My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful for the opportunity to be with you today. Sister Child and I always love coming to BYU-Idaho. It was such a beautiful drive up and it is such a fine university. I am grateful for President Clark and the faculty for the high standard of excellence that exists here. I have a soft spot in my heart for this university. Two of our children attended here when it was Ricks College. It was here they established a foundation for learning that has proven so valuable to them.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for temples. It was a thrill to drive into this valley and see a shining house of the Lord standing as a beacon, inviting all to enter into its hallowed walls. I love the temple. What a blessing it was for Sister Child and for me to serve in the Salt Lake Temple; to participate in the great work that takes place in God's holy house. It is the work of salvation for all of God's children. It is God's work; therefore, it should be our work. The perception in the past was that temple work was something we did when we got older. Many years ago Elder John A. Widtsoe made this statement:
"We need more converts to temple work, drawn from all ages, from the young, from the middle-aged, and from the rich and poor, from among the busy and those of leisure... Temple work is quite as much benefit to the young and the active as to the aged... The young man needs his place in the temple even more than his father and his grandfather... The young girl just entering life needs the spirit, influence and direction that come from participation in the temple ordinances. If I say nothing else tonight that will linger, I hope you will remember that temple work is for the young and the middle aged and for the aged. Temple work is for all."[1]
Elder Widtsoe would be happy to know how much the youth of the Church love the temple. The baptistery in the Salt Lake Temple opens every morning at 5:00 a.m. where young people flock to do this sacred work. It thrills us to see faithful young adults come to do endowment sessions and young married couples coming to the temple for their "date nights."
Several years ago Sister Child and I were invited to speak at a BYU stake young adult fireside in Provo. We were asked to speak about the temple. A few weeks before the fireside we realized that it was scheduled on Super Bowl Sunday. We assumed that there would be very few in attendance. As we drove on to the campus there wasn't a car on the road, not a person on the street. The campus looked totally deserted. We were greeted by the stake president and taken into a large hall that to our surprise was filled to capacity with faithful young people. Our hearts were touched because of their stalwartness. Sister Child in her remarks expressed gratitude for their attendance when they could be home watching the Super Bowl. Afterwards many of them expressed to us that they loved the temple much more than they loved football. We are grateful for your faithfulness and love of the temple.
"A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed--a place where the Lord may come; it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth."[2]
Temple work has always been part of our Heavenly Father's plan. In the Bible we read that when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he was commanded to build a sanctuary "that I might dwell among them."[3] It was their temple in the wilderness. We read of the splendor and beauty of Solomon's Temple, the rebuilding of the Temple of Zerubbabel, and, of course, Herod's magnificent temple.
In the Book of Mormon we read of many temples on this continent. We read of Nephi building a temple patterned after Solomon's temple. We know King Benjamin gathered his people to the temple in Zarahemla to hear his last great sermon and that after Christ's crucifixion He appeared to the faithful Saints at the temple in Bountiful.
In our day the significance of temples has been taught right from the beginning of the restoration. We know from modern scripture that on the night of September 21, 1823, Moroni visited Joseph three times. Among other things, Moroni quoted prophecies from the Old Testament concerning the last days. He quoted the third chapter of Malachi a little differently than is recorded in the King James Bible. It is recorded in the 2nd section of the Doctrine and Covenants as Moroni gave it to Joseph. It states:
"Behold, I will reveal unto you the priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming."[4]
What are the promises that were made to the fathers? The promises of salvation, the promises of exaltation, the promises that come to us as we partake of sacred ordinances that are performed only in the house of the Lord. The hearts of the children are turning to their fathers.
In December 1832, less than two years after the Church had been organized, the Saints were gathering in Kirtland, Ohio. They were relatively few in number and most living in poverty. It was under these difficult circumstances that the Lord commanded them to build a temple. He said: "Organize yourselves; prepared every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."[5]
Because of the difficult conditions in which they were living, they didn't immediately act upon that commandment. Five months later, in June 1833, the Saints were chastened by the Lord for their failure to build a temple. He said: "Wherefore, ye must needs be chastened and stand rebuked before my face: For ye have sinned against me a very grievous sin, in that ye have not considered the great commandment in all things that I have given unto you concerning the building of mine house."[6]
You can imagine how it would feel to be chastened by the Lord. Within a few days preparations were made and the construction of the temple began. It was built at a great sacrifice; but as we know, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven." On April 3, 1836, one week after the temple had been dedicated, Elijah the prophet, along with others holding priesthood keys appeared to Joseph and Oliver. Elijah committed into their hands the sealing power wherein individuals and families can receive the blessings of salvation. What a glorious event--the sealing power was once again upon the earth.
The temple continued to be the focus of the Prophet Joseph throughout his life. As the Saints were driven from place to place, temple sites were selected: first in Jackson County, then in Far West, and finally in Nauvoo where a beautiful temple stands today as a tribute to their faithfulness.
Even after his death, Joseph's legacy continued. Four days after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young selected the site for the Salt Lake Temple. Three other temples were built before the Salt Lake Temple was completed: St. George, Logan, and Manti. That legacy continues today with 136 temples scattered around the world, with 30 more announced or under construction.
God's people have always been a temple building, temple loving, and temple attending people. Why? Why is there such an emphasis on temples and being worthy to enter them? Because temple ordinances are absolutely essential for our exaltation. It is only in the house of the Lord that ordinances are made and covenants entered into that will allow us to live with God and our families forever.
Several years before Sister Child and I began our service at the Salt Lake Temple, we served for four years in West Africa. One of the many highlights of our service there was to be involved in the construction and dedication of two temples in West Africa: one in Accra, Ghana, and one in Aba, Nigeria. We witnessed what a blessing these temples were to the faithful Saints in that part of the world.
The Accra Ghana Temple is the most beautiful building in Ghana. We were excited about the open house knowing that many would come. We knew that those who came would be impressed with the beauty of the building and the well-manicured grounds; we prayed they would also feel the spirit of the temple. We invited the president of Ghana, President John Kufor, for a private tour of the temple. He is not a member of our faith, but had good feelings toward the Church. He wanted to keep his visit as low-key as possible and indicated that he could spend 15 minutes in the temple.
As we escorted him through the various rooms we knew our prayers had been answered. He was not only impressed with the beauty of the temple, but he also felt the Spirit. He remained asking questions and making comments for nearly an hour. As we walked out of the temple we realized that his visit had not been kept a secret. The temple steps were filled with the media with their cameras and microphones, all wanting to get the president's impression of the building. One of the reporters asked President Kufor what he thought of the Mormon temple. President Kufor commented on its beauty and then stated, "This temple will raise the spiritual level of our entire nation."
A few weeks later President Hinckley came for the dedication. A press conference was arranged for the prophet to meet with the press. He stated nearly the same words of President Kufor. He said, "This temple will not only bless the lives of the members of the Church; it will bless the entire nation of Ghana and all of West Africa."
The day before the dedication the prophet held a fireside for members of the Church. They came, some traveling for days, to see and hear a prophet of God. As he stood to address them, he said, "I'm getting old, you probably won't see me again and I won't see you again in this life, so listen very carefully; what I have to say is very important." He continued, "I am going to tell you four things that you need to do to be acceptable to the Lord, to retain your testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to be worthy to enter this beautiful house of the Lord."
"First," he said, "You must pray daily." As he talked to them about prayer, it was as if he were a loving grandfather speaking to his grandchildren. He said, "Think of the miracle of prayer! Imagine--here we are--just mortal people and we can kneel and pray to our Heavenly Father and He hears us! Now, all of our prayers might not be answered as soon as we would like, or the way we would like, but He hears them. It's a miracle."
Through all ages of time, the commandment has been, "Ask of God; ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you."[7] Our Heavenly Father loves you; you are His children. He is always there for you if only you will ask in humble daily prayer. President Hinckley ended by saying again, "Isn't it a miracle that we can pray to our Heavenly Father and know that He answers our prayers? Well, it's marvelous!" Can't you just hear President Hinckley saying that?
Next he counseled them to have daily scripture study. He admonished them to "Search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me."8 The scriptures point us to our Savior; they keep us on the road that will lead back to Him. You will remember when the Lord commanded Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass from Laban. It was not an easy journey, nor was it an easy task to convince Laban to give them the plates, which contained their genealogy as well as sacred holy writ. Their lives were threatened, their gold and silver were stolen, Laman and Lemuel murmured and wanted to give up and return to their father in the wilderness.
But Nephi refused to leave until they had obtained the plates. In his final attempt, he was led by the Spirit to Laban's home. There in the street he found a man drunken with wine. It was Laban. The Spirit constrained Nephi to kill Laban, telling him: "it is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."[9] Without the scriptures, not only nations, but individuals, families, and peoples dwindle in unbelief.
Next, President Hinckley counseled the Ghanaian Saints to attend their meetings. He went on to say, "We need to attend our meetings. It is in our meetings that we gain strength from one another. We are edified and taught the doctrine. The Spirit of the Lord is there. The Lord tells us that where two or more are gathered in His name, He will be in the midst of them." I remember as a young Scout learning a valuable lesson that has stayed with me all these years.
We were sitting around a campfire; the coals were red with fire, hot and glowing. Our scoutmaster flipped one of the coals from the fire onto the ground and suggested that we watch what happened to the single piece of coal. We watched for a while and noticed that it was losing its glow and its warmth. After watching until the coal was almost black, the wise scoutmaster tossed it back with the other coals into the warmth of the fire. The coal gradually regained its warmth and its luster. He likened it to our Scout troop and how much we need each other. And so it is within the Church. We need to attend our meetings so, as President Hinckley said, we can strengthen and edify one another, and learn the doctrine that will keep us close to the Savior.
The last thing President Hinckley talked about was tithing. He admonished the Saints to pay their tithes and offerings. This can be a challenge for anyone, giving 10 percent to the Lord. But for the people in Africa, because of their living conditions and their poverty, it is truly a test of faith. President Joseph F. Smith acknowledged that it is a test. He said: "The loyalty of the people of this church shall be put to a test by this principle of tithing. It shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it. It shall be shown whether we be faithful or unfaithful."[10]
President Hinckley reminded the Saints of the significance of tithing. He said, "We pay tithing first because it is a commandment of the Lord, and second, because it is a commandment with a promise. The promise is that we will be blessed if we pay our tithing. The windows of heaven will be opened and blessings will be poured out upon us."[11]
It was a blessing for us to see the faithfulness of the African Saints and the blessings they received as they paid their tithing. Let me tell you about a good friend of ours. Her name is Ester. Her husband died just prior to our arrival in Ghana. She is a young mother trying to raise three small children. She is fortunate in that she has a job, but making ends meet is a challenge, especially when her children's school fees are due. One Saturday night she went home from work with her weekly paycheck. As she looked at it she realized she had enough to pay her rent and the school fees. What was left was exactly what she needed to pay tithing. That left nothing to buy food for the coming week.
She had a testimony of tithing and believed the Lord would bless her to be able to find food for her family and so she put her tithing into an envelope and gave it to the bishop the next day at church. She and her children walked several miles home from church because there was no money for transportation. She said she prayed all the way home and all afternoon that the children would not be hungry because there was no food for them in their home. They went to bed and awoke in the morning hungry but not complaining; they too had faith that the Lord would provide. The children went to school and Ester went to work.
As she arrived a man she did not know approached her. He got on his knees and asked her forgiveness. When she told him she had nothing to forgive, he arose and told her this story. Her husband had lent him some money a few weeks before his death and when he heard that he had died he felt he was debt free and did not need to repay the loan. He said, "I hadn't given it another thought until yesterday afternoon when I thought of you. I couldn't get you off my mind and I knew I had to repay the money your husband lent to me." He handed her an envelope containing the exact amount of money she had paid for tithing, enough to buy food for her family for the week. What a testimony of tithing! Ester and her children continue to be active members of the Church and enjoy the blessings that come as they faithfully pay their tithing. President Monson said:
"Always be active in the Church. I will give you a formula which will guarantee to a large extent your success in fulfilling that commitment. It is simple; it consists of just three words: pay your tithing. When members of the Church pay tithing, honestly and faithfully, they have very little difficulty keeping the other commandments of God. It is a benchmark commandment."[12]
It is a benchmark commandment. The blessing of paying our tithing is a requirement to enter the holy temple where we receive the blessings of eternal life--the blessings of salvation for us and for our families.
The Saints in West Africa love the temple; they love their families and sacrifice a great deal to secure the blessings of the temple for themselves and their loved ones. Many of them travel for days to come to the temples. They come in small minivans, sometimes two to a seat, traveling during the heat of the day on bad roads, sleeping in the vans at night, sometimes dealing with bandits, and crossing borders which are difficult--all at great financial cost to them. And yet they come.
I remember being on an assignment in the Ivory Coast to reorganize a stake presidency in Abidjan. One of our Area Seventies was with me as we interviewed the 40 priesthood leaders in the stake trying to find who the Lord wanted to be the stake president. One by one as they came in I would ask them if they had been to the temple in Accra. At that time it had been operating for about 18 months. For many big smiles spread across their faces as they told us they had been and had their wives and children sealed to them. Others hadn't been so blessed.
I remember one faithful priesthood leader with tears in his eyes, saying, "President, we have been saving our money to go to the temple. Hopefully this year my wife and I will be able to go and maybe take one of our six children to be sealed." My heart ached for them as I thought of my own children. How could I decide which child I would take? Thankfully, because of the General Temple Patron Assistance Fund, we were able to assure that this faithful Ivorian brother and all his family were able to go to the temple and be sealed together forever. You will remember in October 2011 General Conference that President Monson encouraged those who wished to contribute to this worthy fund.
President Hinckley's counsel to the Ghanaian Saints to pray daily, search the scriptures, attend their meetings and pay their tithing is not only "very important" to the Ghanaian Saints, but it is equally important to each of us. It is wise counsel.
My dear brothers and sisters, we are living in a great day and age. How blessed we are to live during the dispensation of the fullness of times; when the gospel has been restored in it fullness. We are blessed to live at a time when temples are dotting the earth so that all of our Heavenly Father's children may receive the blessings that are found in no other place than the House of the Lord.
Sister Child and I count our blessings every day. How blessed we are to live within five minutes of the Salt Lake Temple! I hope you realize how blessed you are to have the beautiful Rexburg Idaho Temple here in your midst. I hope you are taking advantage of the great blessing it can be in your life and the lives of those who have gone before.
I bear my witness that we have a kind, loving Heavenly Father who loves all of His children. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. I am grateful we have living prophets on the earth today and bear witness that President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's mouthpiece in the world today. May our Heavenly Father's choicest blessings be with you always is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, April 1921, pp.51-52
[2] Bible Dictionary, 780-781
[3] Exodus 25:8
[4] D&C 2
[5] D&C 88:119
[6] D&C 95:1-3
[7] JS Matthew:7:12
[8] John 5:39
[9] 1 Nephi 4:13
[10] Gospel Doctrine, 5th Edition, 1939, 225
[11] Malachi 3:10
[12] CES Fireside Sept. 7, 2003