Today, our family was blessed with the opportunity to tour the Provo City Center Temple in Provo, Utah. This temple has quite the history and will soon be dedicated as the 150th temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so grateful for the opportunity to tour this temple with Elizabeth and Zachary, who are usually not able to enter the temple doors. What a blessing it was to be there as a family.
This temple is absolutely breath-taking. The workmanship and attention to detail was incredible. From the moment you walked in, you could sense the love and dedication that went into creating this beautiful temple.
As we walked the hallways and the stairways and entered each of the rooms, each space was more beautiful that the one before. Just when you thought you had seen the most incredible thing, you would turn a corner and see something else that was even more incredible.
We could not help but notice all of the amazing woodwork throughout the entire temple. From the banisters, and railings to the pulpits, everything was amazing. I could not believe how intricate and delicate each of the carvings were. If I had to pick my favorite thing about this temple, it would be all of the beautiful woodwork.
One of the first areas we were led to on the tour was the Baptismal Font. Zachary was totally enthralled. He exclaimed, "Mom. This is amazing!". When the tour was over and we were on our way out, I asked Zachary what his favorite part of the temple was and he said, "The Baptismal Font."
Another beautiful area we were able to see was the Bridal Rooms. This is the area where brides get dressed for their big day. I loved all of the warm colors and dark woods. They mentioned that the painted border towards the ceiling of the Brides Room was a replica of a design that was painted in the original Provo Tabernacle.
The Celestial Room in the temple is a place for quiet and reverence. Individuals use the Celestial Room as a place to pray, ponder, and meditate. Traditionally, the Celestial Room is the most beautiful room in the temple. As you can see, the Celestial Room in the Provo City Center Temple is flawless. The stained glass windows, beautiful lighting, and elegant furnishings, make this room the perfect place to feel close our Heavenly Father.
Matt's favorite area of the temple was the staircase. I have to agree that it was pretty amazing. The details that are etched into this area are incredible. I cannot even image how much work went into carving all of the designs into this area. I have never seen anything like it. It is truly captivating.
As we were leaving, we entered an area that once the temple is open will be the main entrance and welcome desk. Behind the desk was this incredible stained glass window depicting Jesus holding a Lamb. One of the missionaries at the exit, heard Elizabeth talking about the beautiful picture and came over to tell us that the stained glass image is over 120 years old. It was discovered in a Presbyterian church in New York. It was damaged and the Church commissioned a local artisan to repair, clean and restore it for the temple. I love the symbolism of the this story. That is what Christ does with us, He heals us and restores us.
It was such a blessing to be able to spend a couple of hours at the temple with my family. I hope that Elizabeth and Zachary will remember the way they felt inside the temple. Even though it has not been dedicated to our Heavenly Father yet, it was still a place where you could feel of His love. It made my heart fill with joy to hear Elizabeth say, "I want to get married here some day!"
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