A Temple in Kansas City....

Kansas City, Missouri Temple 
Taken by me, April 2012

Most of my life I have been, for lack of a better word, "spoiled", as far as the Temple is concerned. My family joined the church in New York City when I was 8 years old and at that time the temple was several hours away (in Washington D.C.) Due to the fact that I was not yet temple attending age it didn't really affect me as I couldn't enter. However, at the age of 11 we moved to Provo, Utah just minutes from the Provo Temple. The year after we moved, I was sealed to my parents for time and all eternity in that very same temple. It was then that I first truly witnessed the plan of happiness in action and the beautiful blessings we can receive there. Since then I've had the opportunity to live several miles or minutes from a temple wherever I've lived.

Until recently.

4 years ago, on a prompting of the spirit and personal revelation received in the temple we gathered our family and moved to Kansas. We'd never lived in the Midwest, had no family here and neither of us had ever been here before moving. We just knew that we needed to be here. I know that we made the right choice but there is one thing I truly miss...my ability to frequently attend and receive the blessings of the temple. When we first lived in Kansas City our closest temple was roughly 4 hours away. When we moved to Southern Kansas our closest temple was the Oklahoma City Temple which was about 5 hours away. During the last 4 years I've realized that it's much easier to "neglect" your temple attendance when you live so far away. You begin to put up excuse after excuse, it is much more of a sacrifice. The same could be said about living close as well, you take for granted what you have because it's always there. I've been making a valiant effort to attend the temple as often as I can and being further away from the temple has given me a better opportunity to reflect on what is that I do there and why it is that I go. What we all need to remember is the blessings of the temple are true. The covenants and promises we make are so important to our eternal progression. Through the temple families are sealed and bound forever, ancestors are brought to Christ's true church. "The teachings of the Temple are beautifully simple....and simply beautiful." Russel M. Nelson

Over the last several months my family and I have had the amazing, AMAZING opportunity to prepare for the Open House and dedication of the new Kansas City Temple. We have spent many hours preparing, volunteering, and looking forward to the dedication. My husband was able to serve as security for the open house, I was able to serve several times as an usher in both the stake center and inside the temple directing tours. Ashlynne had the opportunity to participate in the youth cultural celebration. Then as a family we were able to tour together the beautiful temple one last time before it was dedicated.



On Sunday, May 6th the 137th temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the new Kansas City Missouri Temple, was dedicated. Jeremiah, Ashlynne, Brinton, Elise and I were in attendance at that incredibly spiritual meeting. Words cannot express how excited I am that I will once again be close enough to attend the temple more regularly. The temple truly is the house of the Lord and an incredible blessing in our lives.