Stephanie's First Talk in Sacrament Meeting

Now that Stephanie is 12 years old, she is in the Young Women's program at church. Included in that is the opportunity to get a talk in church. Yesterday was her first time to do this and this is her talk:

Stephanie’s Talk:

I was asked to give a talk about temples.

Temples are places we perform sacred ordinances in the Church. This includes Baptisms for the Dead, Confirmation, Marriage, Sealings, Personal Endowments, and Endowments for the Dead.

During General Conference, Elder Gary E. Stevenson talked about temples. He began by sharing this memory:

Quote:

“I remember a warm, sunny afternoon when spring was trying to nudge its way through a long winter in Cache Valley, Utah. My father, whose Saturdays were always filled with chores for his grandsons, stopped by our home with an offer to “go for a ride.” Always happy to ride in Grandpa’s truck, our four- and six-year-old sons scurried into the back jump seat, and I joined my father in the front. Our drive took us through the streets of downtown Logan, which wrap around the Logan Temple, prominently situated on a hill, centered beautifully in the city. As we moved further away from the city, we turned from paved, busy streets to seldom-used dirt roads, where we crossed old bridges and weaved through trees far into the country. We were far from any other traffic and all alone.

Realizing his grandsons were in a place they had not been before, my father stopped the truck. “Do you think we are lost?” he asked the wide-eyed boys as they gazed out the windshield across the valley. Followed by a moment of silent assessment came the profound reply of a young child. “Look!,” he said, pointing his finger, “Grandpa, you are never lost when you can see the temple.” Our eyes turned, focusing with his, seeing the sun glistening off the spires of the Logan Temple, far across the valley.”
…EndQuote.

It’s true – we are never lost when we can see the temple. He also told us to make our homes a house of the Lord. Everyone is already one step towards that goal and may not even know it, because we are never lost when we can see our home.

Last week, I was able to officially go inside the temple for the first time. It’s amazing how much gets done inside the temple in such a short time, especially when the Bishop is baptizing about 5 people a minute or more, and the confirmations at about double that pace. I can see why Elder Richard G. Scott suggested in another conference talk for us to remove our watches when inside the temple. That way, we won’t be concerned with how long the ordinances take.

I’m happy I was able to go to the temple. It was very peaceful, and the experience was quite spiritual. I want to go again because it is a holy place, and I am never lost when I see the temple.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.