. It's the place where my Grandparents spent hours upon hours serving a temple mission. Something about losing a loved one makes you love the places where they spent time. Being in that temple, I could imagine my Grandpa sitting in thoughtful silence in those rooms.
I am thankful for temples. They are the houses of God. The saving ordinances are found there.
I wish I couldn't been there with you! There are generations of our family that were sealed there.
ReplyDeleteNOTE: Did you know that they thought it should be gutted since something so old and built without modern equipment would surely be sorely in need of repair. They thought it would be very easy to drop the insides and keep the stone exterior. But they were wrong. The demolition was very difficult and the structure still strong. I've heard many people say that it was a mistake to gut it and that they would never do that again to a pioneer temple. On one level, I agree, but it's so heavily used and the changes made it sufficient to handle the crowds. I wish I could have seen it as it was before, but remind myself that it's the covenants, not the interior design that matters.