- model: Canon PowerShot SD780 IS
- exposureTime: 0.001 s (1/1250) (1/1250)
- aperture: 3.1862843026845
- meteringMode: matrix
- flashUsed: No
- focalLength: 5.90 (59/10)
My wonderful dad-in-law and mom-in-law invited me and Ray to go down on a day trip with their ward to participate in an Endowment session they had scheduled at this wonderful old LDS temple. Ray and I got up early to meet the chartered bus for the 2.5 hour drive down to central Utah. This is a temple right in the middle of farm country in Utah, and I found several temple workers who are counsins of my mother. I asked them to say hi to my relatives who live several more hundred miles away in southern Utah.
The endowment session I sat and wandered through was a beautiful experience. I was not only there with mom and dad but with my sweety Ray. I really like this eternal family thing. I was doing proxy endowment work for a gal named Anne M. born in Michigan about 1878. I couldn’t help but feel a connection here too, because my former middle name was Anne (before my mother changed it without asking).
Anyway, the murals throughout the progressive rooms are stunning and beautifully handpainted to depict the story told in the endowment (Plan of Salvation):
Plan of Salvation
In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father prepared a plan to enable us to become like Him and receive a fulness of joy. The scriptures refer to this plan as “the plan of salvation” (Alma 24:14; Moses 6:62), “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8), “the plan of redemption” (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:30), and “the plan of mercy” (Alma 42:15). The plan of salvation is the fulness of the gospel. It includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel. Moral agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves, is also essential in Heavenly Father’s plan. Because of this plan, we can be perfected through the Atonement, receive a fulness of joy, and live forever in the presence of God. Our family relationships can last throughout the eternities.
For more information, go the LDS Church’s site about the Plan of Salvation.
What is important is that worthy members of the LDS Church are eligible to go in these sacred buildings and perform their own (initial) ordinances (like marriage) and proxy ordinances for our dead. These proxy works include baptism, sealing children to parents for time and eternity, and sealing (eternal marriage) for those who never had the opportunity in life.
Many of us bring our own family history research and perform the work for our own lovely ancestors. This is a powerful way to do service to passed on family members. However, I often go for very selfish reasons. Going to the temple re-centers you and gives you a lasting peace that gets embedded into your daily life. This experience was no different for me. I realized a few more things in there about myself, about my needs, and about what I will be able to accomplish the next few weeks in my doctoral program. But I will be praying for help the whole time…
Factoids about this temple:
Announcement: 25 June 1875
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 25 April 1877 by Brigham Young
Private Dedication: 17 May 1888 by Wilford Woodruff
Dedication: 21–23 May 1888 by Lorenzo Snow
Public Open House: 6–8 June 1985
Rededication: 14–16 June 1985 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Location: Temple Hill, Manti, Utah, United States.
Site: 27 acres.
Exterior Finish: Fine-textured, cream-colored oolite limestone obtained from quarries in the hill upon which it stands.
Temple Design: Castellated style having influences of Gothic Revival, French Renaissance Revival, French Second Empire and colonial architecture.
Number of Rooms: Four progressive-style ordinance rooms and eight sealing.
Total Floor Area: 100,373 square feet.
Perched atop a rising knoll, known as “Temple Hill,” the magnificent Manti Utah Temple dominates the Sanpete Valley of central Utah. Located just off Highway 89, approaching travelers can glimpse the distinctive towers from miles and miles away. Thousands flock to the spacious temple grounds each summer to watch the popular Mormon Miracle Pageant.
- The Manti Utah Temple was the third temple built in Utah.
- The Manti Utah Temple was the only temple dedicated by President Lorenzo Snow.
- The Manti Utah Temple was originally named the Manti Temple.
- The Manti Utah Temple was built on a rattlesnake-infested site, known as the Manti Stone Quarry. Once Brigham Young designated the site for a temple, it became known as Temple Hill. The quarry’s stone, Manti oolite, is the same cream-colored stone used for the temple exterior.
- On the morning of the site dedication, Brigham Young confided to Warren S. Snow that Temple Hill was the spot where Book of Mormon Prophet Moroni dedicated the land for a temple site.
- Open-center spiral staircases wind up each of the 179-foot towers of the Manti Utah Temple. The dramatic stairways are an engineering marvel of the Mormon pioneers.
- A large arching tunnel under the east tower of the Manti Utah Temple, which has since been closed, allowed cars to pass from one side of the temple to the other.
- The Manti Utah Temple is the oldest temple retaining original mural paintings on the walls of its progressive-style ordinance rooms: Creation Room, Garden Room, World Room, Terrestrial Room (no murals), and Celestial Room (no murals).
- The Manti Utah Temple is one of two temples that still employs live acting for presentation of the endowment. (The other is the Salt Lake Temple.)
- In 1985, the Manti Utah Temple was formally rededicated following a four-year renovation project that included updating the auxillary systems of the temple; adding three sealing rooms, new dressing rooms, a nursery, and offices; and restoring the pioneer craftsmanship and artwork to their former glory. The three-day open house was attended by 40,308 visitors.
