Anyone here who has received their temple endowments?

[UtahJakey]

I find it funny when people have trouble with the current endowment just because the pre 91 endowment & initiatories were so much more interesting. The take the parts that seem weird and uncomfortable to you now and multiply that by 3 and you'll have a appreciation of the endowment I had.

As I understand it the version I went through had been toned down a couple times before.

UJ

[bluedreams]

I just wanted to ask your feelings on your experience on going to the temple, without going into any detail.

How did the whole experience make you feel?

Overall, I quite enjoyed it....I don't remember a lot about it. But I remember feeling more love for my mom than I had in weeks prior. I remember receiving a strong knowledge that the Garments are truly of the Lord. I also remember being frightened out of my mind prior that I was doing things in the wrong order. And I also remember thinking at one point, if it wasn't for the spirit I'd be laughing at what (mostly old ward friends) were wearing.

Did you understand anythig?

Some. The major principle are gospel oriented and I'm an art person. My mind's naturally geared toward symbolism and representative narrative

What helped to guide you in the days after your endowments?

Going again and again and again. I went as often as I could, especially when I knew my time was limited (about to go on a mish to a place without a temple in its boundaries). I wanted to learn more. I still do. I've been endowed now for 3 or 4 years, am a temple worker currently, and I'm still learning. I really enjoy that.

Recently we had our first... as much as I would like to say that I loved it..

I did not, while i believe it is the house of the lord... I am left puzzled. I love the church,

I really really do. I've never been happier, but this experience has left me feeling

numb, confused and honestly a bit embarrased. A lot of people have said it was the

best day of their lives, was I not prepared well enough? I was excited... now I am

just confused.

I think that happens enough that you shouldn't feel embarassed. Though it didn't personally happen to me, plenty had warned me that it was a little weird and to not worry. I wasn't, but by their words I figure it's a pretty normal response.

While I understand that my view and feelings might be of the "world" hence the

weirded out part. I wanna feel happy again, I am numb, I am sad, I felt humiliated, silly.While I get the message... I can't stop feeling like this. Any suggestions?

I don't think it's of the world to be weirded out. I think it's fairly common because it's a different mode of presentation and thought that we're simply not used to in our modern age.

If it helps you be less weirded out, study it out. I started realizing on my mission that the temple is littered all over the scriptures....it has a great power to link all sort of truths that I didn't fully get or just seemed random prior. The temple's astounding.....if you dig. I started making a list where I could see either temple references or similar patterns in the scriptures. Here are some of those scriptures that might be helpful:

- Ether 3 and 1 Nephi 11 both have patterns of receiving knowledge and instruction that is similar to how it's done in the temple. This helped me understand that this was a common form for the Lord to give instruction from on high.

Other related scriptures in no particular order:

D+C 130:11; rev 2:17

D+C 132: 19

D+C 110: 9-10

D+C 93:35

3 Ne 19:34; 2 Cor 12:4

Heb 6:19

1 cor 9:13

2 Ne 9:14

Moses 7:3,32

Rev 3:5

Rev 5:10, 20:6, 1:6

I'd also recommend just taking it slow....take one part of the temple ceremony or one basic gospel principle and see how it applies. The temple, to me, is constantly different...I'm constantly learning from it and about it and it's become a major part of my testimony and how I view myself. One of my favorite things right now about it is how affirming it is to the beauty and sacred nature of a body.

I feel like I need some type of intervention, but In my heart I love the church, I believe in our prophets and everything is so perfect until this.

No, even the Brother of Jared was frightened when he first saw the finger of God. Plenty in the scriptures who've received more didn't have the initial reaction of "Wooh that was amazing." You're normal.

With luv,

BD

Edited June 12, 2013 by bluedreams

[christopherbross]

Above all else: make sure you go back as soon as possible! I didn't really want to at first but a good friend of mine invited me to go with him the following week. I am so glad he did.

When I went back the second time, I started to notice things and especially the Spirit. After I'd gone a few times in a few weeks, suddenly I started to feel really good about the whole thing.

Here's why this is, I think:

The temple ordinances are both really old and really hold (holy means separate from the world). Really old stuff sometimes seems weird to us because it was created in a time and a culture very different from ours. Things that are very different from the world are also weird because we don't associate with them very often and they are very different from our culture.

For example, in the temple we participate in what is going on. This doesn't happen in the world - we're used to being observers (for example, we sit and listen to talks but we don't participate or we sit and watch TV but we don't interact). We are definitely not observers in the temple - we are participators.

I promise you that, after a lot of experience in the temple, it is truly the House of the Lord. Going often will slowly take away the stain the world leaves on us. There is a power in doing uncomfortable things when surrounded by the Spirit. If we humble ourselves and submissively accept the will of the Lord, great blessings await us.

Above all else, go back! Go back in a spirit of prayer, go back with an open mind, go back and look for Jesus Christ! :) Everything will be alright.

[Finrock]

Hi Sourgirl. I hope you've been happy and well! :)

Please don't be weirded out by the temple. I say that even though I too was a bit surprised when I first went through, but you don't have to be like me! One thing that is helpful is to remember that all of the things in the temple are symbolic. The symbols in the temple represent real things, but not necessarily in a literal way. The scriptures are full of the temple, as bluedreams pointed out. Read the scripture thoroughly, particularly the Book of Mormon, while you regularly and frequently attend the temple. Make it a goal in your life. Something that you and your new husband will strive to do for your whole marriage. I PROMISE YOU that you will be blessed (in very powerful ways) if you make temple attendance a regular part of your life. There is no other place quite like the temple where you can gain power and learn about your specific purpose in life and the grand purposes and designs that God has in store for you.

Scipture and temple go hand in hand. I love the temple. I love that you are wanting to go back and I love that you have gone to the temple already and you plan on going back and getting sealed there.

Sincerely,

Finrock

Edited June 14, 2013 by Finrock
Corrected accuracy

[Jman4201]

It completely and totally freaked me OUT!!!!! Hated it, to be honest. I haven't been back. I'd like to possibly attend again as the first time was nearly 15 years ago and I've grown up and changed. However, due to a lack of regular attendance to my Sunday meetings the likelihood of getting a temple recommend is slim and none. (I'm a Park Ranger and work every single Sunday).

[Just_A_Guy]

It completely and totally freaked me OUT!!!!! Hated it, to be honest.

It's definitely a shift--we grow up with hardly any liturgy or formal ceremony at all, and then we go to the temple and experience a virtually foreign form of worship. Takes some getting used to, to be sure. :)

I haven't been back. I'd like to possibly attend again as the first time was nearly 15 years ago and I've grown up and changed. However, due to a lack of regular attendance to my Sunday meetings the likelihood of getting a temple recommend is slim and none. (I'm a Park Ranger and work every single Sunday).

Hope you find a solution that works for you. You might want to bounce the situation off the bishop anyways, and see what he suggests.

[missmollymormon]

I received my endowment last night. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. There were two young lads there receiving theirs as well, although by the time we hit the celestial room or was quite apparent that they both weren't comfortable. I felt sad for them both, I wish they had enjoyed it as much as I did. I am a convert, so I had no family there with me, but I was blessed with a fantastic escort and a lot of ward family with me. I do know of another lady in my ward that had the same trouble you are describing. She set an appointment up with the temple matron who sat with her the next time she went through. Now she loves it.

[embryopocket]

The gospel ordinances may seem weird to us because we grow up in the world (Babylon). We are told by the world how to think and how to act. We are told what is "normal" and what isn't. Temples are refuges from the world and we find that things done in the temple are of a Celestial nature. Also, the endowment ceremony is highly symbolic. Very few things are what they seem to be - I would focus on these symbols and try to figure out in your mind what these symbols mean. Ask the Lord to help you figure these things out. Remember that you can speak directly with the Lord through prayer. Ask in faith and he will help you understand. If you don't learn anything when you go back, don't worry! :) We receive knowledge from Heaven line upon line, precept upon precept. God will reveal knowledge to us when we are ready for it.

[LilyBelle00]

My husband and I just received our endowments a couple of days ago. We were also sealed together with our children! :) This was in Nauvoo.

In my experience.... It wasn't anything that "freaked me out" or made me question the church in any way.....but I did think it was a little odd. It seems like they could find a better way to tell the story. I would have been more comfortable just listening to someone talk. The other stuff didn't bother me, really. It was different but I expected it to be.

The sealing was lovely. My children looked amazing. My 2 year old daughter was sleeping when they carried her in and she looked like a little angel all dressed in white. My 4 year old son walked straight up to us and spread his arms out and said "look mommy daddy, I'm dressed like Jesus Christ." That caused some giggles in the room.

Everyone was amazingly nice and helpful. I was so nervous going in but once inside it was very peaceful. We met the temple president and he was friendly and very funny. He was teasing other temple workers and making little jokes.

I only wish that we would have spent more time in the celestial room. It was pretty crowded and all the seats were taken so there was standing room only. We stood there for a minute and everyone was asking us if we felt different... I think I nodded but I was kind of foggy at this point because I had been up since 4am and had been fasting. I was kind of in a daze. Then a temple worker came to us and told us that when we were ready we could go into the sealing room and my husband said lets go. He was excited to get to that part. I don't think we spent two minutes in the celestial room, honestly. I would have liked to sit down and think for a few minutes in there.

My husband is already making plans for us to go the the St Louis temple in a couple of months.

[MormonMama]

Recently we had our first... as much as I would like to say that I loved it..

I did not, while i believe it is the house of the lord... I am left puzzled. I love the church,

I really really do. I've never been happier, but this experience has left me feeling

numb, confused and honestly a bit embarrased. A lot of people have said it was the

best day of their lives, was I not prepared well enough? I was excited... now I am

just confused.

I have heard that these feelings are EXTREMELY common among members going through the temple for the first time. In fact, I was warned of this before I went by several people, which is probably a big reason why I didn't have those feelings. I was worried about remembering everything, definitely, but I understood from what others told me that I just wasn't going to remember or understand everything the first time through.

I can tell you that, after 11 years of membership before I finally went to the temple, I felt an overwhelming emotion of joy and gratitude when I finally entered the Celestial room. I couldn't believe I'd finally made it there. I broke down in tears, literally. I have a feeling I'll have the same reaction if I make it to the Celestial Kingdom, only 1,000-fold.

It does get better each time you go back. You'll understand more and more each time. Don't worry that you are somehow unworthy or not well enough prepared. Like I said, the feelings you had are quite normal, judging by what others who went through the temple before me had to say.

[MormonMama]

It completely and totally freaked me OUT!!!!! Hated it, to be honest. I haven't been back. I'd like to possibly attend again as the first time was nearly 15 years ago and I've grown up and changed. However, due to a lack of regular attendance to my Sunday meetings the likelihood of getting a temple recommend is slim and none. (I'm a Park Ranger and work every single Sunday).

If you can't go to church on Sundays due to job requirements, my understanding is that can't be held against you. I know a few members who hold a recommend and work on Sundays.