The Relaxing 2014 Vacation: Trip to Logan Temple

Jennifer and I attended the Logan Temple today.  As I think about it, I'm almost positive this is the first time I've participated in an endowment session at the Logan Temple since I took out my own endowments there before leaving on my mission.  It is possible that I made a return visit after my mission ended and before I resumed "civilian" life by going back to school, but if I did, I don't recall.  Either way it's been a good number of years since I entered this particular temple.  We made a family trip to Logan several years ago and walked the temple grounds.  Every time we make a family temple trip, we have a good time together, but walking through the front door with Jen and being able to participate in an endowment session made today a great experience for me.

I recommend to the brothers and sisters who take the Temple Preparation class from me to write a journal entry after their first endowment experience and express their thoughts and feelings about the day because I didn't and I find myself wishing that I had.  I don't know how many people have actually taken my advice, but I hope they have.  The reason I wish I had a written record of my endowment experience in the Logan Temple is because I can remember certain details and feelings about the day, but I don't recall the subtle nuances or the emotional flavor.  I admit, being inside the temple did help to re-energize the things I do recall about that day.  I remember the temple worker who was assigned to me.  He had a full head of brilliant white hair and he was short, reaching my sternum.  He was so excited to help me that day.  When he found out I was getting ready to leave on my mission, he went out of his way to call me Elder.  He took me in hand and lead me to my locker and helped me through each preliminary step by explaining everything I needed to know.  With all those steps completed, I was ready to be handed back to my father who was my escort for the session.  My memory of that first time partaking in the endowment session is a warm one because of the kindness, attentiveness, and welcoming way this brother helped me.  Now there are seven lessons to assist those people going for the first time in their preparation for the day.  My temple prep consisted of a 30 minute to an hour meeting with the counselor in the Stake presidency (who lived in Cokeville) talking with me an answering questions--not that I had a huge amount; I didn't know what to ask.  Any anxiety or fear I might have had was alleviated because of wonderful brother.

I also remember coming into the Celestial room after the session was completed and seeing Mom and Dad waiting for me.  I have a vague recollection of wondering if this was what the Celestial Kingdom might be like, seeing family members waiting anxiously for my arrival.  As I sat in the Celestial room with Jennifer after the session today, a nostalgic type of feeling overwhelmed me.  I'm not sure how to exactly describe what I felt--it was almost a full-circle kind of feeling (it's good a young Simba wasn't in the room--I might have jumped onto the back of one of the couches and attempted to recreate the initial "pride rock" scene of The Lion King).  All joking aside, I couldn't help but evaluate myself.  Thinking back on that wide-eyed kid preparing to embark on a full-time mission, I could see that I am different now in a good way.  I am a better man today than I was back then.  Many of my rough edges still need a lot of sand paper, but they're not a sharp as they once were.  At the same time, however, I know the Master Carpenter still has long way to go with me.

It was nice to be sit next to Jennifer and soak in the fact that I was back in my "home" temple (for lack of a better description).  As I looked around the room, I couldn't help but wonder if the trappings were the same, or if any remodeling had been done in the intervening years.  Memory being what it is, I could not recall what the Celestial room looked like during my first official visit.  I had a vague notion of pioneer craftsmanship, but I think I was getting the Logan Temple's Celestial room mixed up with Salt Lake's.  We stayed for about 10 or 15 minutes, quietly talking or silently lost in thought.  After leaving the building, we took some pictures and made our way to a Chinese restaurant I had seen as we drove into town before returning to Cokeville.