sister_in_faith

I think that the first time temple experience is probably not something ANYONE is really prepared for. The thing that got me past my 'run for the hills' feeling was promising myself that I would go back at least 5 times, no matter what, and soon. So I went back, and then again, and my perspective started to change on it. The ceremony was easier to understand, and it is true that you learn something new each time you go. Start doing as many different kind of ordinace work you can, initories are my favorite, sealings, endowments, all of it. And then when you are done, take some well earned time in the celestial room to reflect. Pray to feel our father's love, see yourself in Heaven with Him. Feel the other spirits around you. Know that you stand on holy ground. Yes the first time can be a bit over whelming and confusing, but I promise you that if you give it an honest shot, you will come to learn some things that will comfort you and make you very glad that you are an endowed member of our church!!! Don't let yourself get caught up in the clothes and the actions you preform. Sit back and absorb what is being taught. That is more important. And once I learned the symbolism behind the clothing, I was able to put those concerns aside. Trust me, it gets better!

Very interesting! Thank you!

I wonder if even those who marry, if they marry the 'wrong' one, will have an opportunity to re-marry. I wouldn't be surprised. There are a lot of spirits to match up, and I'm sure that here on earth we haven't done the best job of it.

anim82r I think you hit the nail on the head. nicely done!

Me too... I've been praying for you!

Anne, you ARE a sunshine vitamin! hee hee hee!

I think I would give all my personal belongings up for a TR, as long as Sophie isn't considered a 'personal belonging'.

Yeah, that light is pretty dim sometimes. And Anne, I guess you are right... If Heavenly Father needs me here, burdening society, for another 50 years, I'll do it. :)

I'm sure that the church has reasons for doing things the way they do, but I kind of feel like asking young women to wait until they are preparing for marriage to get their TR is unfair. I know that, for me, getting my endowment was a big deal. It was a time for me to focus on myself, and MY progression in the gospel. The whole experience was very heavy. I CANNOT imagine having that tangled up with a wedding. I mean, there are a lot of young women who do their endowment on the same day or week as their wedding! If that was me, I would be so focused on the upcoming wedding, I wouldn't be able to devote as much energy to the endowment as it deserves. The other problem is that there are a lot of young women who may NOT be ready for their endowment, but because they are getting married, go thru with it anyway. A friend of mine was getting endowed a week before her wedding. When she got to the temple she realized that she didn't WANT to get endowed, but because she didn't want to ruin the wedding she did it anyway. I think that the endowment is important enough that it should be something that woman's full attention is given to! I may be wrong... I am interested if anyone else feels this way, or wishes that they had been able to do their endowment a year or so before their wedding?

For some reason while reading your post I felt prompted to encourage you to research temples. I think that if you were to be able to strive for and enter the temple you would find a lot of comfort there. If you can, go to a temple grounds and walk around it. The grounds are a wonderful place to find comfort, peace, and a place to pray. Just look into it. Good luck on your journey!!!

Endure to the end. That's what I'm doing. I've outlived my usefulness on this earth (as far as I can see). I want to go home to my father so much it hurts, BUT I want to do it in the way that is pleasing to Him. It is hard trying to figure out what it is that he wants me to do, or why he is keeping me here. I try to be uplifting to others in some way, but recently have realized that I'm not very good at that either, so I really don't know why He is keeping me here. I'm 31 years old, I seriously can't do this for another 50 years. I'm ready, NOW.

Whatever you find to do, I hope you have fun!

I appreciate that. (and no, I didn't really wink)

So when I use this people actually think I'm sitting by my computer with a huge teethy grin? That's silly.

I poison communication in threads? Did I read that right? I'm sure I didn't, so would you mind clarifying?

Dravin, just out of couriosity, when you post things like that, do you feel the spirit when you do? Do you enjoy reaching out from your computer and hurting people? Does it make you feel empowered in some way? I'm just trying to understand where YOU are coming from.

This is a very unkind thing to say. I have never personally attacked you or your wife, and I expect the same treatment from you. You do not walk in my shoes, and so you have no idea if I "spend a lot of time confused". I work very hard at trying to read things appropriately, and respond thoughtfully, but you know what, brain tumors don't make you any smarter, so if I make a mistake now and then (which is bound to happen) it's okay to not pounce on it. I am so saddened by how unkind your post is.

First, I never said they were. Second, I agree. I think we should be guided by the spirit as to what is appropriate to share. Third, oh, I'm sorry I take back my "temple workers trump apostles" statement. Oh, wait, I don't think I ever said that. Where did that even come from? Hummmm.

In fact, when the temple matron told me that we are free to share feelings, I felt like she was encouraging me to do that, because when we share how we feel in the temple, we encourage others to want to experience those blessings for themselves.

I agree that the line needs to be drawn somewhere. And I am certainly NOT the person to decide where it is drawn, I just think that sometimes we draw it a little more conservitavely (sp?) than it needs to be. When I was first introduced to the temple, I was told that we could talk about any 'feelings' or personal experiences we had in the temple, we just couldn't talk about 'actions' or what we DO in the temple. But I see people get their hackles up if you even talk about how you felt in the temple, saying it is sacred and we can't discuss it, when actually, we can.

What about the picnic table?!? TELL me you are going to check that out!

And even tho the process was a little painful and confusing to me, it really did all work out for the best. I needed the extra time to mature a little in the gospel, and if they had waited any longer, I think I would have stopped wanting to go to the temple as badly as I did. Heavenly Father had my best interests at heart, and it worked out very well.

The SP wasn't really POed, the bishop was... Apparently Pres. Monson got my letter and rerouted it back to the SP. And the SP brought me in because of the letter, and then explained to me that young women are encouraged to wait until marriage to get endowed, or they have to be 'beyond hope' of ever being married, or on their way to a mission. They pointed out that while there was a large percentage of the young men in my YSA ward that had TRs, there were only 2 or 3 of the young women who did, and they didn't really think it was fair for a convert to get a TR over some of the other young women who were life time members. They kept telling me that it wasn't a worthiness issue, but a timing issue, and they didn't want a bunch of the other young women to see me getting a temple recommend, and then start bugging the bishop that they should get one too. I don't know, it was politics I didn't want to get involved with. It was so hard for me, because I kept thinking it had to be something wrong on my end. I kept asking the bishop what I needed to do to improve to be worthy, and at first he would give me scriptures to read, and kept sending me to temple prep class, then finally he was like, stop bugging me, it's not you. I dropped the issue, and just continued to study on my own, and pray, and go do baptisms, and walk around the temple, and then when the bishop was on his way out (no one else knew that he was going to leave) he called me in and as one of his last 'acts' gave me a temple recommend. It was several years ago, but those are the basics I remember.

I am so sorry for what you are going thru... I don't really have any advice to offer, but I can try to give you some comfort. Heavenly Father sees your situation, and knows your struggles. He loves you and your family unconditionally. He sees your daughter and knows what a blessed time of her life she is about to enter, when she is baptized. He wants you to be there for her and make it special for her. Don't let this scandal be a part of her special day. He wants you to have hope in this difficult time. In the end it will all work out, and your family will come thru this struggle stronger and with a firmer faith in God. No matter what the outcome of any church discipline, remind your husband that it is all done with love, and his, and your family's best interests at heart. Start praying together regularly. When you do your own prayer time, pray for your husband earnestly. Doing so will increase your love and tolerance for him. I know that you cannot see past tomorrow or this struggle right now, but rest assured that Heavenly Father does. You can do this! I type these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Frankly, I wish that we were more open about topics like this. Before I had my personal experience I had no idea that this kind of thing could happen, and it was very confusing to me when it did happen. I think we should be MORE open about things that happen in the temple, so that when new people experience them it isn't a total surprise to them. If I had been prepared for my experience, I would have stopped what I was doing, and gone to pray for a while about it. I would have spoken to the sealer before going thru with the ordinance. But as it was, I was just so shocked I didn't know what to do. In the future I will handle it better. I am truly sorry to the people that I did the ordinance for and to the first wife who was left out, that I didn't know how to handle it better. I really wished that everyone could have been calmed down and happy for the sealing. We should tell new people that they can expect that they may experience things like this and they should be aware of the feed back they are getting from the other side of the veil. It is important, and without guidance, new people don't know what to do with it. That's just my opinion.