Come and Partake of All the Blessings of His Sacred and Holy Temple
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Transcript of Come and Partake of All the Blessings of His Sacred and Holy Temple
I Will Follow God’s Plan
My life is a gift; my life has a plan.
My life has a purpose; in heav'n it began.
My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth
And seek for God's light to direct me from birth.
I will follow God's plan for me,
Holding fast to his word and his love.
I will work, and I will pray;
I will always walk in his way.
Then I will be happy on earth
And in my home above.
—Vanja Y. Watkins
Have you ever thought of your life as
a gift, carefully wrapped with a plan
and purpose, inspired and designed
by our Father in Heaven before we
came to earth?
What a beautiful and singular event it is when a child
is brought into this life, fresh from a loving Father in
Heaven, with her heart full of hope and desire for a
glorious journey during this life,…
Photos taken by Renée Packer
…to then return someday to our Father’s embrace as
His vessels, clean and pure, arms linked together with
each family member as an eternal unit.
Image from LDS.org, used with permission
Only a loving and merciful Father in
Heaven would have such a beautiful plan
prepared for each of His children to come
to this earth, just as this beautiful song,
“I Will Follow God’s Plan,”
teaches us.
Having been taught vital principles before our
earth life, we then set sail with our eyes veiled from
remembrance, with a determined spirit to embark
on an exciting journey full of faith.
We knew life would not be easy, that there would
be challenging torrents ahead, but well worth
all of our very best efforts.
We would rely heavily at first on loving and
anxious parents, whose desire was to love,
nurture and teach us of the Lord…
Image from LDS.org, used with permission
…until someday we were able to stand independent,
strong, steadfast in the Lord and immovable, more
fully understanding the blessings of our covenants
and our purpose here on earth.
Image from LDS.org, used with permission
…gives us beautiful direction and
motivation as we act upon three areas of
focus that will be highlighted throughout
this conference in a most inspiring way.
We appreciate that you have
“come” and will “partake”
of our beautiful messages this day.
Our three areas of focus are:
Bringing Eternal Life to Our Ancestors
Through Family History
Rejoicing in Our Journey to the Temple
Recognizing the Blessings and Joy of
Temple Worship
The Bible Dictionary states - A temple is
literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary
in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of
the gospel are performed by and for the living
and also in behalf of the dead. A place where
the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any
place of worship on the earth. Only the home
can compare with the temple in sacredness.
Throughout this past year, our stake anxiously
awaited, prepared and looked forward to the
Ogden Temple rededication...
Photo taken by Renée Packer
…by increasing an awareness and efforts with…
Family History
Indexing &
Increasing Temple
Attendance
The Stake’s effort in family history have dramatically increased,
and there is great hope that we can continue to do much more.
Image from LDS.org, used with permission
Last spring our stake Relief Society
involved the Primary, Young Women and
Relief Society sisters by making white
handkerchiefs for all women eight years
and older in our stake, as a sacred
reminder of the temple and for the
rededication of the Ogden temple.
For five weeks, the church held an Open
House for the newly remodeled Ogden
Temple, where approximately 550,000
individuals and families throughout the
world attended, literally touching the
spirit of the temple.
The youth also experienced a most transformative
experience on September 20th, 2014, the day before
the rededication of the Ogden Temple, by
participating in the Ogden Temple Cultural
Celebration, “Share the Light.” This event brought
together 16,000 youth from 75 stakes, where they
danced, sang, honored and captured the spirit and
blessings of the temple. Our youth will never forget
their experience that day.
On September 21st, stakes throughout
Utah were invited to participate in the
rededication from their stake centers, and
many others were actually able to attend in
one of the three sessions at the Ogden
Temple. The spirit felt that day, and
messages received, testified of the grand and
glorious purposes of our temples.
With our Stake Relief Society temple
theme in mind throughout this past year,
I was enlightened more recently when my
husband and I took a trip in August of
2014 to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to visit my
parents, Elden & Picola Wood, who were
serving their 7th French-speaking mission, the
last three being temple missions.
As we traveled with my parents throughout
the pristine and beautiful provinces of
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island,
viewing countless landscapes and beautiful
edifices dating back to the 1600s,
I was continually inspired on our temple
theme throughout our trip.
The beauty of this country mesmerized
me, and I was amazed by the rich and
profound history of every city we visited
and deeply touched by the memorials of
those who had lost their lives in the
pursuit of religious freedom.
Photos taken by Renée Packer
Fort Point LaHave, dating from 1604
Memorial for the Acadians at Grand Pré
Nova Scotia is an international
shipping port, where we saw
enormous and massive ships, while
others were of much smaller
proportion, each having a purpose
and destination.
As we continued our journey in Nova
Scotia & Prince Edward Island, I
began to uncover parallels in our own
lives as passengers on a great seafaring
ship, or perhaps travelers on a much
smaller boat, each vessel taking their
one and only maiden voyage.
Lighthouses are so intriguing. They are
a stark and beautiful symbol. Their
purposes were to be a navigational guide
and a warning to boats of dangerous
areas. Their bright lights acted as a
beacon to bring the boats safely home.
Because of modern technologies,
most lighthouses are not
used in our day, but they still
stand as monumental reminders
of how important and necessary
they once were.
Symbolically they are very similar to temples. They
are a beacon of light to help bring us safely home.
Temples testify of sacred and holy blessings the Lord
has given us in these latter days. The temple
protects, guides, unites, and testifies of His love for
each of us. Its beacon light stands as a monument
to the world, that if they will look to the lighthouse
of the Lord, they will find safety and peace
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
With the increasing rate of temples being built, it is vital that we
increase our own efforts in this work. The youth are anxiously
engaged in this cause. We sisters need to catch up with them. We
have been asked to search our own family records and learn the
stories from our past, and as we do, we will connect with our
ancestors and feel their spirits guiding us to help accomplish their
temple work. Many of you are on board, sailing away with great
enthusiasm. Some of us need to do much more, and as we do, we
will find ourselves captivated, engrossed in a work that will bless
our family beyond our greatest expectations. The work of
salvation is active and ongoing on both sides of the veil. We
cannot stop this work, so let’s jump on board and start rowing.
In preparation for our trip to Nova Scotia, knowing we
would be attending the Halifax temple, my husband
prompted us to begin yet another search for names to bring
with us. Even though it appears that my parents’ lines
are nearly complete, I continue to find pockets of family
names that have not yet been discovered. Feeling
impressed to search on my father’s line, before long I found
several names that we could bring with us. Because of
our time constraint, I never took the time to learn more
about the names that I had researched.
The day after we arrived, we spent a glorious day
in the Halifax Temple. I was filled with
gratitude for the blessing of attending the temple
where my parents were serving. When we
arrived, my husband took out the folder with the
files to be printed, promptly giving them to the
recorder who then printed the cards. My
husband then gave me one of the cards that
needed the endowment completed.
While looking at the card, I first carefully glanced at
the name: Catherine Gumb, born July 2, 1869.
I then looked at her place of birth and whispered,
“I believe there’s a mistake here.”
I looked again and gasped, and said,
“No, this is not a mistake, this woman was actually
born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.”
At this point, my husband, my parents and the
recorders, Elder and Sister Poelman, had all heard what
I had just expressed, and they too were in awe that of
all the names I could have searched, and of all the
temples we happened to be visiting, that I had found a
name of an ancestor who was born in the very city of
the temple where we would perform these special
ordinances. Her baptism, confirmation and initiatory
work had previously been completed 13 years prior in
the Cardston, Alberta Temple.
I believe that Catherine Gumb had patiently waited,
knowing full well that my parents would be serving in the
temple of her birth and that I would be directed to find her
name and accomplish more of her work in the Halifax
Temple, where she was born. After two wonderful
endowment sessions, one of which was for Catherine, my
husband and I joined my parents and a member of the
Temple Presidency, President Roy Bush, who performed the
sealing, as my father and I acted as proxies for Catherine
and her husband, Alpheus Smith. Three weeks later, we
performed the sealing to her parents in the Bountiful Temple.
Joy filled our hearts, knowing that a family had been united.
At times, you might hear a story of an
ancestor that you feel drawn to, prompting
you to gather the information needed to
provide her with the blessings of eternal life.
As you begin to research your family
history, you will find yourself connected to
your ancestors, and they will guide your
hands and hearts to them.
Often the stories of our ancestors have
not yet been written, just like that of
Catherine Gumb. Your search for your
ancestors will create a story worth
sharing. Take time to document your
experiences. After writing the story of my
experience with Catherine, I then
submitted her story on Family Search.
Orin Hatch (center) & Elizabeth Melissa Perry (left) Hatch
Renée Packer’s Maternal Great Great Grandparents
So, what about the millions of our ancestors who lived
on earth not having received the fullness of the gospel
blessings and sealing ordinances? The work of
salvation is in full force on both sides of the veil. They
are being taught gospel truths and are ready right now,
and many have been ready for a very, very long time.
What are they waiting for? Why can’t they move
forward to receive these beautiful saving ordinances
on their own if they are ready?
What were those promises we made to our fathers?
And he shall turn the heart of the
fathers to the children, and the heart of
the children to their fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth with a curse.
— Malachi 4:6
We promised that we would turn
our hearts to our fathers and do for
them what they cannot do
for themselves.
God’s beautiful plan was to have us
perform their work. By doing so, we
too would keep our hearts and minds
turned heavenward, having the
countless blessings of the temple in our
hearts at all times.
“And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters,
let me assure you that these are principles in
relation to the dead and the living that cannot be
lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation.
For their salvation is necessary and essential to our
salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that
they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can
we without our dead be made perfect.”
—D&C 128:15
If you have not yet started on this path of
searching for your ancestors, whether you have a
temple recommend or not, listen to what Elder
Richard G. Scott has to say:
“Do you want a sure way to eliminate the
influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse
yourself in searching for your ancestors.”
Who wouldn’t want these protective blessings?
Temple service is one of the most charitable acts there
is. Throughout the lives of my paternal grandparents,
Roy and Stella Wood, we witnessed faithfulness at
every level. Their examples of this faith inspired me,
in the raising of their family, in their church service,
doing family history work, as temple workers, serving
in the community, and serving several missions. Each
of these areas standing as a hallmark, a beacon to our
whole family to follow emulating a light of eternal joy.
My parents followed this path and are also
a beacon to their posterity. The blessings
and legacy we pass on is determined by our
choices of today. My greatest desire and
that of my posterity is to follow in this
path of righteousness.
I love the poem my grandmother
Stella Wood
wrote nearly 70 years that
relates service to the temple.
ServiceIf you really would be happy, as you journey on your way,
Try to render loving service, to your fellowmen each day.
If you need a ray of sunshine, and so tiresome seems your road,
Try to aid someone who’s weary, and help share his heavy load.
Service even beckons to us, let us heed its urgent call
Let us hasten then to answer, with love and charity for all.
There are many kinds of service, but to us there comes a plea
From our kin who’ve long departed, from this earth’s activity.
They who did not have the privilege, to obey the Gospel plea;
Are waiting now, with anxious hearts, and beckoning unto thee.
We must hasten to the Temple, for we seem to hear their prayer
And we know we’ve loved ones waiting, waiting, waiting--over there.
— Stella Sudweeks Wood
Do we remember that our life is a gift, a gift
to prepare us for eternal salvation?
Have we graciously accepted the gift our
Father in Heaven has given us?
“For what doth it profit a man if a
gift is bestowed upon him, and he
receive not the gift? Behold, he
rejoices not in that which is given
unto him, neither rejoices in him who
is the giver of the gift.”
— Doctrine & Covenants 88:33
The more we learn about what the gift
provides, that of eternal life, we will
indeed begin to rejoice. We will no longer
worry that we’re not as far on our journey
as others, but that we’re all rowing,
making the efforts, and feeling the Lord’s
wind behind our sail.
Elder Russell M. Nelson taught: “The
temple is the object of every activity, every
lesson, every progressive step in the
Church… As temples are prepared for the
people, the people need to prepare
themselves for the temple.”
As we make a continual effort in our journey to the
temple, we will more easily be able to stay on course,
fight away the enticements to swim only in shallow
waters, and see the beacon ahead and know there is
safety in the Lord’s temple. We will more easily be
able to discern truth amidst the lures that steer our
ship in different directions. We will see our
baptismal covenants as the beginning of a greater
understanding of the power of the atonement. We
will know which direction we are facing.
While visiting in Nova Scotia, my
father told me of a man that he met in
Paris, France, while my father was
serving his first mission. The man was
from Armenia and his name was
Piotre Jakovian. This is the true
story he told my father.
Elder Elden L. Wood
Elder Elden L. Wood serving in the Paris, France Mission, leaving behind his wife and two children for two-and-a-half years.
Piotre Jakovian had been drafted by the
Russian army during World War II. He was
later captured by the Germans, and in a most
miraculous way, escaped the firing squad.
Though all thought he was dead, he quietly
escaped during the night and found clothing off
of a clothes line, then making his way to
France as a free man.
While living in France, Piotre was baptized a
member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. One day as he was talking to some of
his Armenian friends, who all belonged to the
Greek Roman Church, they asked Piotre a
question. “Why would you leave the Greek Roman
Church, with its large and beautiful buildings and
splendid ceremonies, and attend a church that
is so small, and almost nonexistent?”
Piotre then stated, “Let me ask you a
question. If you were going to make an
important and huge ocean voyage across a
large sea of water and had the choice of
taking a luxurious liner or a row boat that
you would have to row yourself, which one
would you choose?” “Of course, we would
choose the luxurious liner,” they laughed.
Then Piotre quietly shared, “Not if the
cruise liner had a hole in it and your only
way crossing the ocean safely was in the
small row boat.” “Of course we would
take the row boat!” they relented. “Well,
that’s what I have done,” said, Piotre.
“When we join The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, we board the Good Ship
Zion and sail with her wherever she goes until
she comes into that millennial port. We stay in
the boat, through squalls and stills, through
storms and sunburn, because that is the only
way to the promised land.”
— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Just as Piotre Jakovian stood for truth and righteousness,
we each need to stand bravely amidst the storms of
adversity. This will come in and only through our devotion
to the Lord, not to the world. Though our journey at
times may seem calm, causing us to stop manning our
rudder, we all know that an ocean, that is our life, is filled
with storms and waves that warn of seemingly potential
destruction. We can be armed with an unseen power of
faith, a shield and protection from the storm as we
keep our eyes focused on the temple.
Even though a small boat on the ocean may seem
vulnerable to theses gigantic waves, rowing in circles is not
an option. We must continue to row forward using the
Temple, our lighthouse, as a beacon in the dark. As we
live in this world filled with opposition, temptation and
persuasive deceptions, we must carefully navigate through
the barrage of worldly enticements and trials that so often
could steer us away from the Lord’s call to safety, the
safety of the temple and all things that lead us to the
temple, which will ultimately bring us home.
How grateful we are to have the
blessings and security of our Father in
Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ
guiding and protecting us, helping to
take away our fears and darkness, but
we must keep on rowing!
As we read in Ezekiel 47:3-5, we are taught
a beautiful principle in temple worship. In
Ezekiel’s vision, he witnessed the water issuing
out from the temple, bringing life to everything
it touched, symbolically teaching us that this is
what the temple will do for us. The more we
engulf ourselves in temple work, the more we
will feel of its healing and life-sustaining
blessings distilled upon our souls.
“Just as the water coming from the temple
enlivens and heals all that it touches, temple
blessings also heal and enliven. These temple
blessings include enabling us to change; enabling
us to receive clear inspiration; enabling us to bear
trials; and enabling us to help our loved ones.
Modern day prophets have promised these
blessings to those who qualify for the temple.”
— LDS African Website
https://africase.lds.org/establishing-the-temple-as-the-great-symbol-of-membership
In The Beginning of Better Days, authors Sheri Dew and Virginia
Pearce shared this about our prophet Joseph Smith: “Just three
months before he was martyred, he made this defining statement:
‘We need the temple more than anything else.’” They continue:
“Some believed that a major reason the Relief Society was organized
was to prepare the sisters for the temple. Reynolds Cahoon, a
member of the Nauvoo Temple building committee, told the sisters
that ‘this Society is raised by the Lord to prepare us for the great
blessings which are for us in the House of the Lord.’
“As Joseph taught the sisters, the temple was clearly on his mind.
He implored them to be pure, to act in holiness, and to resist evil.
‘Meekness, love, purity, these are the things that should magnify us,’
he declared, promising, ‘If you will be pure, nothing can hinder.’”
“The purpose of the Relief
Society was to help the sisters
practice holiness…”
— The Prophet Joseph Smith
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that
will I seek after; that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to
inquire in his temple.
— Psalms 27:4
One of my favorite scripture in the
Old Testament is found in Psalms. ________________
Pres. Thomas S. Monson shares with us,
“As we touch the temple and love the temple,
our lives will reflect our faith. As we go to
the holy house, as we remember the covenants
we make therein, we will be able to bear
every trial and overcome each temptation.”
— President Thomas S. Monson
I love taking a mental inventory of the
continual lessons I learn and the
blessings I receive from temple worship.
A mere recognizing of these blessings
causes our hearts to yearn for more
frequent efforts.
One of the most important blessings of the temple is to
receive and make sacred covenants. Among these
covenants is the highest and holy ordinance, that of the
sealing power, uniting husbands and wives and their
children together for time and all eternity. From the hands
of the prophet Elijah the sealing keys were given to Joseph
Smith on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple. Sisters,
every faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints will receive all of the sealing blessings in
due time, no matter their marriage status at this time, as a
result of their faithfulness in the gospel and their
commitment to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Perhaps some of you noticed a question we
posed on our stake Relief Society website that is
derived from Wendy Watson Nelson’s book
What Would a Holy Woman Do?
Holy women seek to fill their lives with holy
temple habits. They are striving to make pure
and clean vessels for the Lord.
One of the Young Women in our stake wrote this,
“I was hanging out with a couple of friends one night
and they wanted to watch a certain movie. Both of
my friends are not Mormon, so they put the movie in
and it was rated R. I was going to stay and watch it,
but then I thought to myself about what a holy
woman would do. I thought about what types of
words and images I could possibly hear and see, so I
called my brother to come pick me up.
I felt a lot better after I left.”
As I personally considered this question over a
matter of months, I noticed that my heart and mind
reflected upon more holy thoughts, made room for
more holy habits and exercised more holy acts of
kindness. Lastly, I felt a desire to turn my heart to
more holy learning in the temple. I have a long way
to go, but I now have a tool, a question to help my
heart and mind stay heavenward on my path.
Sisters, each of us can carry this same question
with us at all times, so that it acts as a sieve
and purifier of thoughts and deeds.
This is something each of us can do!
“What Would a Holy Woman Do?”
One of the most important thing a holy woman
can do is to act on compassionate feelings to lift
others around us, to be a Savior on Mount Zion.
We each have this unique responsibility. His
distinct charge for each of us is to watch over, care
for, love and serve one another and help each other
along the way. Young Women, you have been
prepared with special abilities to reach out and lift
others, just as you have watched your mothers care
for and love others along the way.
Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy________________
Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling [sister]
You may rescue, you may save.
—Text and music: Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876
What is our personal responsibility and purpose
on our journey throughout life? Do our actions
matter? Are there those who need our help on
this earth and on the other side of the veil? We
are the keepers of the lower lights, the watchman
on the tower, helping to lift and bring others
along the way. We are the Savior’s disciples,
the gleam across the wave.
There are many ways we can become involved in being
Saviors on Mount Zion and improving ourselves so that
we may be a light for others. Earlier this month, I was
excited to hear about a scouting award that was recently
opened for all genders and ages to earn that had a
wonderful connection to our "lighthouse" symbol for our
women's conference. My desire was to see if I could earn
this award prior to our conference so that I could invite
all women in our stake to see how they can make a
difference, as they learn these beautiful principles.
On January 20th, 2015, I was presented this special
Thomas S. Monson scouting award. Sister Dawn Harvey
from our Stake’s Angel Crossing Ward and her boss, Bro.
Mark Francis, the director over LDS/BSA, presented it to
me. Though it wasn’t a difficult award to earn, I was
grateful for the important lessons I gained and the
meaningful purposes behind this award. There is a special
focus on family history, family life, and other gospel and
scouting topics to understand and learn, plus two
powerful talks from Pres. Monson.
On the back of the award are President
Monson’s familiar words:
“Look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is
no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so
strong, no mariner so lost but what its
beacon light can rescue.”
—Pres. Thomas S. Monson
The Temple, the Lighthouse of the Lord!
As we anchor our lives in deep-rooted principles of the gospel, secure
our sail in all our covenants, and keep our compass and rudder on
course, we can rest assured that we have our loving Father in Heaven
and Jesus Christ as our companions, shipmates, and most importantly,
as our Eternal Father and Savior. The Lighthouse of the Lord—the
temple—will become a guiding light throughout our life and we will find
incomprehensible joy and divine protection. As we look back, we will
know that our sail was set windward by a loving Savior, Jesus Christ.Photo compilation taken and created by Renée Packer
I stand as a witness of His divine love and
awareness of each of us as His literal sons
and daughters. As lighthouses guide ships
safely to the harbor, the temple is calling us
home: a home where we may find peace, safety,
direction, light, truth, and eternal assurances
of how to endure with honor.
I know where my path leads. I know who I follow. I
bear testimony that each of us can find joy in our
journey. Though it may be, at times, treacherous and
filled with uncertainty, there is a bright light of hope
ahead: hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hope in
turning our hearts to our Father’s heart, and hope in the
strengthening power of honoring and keeping all our
covenants so that we may return to rest in His glory.
To this I testify, in His name, Amen
The Temple, the Lighthouse of the LordPhotography and compilation by Renee Packer,
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, 8-26-2014, and the Ogden, Utah Temple, 9-21-2014
The Temple, the Lighthouse of the Lord Testimony by Renée W. Packer — January 2015
The title of this work, “The Temple, the Lighthouse of the Lord,” was inspired from my
recent travels in Nova Scotia with my husband in August 2014. After we returned, I
began to research the words “lighthouse” and “temples,” and came upon several talks from
President Thomas S. Monson, finding only the phrase: “The Lighthouse of the Lord.” I
felt compelled to put these two phrases together, “The Temple,” and “The Lighthouse of the
Lord,” uniting this parallel. I felt a reassurance when, during the first rededication session
of the Ogden Temple, our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, stated similarly, “May the Temple
be the lighthouse of the Lord, guiding us through the storms of life.” (Updated since our
Women’s Conference) This acted as a second witness and confirmed the direction of this
symbolic reminder. Little did I know how that these two images would eventually come
together for the very purpose of our Layton South Stake Women’s Conference in January
2015—but the Lord did. My heart, mind, and hands were guided to create this singular
image from two different images that I photographed: one during our travels in Nova Scotia,
and one of our newly dedicated Ogden temple right after our attending the last session.