Go Up to the Temple

To my son,

               In a little over one year you will have the opportunity to go to the temple and perform baptisms for the dead. As such, I want to suggest two ways that you can prepare for that opportunity. The first is to continue to find ways to serve other people and look for the joy you can feel as you serve. Your mother is a great example of one who works hard to serve those in need and often has a family or friend she is doing a project for to help them. She does that because she really wants to help those who are suffering or who are in need, and I know that you too enjoy helping her in these projects and offering good cheer to others. Jesus taught that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” and I know that this is true (Acts 20:35). At Christmastime we are naturally excited for those presents we might receive, but the greatest joy always comes in finding ways to give and help others. As I think about previous Christmas’s, I can rarely remember the gifts I received but I do remember the times we went out of our way to try to serve others. For example, I remember growing up our family would do the Twelve Days of Christmas secretly to other families, and we had a lot of fun doing that. We have tried to continue that tradition here, and that is one of our favorite parts of the holidays. As you learn at Christmas and all throughout the year to enjoy doing service to others, it will prepare you to do service in the temple. We learned recently in our study of the Doctrine and Covenants that those in the Spirit World who did not receive the gospel in mortality have it preached to them there: “And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:31). Like us, they are in need of repentance and the blessings of baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help them. The gospel is preached to them, and for those who accept it they await their ordinances being completed by us here. As you do that you will be performing such a great work for them that Joseph Smith taught that you become “saviors on Mount Zion” for them. I pray that you will learn to love to serve, especially in the temple.

               The second way I want to encourage you to prepare is to continue to read the scriptures every day. You have obviously read much of it with the family, and I know that you are developing a love for the scriptures. I thought of these words today of King Benjamin to his sons about the scriptures they had: “I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true…. And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby” (Mosiah 1:6-7). He testified that the records on the plates of brass were true and invited his sons to search them diligently. Interestingly, this was right before he invited his sons and all of his people “to go up to the temple to hear [his] words which his father should speak unto them” (Mosiah 1:18). So perhaps from this we might infer that the scriptures helped prepare them to be at the temple to hear the word of the Lord. We a similar connection in the description of the city Nephi built as he described what was most important to them: “And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass;… And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things” (2 Nephi 5:12, 16). The plates of brass—their scriptures—were key to their society, and Nephi actually used them to know how to build their temple. Know that as you read the words of the scriptures they will help you feel the Spirit and be prepared to go to our temples today. I know that you will love the opportunity to serve in the Lord’s house and feel of His love there for you and I encourage you to do these things that will help you to be ready for that day.

 

Love,

Dad