Our family went to the Ogden Temple Open House this past week. I felt the Spirit there. I love the feeling of love of God and love of family in every temple I visit. I can’t wait for it to be open, I will be going there often as we are in its temple district. (After I cut Venture’s hair. I let him keep it long until the Mastering Knighthood Summit was over, which it is now.)

I found this quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith this morning in my gospel study reading of the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual for my Power Actions. He gave it before offering the dedicatory prayer for the original Ogden Utah Temple, when it was dedicated in 1972.

 “May I remind you that when we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord’s service, with a covenant that we shall use the house in the way he intends that it shall be used.” I will be thinking of this during the upcoming dedication of the renovated temple in two weeks.

Wow, that statement has more meaning today than ever. With Elder Andersen’s #templechallenge, perhaps that could mean that God wants us to be coming to the temple with our own names, and helping our youth find names. Maybe it means that God wants us to be dedicated to attending the temple more frequently than we are used to, if we live close. Did you know that LDS church has a web site all about Elder Andersen’s challenge? It’s right here.

I will be thinking of this statement from President Smith during the upcoming dedication of the renovated temple in two weeks. I took the youth (12 and up) in my family to the Bountiful temple almost every week this summer, and I am committed to continuing with that goal during the school year. I couldn’t do it without my friend Katie’s help. She babysits my little ones while I take her boys and my boys. Sometimes my 18 year old daughter has come with us as well, when she didn’t have work. One week the kids saw Elder Russell M. Nelson there and got to shake his hand!

Here are the blessings promised us when we attend the temple, especially with our own names of relatives:

1. Increased spiritual protection

2. Stronger testimony and conversion

3. Help from the other side

4. Enhanced temple experiences.

As we keep looking toward the temple and use it the way God intends us to use it, all is well!