The Gilbert Temple is being built just a couple blocks from our house and I am pretty excited about it! I took Reese to the Groundbreaking Ceremony on Saturday and it was interesting. The City Mayor was there, and Claudio Costa from the Presidency of the 70 spoke. It was an unusually hot day for November. I ended up stripping Reese down to his diaper and kept him shaded while he sucked drops of water from my finger. Brian made a fan out of the program and helped keep him cool and happy. President Costa talked about how people in his native land of Brazil would save for years to be able to afford the long trip to go to the nearest temple, and I think to make us feel better about the scorching sun on our backs, he reminded us that the Amazon in Brazil could get up to 120 degrees in the summer and the busses often had no air-conditioning. Now there are 7 temples in Brazil! The dedicatory prayer was beautiful. Afterwards they had some fancy shovels they turned the first soil over with and that was pretty much it.
I love going to the temple. It brings peace to a troubled heart. I know everyone has had days where they feel like they've reached their breaking point. Sometimes it's physical exhaustion and after a good nights sleep you feel better in the morning. But sometimes it's your spirit that's exhausted. It may be from stress at work, a bickering relationship, or as a friend recently explained, the stress of trying to do more than it seems one person ought to be capable of. (She is a single mother of six children). For me the temple refills my tank when I am on empty. It helps me put things in perspective. I feel that I leave with increased patience. Because I feel Christ's love for me I am better able to love others.
If there is a temple in your area I would invite you to go, walk around the grounds, sit on a bench or under a tree, and see if you can feel the same peace and comfort I do. =)
