The Ft. Lauderdale Florida Temple
Wow, these past few months have been pretty incredible, and I have hardly blogged. Of course I was super busy with robotics, and I have already written recaps of that on our team's website here, here, and here.
But, something else I have been busy with is the opening of the new Mormon Temple in Ft. Lauderdale. Since February, we have been working hard on several events related to this, but it all started long before that.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints first started appearing in Florida in the late 19th century. At that time the closest Temple was in Salt Lake City, Utah. Temples are separate from regular meetinghouses, and serve as places to be close to God and perform sacred ordinances. I have written more about their function here.
In 1927, the closest temple became Mesa, Arizona. Then in 1974, the Washington D.C. temple became our temple. By the time my parents moved here in the late 80s, our closest temple was in Atlanta. In 1994, a temple was built in our state, in Orlando.
For my whole life, we had gone up to the Orlando Temple. I have helped do baptisms there many times since I was 12. In October 2009, as the General Conference of the Church was approaching, I had thought about if we would ever get a temple closer to home. There had been a rash of building temples in the past decade or so, and I wondered if it was time for our area. Then on October 3rd, 2009, President Monson announced the construction of the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Temple. After this, and the official groundbreaking in June 2011, we began to watch the temple rise up before us on the edge of I-75. Now it is finally open.
One of the principal points of my involvement the past few months has been preparing for the Cultural Celebration. This event was held last night and is common before the opening of temples. In it, youth from all over the temple's area sing and dance to show their culture and celebrate the temple. This was a massive effort, and something I didn't really appreciate at first. I actually enjoy singing usually, but I'm not much of a dancer, and the long practices we held every week were far from fun.
Last week, we held a massive rehearsal in our normal meetinghouse with 1200 youth from around South Florida. Needless to say, it was pretty chaotic. On top of that, we were preparing for an unexpected visit from Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We knew he would be there soon to see a glimpse of our work, but we were far from ready on some of our pieces. Somehow though, when he visited we were able to sing and dance almost perfectly. He loved it, and blessed us for future success.
The Cultural Celebration was last night at the NSU gymnasium. At 3:00, we had a final rehearsal in front of a live audience, and then at 7:00 it was time for the real thing. Many Church leaders and dignitaries were in attendance, including President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. The show was incredible and really turned out well. If you have the time, I invite you to watch it online here. (Look for me in a green shirt!)
The show really was amazing. It was such a great experience to be with 1200 other youth of my faith yesterday for the whole day. There were many special moments and many fun moments. This show displayed our gratitude and readiness for a temple in our own area.
But, something else I have been busy with is the opening of the new Mormon Temple in Ft. Lauderdale. Since February, we have been working hard on several events related to this, but it all started long before that.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints first started appearing in Florida in the late 19th century. At that time the closest Temple was in Salt Lake City, Utah. Temples are separate from regular meetinghouses, and serve as places to be close to God and perform sacred ordinances. I have written more about their function here.
In 1927, the closest temple became Mesa, Arizona. Then in 1974, the Washington D.C. temple became our temple. By the time my parents moved here in the late 80s, our closest temple was in Atlanta. In 1994, a temple was built in our state, in Orlando.
For my whole life, we had gone up to the Orlando Temple. I have helped do baptisms there many times since I was 12. In October 2009, as the General Conference of the Church was approaching, I had thought about if we would ever get a temple closer to home. There had been a rash of building temples in the past decade or so, and I wondered if it was time for our area. Then on October 3rd, 2009, President Monson announced the construction of the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Temple. After this, and the official groundbreaking in June 2011, we began to watch the temple rise up before us on the edge of I-75. Now it is finally open.
---
---
Before a temple is dedicated, anyone can tour the building during the public open house. I was able to go to the temple many times, on tours and as a volunteer. The main volunteer activity for youth was putting plastic shoe covers on everyone who enters. With more than 40,000 people going through the temple over a three week period, these provided protection to the floor and have no religious significance. Doing this was kind of an odd experience, but it was wonderful to be able to serve others. So many people were shocked when we would put the shoe covers on for them, instead of having them do it themselves. These simple acts of service were awesome.
I was also able to bring some of my friends through the temple on a tour! I was reluctant to do this at first, because it is kind of a weird thing to ask your friends, but I am glad that I did. It was just a great opportunity to be able to have my friends learn more about the temple and my religion.
---
One of the principal points of my involvement the past few months has been preparing for the Cultural Celebration. This event was held last night and is common before the opening of temples. In it, youth from all over the temple's area sing and dance to show their culture and celebrate the temple. This was a massive effort, and something I didn't really appreciate at first. I actually enjoy singing usually, but I'm not much of a dancer, and the long practices we held every week were far from fun.
Last week, we held a massive rehearsal in our normal meetinghouse with 1200 youth from around South Florida. Needless to say, it was pretty chaotic. On top of that, we were preparing for an unexpected visit from Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We knew he would be there soon to see a glimpse of our work, but we were far from ready on some of our pieces. Somehow though, when he visited we were able to sing and dance almost perfectly. He loved it, and blessed us for future success.
The Cultural Celebration was last night at the NSU gymnasium. At 3:00, we had a final rehearsal in front of a live audience, and then at 7:00 it was time for the real thing. Many Church leaders and dignitaries were in attendance, including President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. The show was incredible and really turned out well. If you have the time, I invite you to watch it online here. (Look for me in a green shirt!)
The show really was amazing. It was such a great experience to be with 1200 other youth of my faith yesterday for the whole day. There were many special moments and many fun moments. This show displayed our gratitude and readiness for a temple in our own area.
---
And finally, today was the dedication of the temple. Now, it is open to all worthy members of the Church for sacred ordinances. Today was an incredible day. This morning we were able to attend the cornerstone ceremony outside the temple. Then in the afternoon, I was able to attend one of the dedication sessions with my family in the Celestial Room of the temple. President Uchtdorf performed the dedication. The spirit there was just incredible through the speaking and the singing.
I am so thankful not only for the temple in our area, but for the events leading up to it. I know this Church is true, and I am proud of its' growth in this area. I can not wait to be able to serve in the temple and enjoy its' blessings.
Comments
Post a Comment