Saying Goodbye to the Temple

The coronavirus.  Who knew what it meant to all of us Americans when it was discovered in China last month?

This past week, I attended preparation meeting on Thursday evening, my usual shift.  The temple president told us not to worry--that the temple would remain open because it is not a gathering place for large groups of people (like the CDC was telling us to avoid).  He also told us to not fear, and to not spread that fear.  By the time I left the endowment session that evening, another worker was announcing in the dressing room that all church meetings had been canceled indefinitely (I seriously wanted to call her out for not heeding the warning of the temple president).  The next day, I received two different emails, writing that despite all church meetings being canceled, the temple would remain open.

I breathed a sigh of relief.  At least we, as Saints, would still have a place to go.

That evening, I received an email that all temples would be closed for the near future, and our own temple presidency notified us that the temple would remain open for Friday night/Saturday shifts, but would close after that.

I had one thought:  go to the temple.  I texted my children and tried to gently encourage them to go to the temple one last time.  I also expected that during my Saturday afternoon shift, the temple would be bulging at the seams with patrons, trying to get in before it closed.

I was sadly disappointed.  We weren't full by any means, and if I had to guess, we had fewer patrons than normal.  While everyone thought to flock to CostCo for toilet paper, very few thought to flock to the temple.  As President Nelson said in the October 2019 conference, "The crowning jewel of the restoration is the holy temple.  Its sacred covenants and ordinances are pivotal to preparing a people who are ready to welcome a Savior at His second coming."

But this isn't a post about judgement.  This is a post about my own thoughts as I left the temple that day.

We were encouraged by President Nelson to study the restoration in preparation for this April's general conference.  I have been reading the first book of The Work and the Glory series as a result.  I think the stories of the early Saints are incredible, and I mean that in the real sense of the word--they almost go beyond credibility because they are so horrific and so fantastic.

I thought of the first temples built in this dispensation.  The Kirtland Temple which the Saints left on their way to Nauvoo, and the Nauvoo temple which they left on their way west.  I can hardly imagine the sorrow they felt as they literally walked away from them, moving on.  They had built them with their own hands and labor, and all had received their first set of temple ordinances there.  And even worse, to be leaving Nauvoo and to turn around and see the temple on fire?

There is a long history and account of the Nauvoo temple at The Fate of the Temple but here is the condensed version for this post:

Finally, on Monday, 9 October 1848, at 3 a.m. the citizens of Nauvoo were awakened to witness the great Mormon temple enveloped in flames. It had been set on fire deliberately, apparently as an act to forever discourage the Latter-day Saints from returning to the city. A description of this fire, which resulted in the destruction of the temple, was published in the Nauvoo Patriot:

Destruction of the Mormon Temple. On Monday (October 9th) our citizens were awakened by the alarm of fire, which, when first discovered, was bursting out through the spire of the temple, near the small door that opened from the East side to the roof, on the main building. The fire was seen first about three o'clock in the morning, and not until it had taken such hold of the timbers and roof as to make useless any effort to extinguish it. The materials of the inside were so dry, and the fire spread so rapidly, that a few minutes were sufficient to wrap this famed edifice in a sheet of flame.

It was a sight too full of mournful sublimity. The mass of material which had been gathered there by the labor of many years afforded a rare opportunity for this element to play off some of its wildest sports. Although the morning was tolerably dark, still when the flames shot upwards, the spire, the streets and the houses for nearly a mile distant were lighted up, so as to render even the smallest object discernible. The glare of the vast torch, pointing skyward, indescribably contrasted with the universal gloom and darkness around it.

To this account is added another descriptive report: “The fire presented a most sublime spectacle. It commenced in the cupola, and as the flames shot up to the sky, they threw a lurid glare into the surrounding darkness. Great volumes of smoke and flame burst from the windows, and the crash of falling timbers was distinctly heard on the opposite side of the river. The interior of the building was like a furnace; the walls of solid masonry were heated throughout and cracked by the intense heat. The melted zinc and lead was dropping from its huge block during the day. On Tuesday morning the walls were too hot to be touched. The naked walls still stand, and if not demolished by the hand of man, for centuries may stand."

The structure was entirely consumed by the flames, and only bare walls were left standing. These were reported to have been "calcined and rendered useless." The oxen and font in the basement also shared the same fate. The reaction by citizens of Nauvoo and the surrounding country was one of shock and dismay. Even the Warsaw Signal, a publication that voiced opposition to the Latter-day Saints, spoke out in disapproval: "No doubt the work of some nefarious incendiary. This edifice was the wonder of Illinois. . . . As a work of art and a memorial of Mormon delusion, it should have stood for ages. None but the most depraved heart could have applied the torch to effect its destruction."

I felt a bit of that as I walked out of the temple doors for the last time yesterday.  When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they were told that they would now live among briars and noxious weeds, all part of Satan's plan to try and bring them down.  The coronavirus is one of those noxious weeds, trying to bring down our faith and successfully filling many of us with fear.

All of the temple workers were saying goodbye to each other, and after doing that with a few of my closest friends, I just couldn't endure it and quickly worked my way outside.  These people have become my dearest friends since moving to Michigan, and the thought of not seeing them for an indefinite time?

But looking back at the temple, the place that has been our real home over the last two years, and knowing that I won't be back this Thursday or Saturday?  Such sadness.

On the flip side though, I'm so thankful that my life is in order.  Yes, I'll miss the weekly boost I get from sitting and working in the house of the Lord, but my temple reserve is full.  And while I was saying the words to the initiatory ordinances for one last time, how thankful I was that I have those memorized so that I can review them to myself when needed.

The Lord has a plan.  If this is the end, I'm ready.  If it's a moment to reflect on my life, I'm ready to do that as well.  Trust in Him.  Do what you're supposed to do. It'll all work out.