Strength Within the Temple

My heart was to build another House for the Lord.

William Warner Player*

In 1846 the Saints began their Exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley in present day Utah.  Many Saints made it a priority to attend the temple and receive their endowment before heading West. 

Why did they do this when their lives were in danger?

The Saints knew the strength and power that comes from the temple.  They knew they needed that strength and power as they faced the challenges demanded of them as they crossed the plains.  

"Maintaining our spiritual strength is ... a daily challenge.  The greatest source of that spiritual strength comes ... from our temples."  "Eternity Lies Before Us," James E. Faust

Our challenges today are different from the Pioneers, but we need the strength and power that comes from the temple, just as they need.  I have felt the spiritual strength that comes from the temple.  I have felt the difference that it makes in my life.  

In the temple, we learn "where we came from, why we are here, where we may go, and how we may cope with the matter of death." (James E. Faust) Knowing the truths of the eternity, can help up endure the challenges placed before us, just like it did the early Pioneers.  

* I saw this quote on a banner at the Mormon Trail Center in Winter Quarters in Omaha, Nebraska.

To learn more about temple, go here.