February Message

Dear Sisters,

Well here we are at the start of another year. And with it comes new beginnings. We set new goals, we get excited about our new course of study in Relief Society and Sunday School. And we resolve to do better this year than last year in reading the scriptures and set in stone the goal to attend the Temple more often.

I haven’t always been able to go to the Temple because my husband was a non-member. But when President Kimball said that all worthy brothers and sisters could get Temple Recommends and attend the Temple, I was ready. I would have been the first sister in our stake to go – but I waited for my Dad to come over from Idaho Falls to baptize our youngest, so I was the second in the stake.

We had to go to Seattle then and we would have to be on the road at 5:30 a.m. in order to beat the Seattle traffic and try to make the 9:00 session. We would have lunch in the Temple cafeteria, go to another session and try to beat the afternoon traffic and be home by 5:30 p.m. I tried to go every month and always had a carload of sisters.

I was so excited when our Temple was dedicated in 1989 – that meant that it would only take me 30 minutes to get to the Temple. I was still working at that time and wasn’t able to go as often as I would like to have done.
About four years after our Temple was dedicated I began working as a volunteer in the bridal department – I worked until we got a new Temple President and he discontinued the volunteer bridal department. And it was a couple of years after that I was called as an Ordinance Worker.

So it’s been 13 years now and I’ve had some wonderful, spiritual experiences and blessings and many, many prayers answered because of my Temple attendance; three of which are witnessing the sealing of my three children. When our youngest, Natalie, went to receive her endowment, we met her brother and sister at the Temple on a very cold and very wet December morning. I watched her walk ahead of me with her brother and sister on either side. They were so excited and probably wanted to run, but they walked fast. What a special blessing it has been for me to witness their sealings and knowing they were worthy.

Another time, I had had pneumonia during most of December and January and was unable to attend the Temple. I missed it so much. In February I was finally able to go. I remember walking into the third floor chapel where the Ordinance Workers met for prayer meeting and I sat close to the front. Being in the Temple again was so wonderful and listening to the beautiful organ music and just feeling the spirit I began to cry. I looked around for a tissue and realized that everyone was crying. Heavenly Father was in the Temple that day and we felt His spirit.

I know that Heavenly Father loves us and that Jesus is our Savior. I know that the Temple is The House of God and he walks the halls and corridors often, because I have felt His presence there.

My challenge to each of you is to set a goal to attend the Temple more often – attending the Temple is the most important thing we can do.

Thank you all for your love and support,

Melva Liberatore