why I want to be married in the temple :)

Those of you who aren't LDS might wonder why I am getting married in a temple and I just wanted to blog a little bit about it :). Above is a video that talks a little bit about what goes on in temples and why we go there.

Now my take on it...

Getting married in the temple is SO AWESOME! We believe that temples are holy places where we can feel close to God and where families can be sealed together forever. "Sealed" means bound together through the authority and power of God. We believe that the Priesthood (power of God here on Earth) was restored to the earth through a modern-day prophet after being lost from the earth after the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles. The Priesthood makes it possible for us to be with our families even after death. This is incredibly comforting to me and I am so grateful to know that I can be with those I love forever. These blessings are available in the holy temples. When Brian and I get married it is not going to be a "till death do you part" type of deal. We're talking about for-ev-er. 

I understand that that means through the good and the bad. Through the easy times and the hard times. Through health and sickness... but it also means that we can and will be together after this life ends as long as we continue to try and live right. It is one of my favorite parts about the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Matthew 16:19. I will admit that it's a little scary to take such a gigantic leap into "forever," but I know that Brian is SUCH a wonderful guy and that he will treat me right and I am going to do my best to treat him right too. We both still have a long way to go and a lot of things to learn, but I am excited that we can do it together :) That's what best friends are for, right?

I know that God has a plan for us and that families are a HUGE part of that plan. He wants us to be able to learn together, grow together, and help everyone around us to the best of our ability. I am excited to take this step in my life and I feel so excited that I get to go to the temple to be married to my best friend forever. 

I also love that literally anyone can go to the temple. Many people have asked me (especially on my mission) why everyone can't go into the temple. The truth is that everyone can - they just have to prepare first. The temple is a holy, clean place of God and therefore there are requirements for entering the temple. There is nothing crazy or outrageous - you just have to be keeping the commandments of God and repenting (no one is perfect!). I was so privileged to be able to work with many people on my mission who truly wanted better, happier, purer lives. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, that kind of change is possible. In the temple you can feel His love so strong and I watched as many people transformed their lives and eventually went to the temple - many to be sealed as families forever.

Here is a great site to look for to learn some things about the temple - TEMPLES

We recently had "General Conference" - every six months the prophet and apostles of the church (as well as other spiritual leaders) address us and talk to us about important principles and how we can help others around us and how we can improve ourselves. This conference was so wonderful with many talks about helping those who suffer (especially in light of recent events in Japan and elsewhere), repentance, faith, character, acting on your good intentions... and many more! Here is one talk that really touched me. Here is a man who truly values his eternal marriage :D

If anyone reading this has any questions and wants to learn more, shoot me a message or check out mormon.org or lds.org for more information :) I love to talk about the things that make me the most happy!