Philadelphia Temple

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we build temples as special places of worship. They are different than the meetinghouses where we meet and worship together every week and we consider them to be sacred, holy places where special ordinances (such as weddings) are performed. 

When I was growing up in Minnesota, our family drove 24-hours to the nearest temple in Salt Lake or Washington DC. That distance meant that we could only go once a year, at most. When I was a teen, they built a temple in Chicago, which then made it only an 8-hour drive to get to. This was a HUGE blessing for my family and all the people who lived in the midwest. 

When I was in college there were about 50 temples throughout the world, which meant that people in many places still had significant distances to travel to get to a temple. In the mid-90's an announcement was made that they were going to start building smaller temples in more places, to get them closer to the people. Twentyish years later there are now 150 temples throughout the world and these temples continue to bless the people and the communities where they are located. 

We are in Philadelphia right now, where a brand new temple was just built. It's right in the heart of the city and quite a beautiful sight to behold! The architecture resembles that of other historic buildings in the area and THEY ARE GIVING FREE TOURS RIGHT NOW for anyone (church member or not) who is interested in seeing the inside of a temple! Tours are available now through early September. 

We took our tour yesterday and really enjoyed seeing the unique interior of this lovely building. {Pictures were not allowed to be taken in the interior, so the following pictures are from this website} 

This is the baptismal font where vicarious baptismal ordinances are performed for those who died without a knowledge of the gospel. Of course, this isn't a forced baptism, since we also believe that the deceased person has the opportunity to accept or reject the baptism in the afterlife. 

This is the celestial room, where no ordinances are performed, but people go to contemplate and enjoy the quiet and peace found there. 

This is an instruction room where we learn more about God's plan for us. 

This is a "sealing room" where marriages are performed for time AND eternity. Glen and I were married in a very similar looking room in the Denver temple in 1993. 

We also loved all the nods throughout the temple to the history of the area. There are pieces of art depicting the founding of our country and some of the great historical events that took place here in Philadelphia. 

It really was a joy to bring the kids there and answer questions they had about the temple. We've also been enjoying our Jack/Lincoln/Ben time, which is slightly easing my missing-Cami-ache! 

My nephew, visiting from England (on top of the dog pile here) is getting baptized here in Pennsylvania tomorrow, which is why we were lucky enough to get them to come hang out with us for a while! 

"There exists a righteous unity between the temple and the home. Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family; understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple." —Gary E. Stevenson

I love my family and am so grateful for the blessings of the temple in our lives!