Payson Temple

We've all been excited as we've watched the Payson Temple be built.  And it's just ten minutes from our house!

Our first experience with the new temple was a tour of the bride's room for young women and their mothers.  We walked up to the bride's room and then through a sealing room.  We were then invited to sit down and listen to one of the temple matron's assistants talk to us about the sealing room.  She told us how marriage in the temple was the most important decision we ever make and shared many other wise words.

We went to the open house with Grandpa and Grandma Elder.  We walked through the baptistry, ordinance rooms, celestial room and sealing rooms.  It is a beautiful temple, full of stained glass windows, apple blossoms, and leaves.  What a great experience to go with the family and talk of how we worship at the temple.

All three girls were able to participate in the Payson Temple Cultural Celebration.  Our stake did the maypole dance in addition to the songs sung (and signed) by everyone. Our stake had practices every Wednesday through April and May and several Saturday practices as well.

Erica and Cherilyn are in blue skirts standing together at the bottom left of the picture.  Cherilyn was a steady presence beside Erica throughout the practices and dance.  Allison is in the green skirt behind them.

It was very uniform: black pants and white shirts for everyone.  They also all had colored t-shirts underneath (each stake a different color)  for the rainbow that they revealed during the last song.

The young women and some leaders in our ward at the dress rehearsal.

The cultural celebration started over an hour late because of a thunderstorm around the field.  Grandma Elder, the boys, and I were soaked before the rain stopped.  Charles parked the car and avoided the worst of the storm.  The girls, along with all the other youth, went under the stadium soon after it started raining.  They sang and prayed while waiting for the storm to pass.

It was good to be there and watch the Celebration.  The enthusiasm of the youth was great.  The final song was the theme of the celebration -- Fill the World With Love.  In the final verse the youth removed their white shirts, revealing the rainbow in a wave of color.  The yellow bunches on the field by the model of the temple are balloons that were released at the end of the song.  It was very cool.