Our Syracuse Temple

I probably mentioned this before in the blog, but one day long ago when Gary and I lived in Sunset/Clearfield area, we were driving to Gary's parents house in Syracuse and I felt a strong feeling that because of the good people who settled this area and built the Church here that there would be a temple built in Syracuse. Now that might not seem so strange now, but that was in 1979 or 1980.  They had recently announced the Jordan River Temple which would be the 20th operating temple and the first time that there would be two temples in the SAME valley. Who would have thought that the growth of temple building would expand so much in our lifetime! It is one of the major examples of the hastening of God's work in the Latter-days....back to my story.

When the Layton Temple was announced, I was a bit disappointed.  It seemed so unlikely that we would get a temple when Layton was just 15 minutes away from us.  But in April 2020, it was announced--a temple in Syracuse, Utah and I wept (okay, I have cried when many temples have been announced--Lubbock, Tri-Cities, WA, Hong Kong, the list can and will go on. But this was a very personal response.) The impression I had felt so long ago was now going to be a reality.  And I am here to be a part of it.

Our public Open House started on May 10 and will go until May 31st.  We got to attend the Open House on Monday, May 12 and then we got to serve there with our stake on Friday, May 16th.  Gary served in the parking group and Jena and I did physical facilities.  In our case, we cleaned the bathrooms and greeted people. (Gary said that my talent of lack of being able to smell was put to good use in the bathrooms.) It was fun to see members from our stake serving together on Friday and again on Saturday. I also got to push a sister along with her twin sister also in a wheelchair through the Open House during my shift.  That was a sweet experience.  Their brother had worked on the cement work in the temple but passed away in January and didn't get to see it completely done.  It was their birthday and they came to see the temple and remember their brother (and I managed to not hit any walls in pushing the wheelchair.)

Photos from our Open House visit--

through the car window

A windy day in Syracuse

The cattail theme appears in different places in the temple due to the local fauna along the Great Salt Lake marshes.  I loved it on the front windows.

Our temple is the first completed with two baptistry which is such a tribute to the youth in our area and their good work in doing baptisms for the dead.  The Salt Lake Temple will also have two when it is rededicated after the work is all done.

Our temple will be dedicated on June 8th but still no announcement on who is doing it.  I can't believe it is almost a dedicated reality.

Gary has one last shift in Ogden on Saturday and then a two week break until he starts to serve in Syracuse.  He has been asked to be the live endowment coordinator under the shift coordinator.  It is a different position than they have in Ogden so they are all learning the different roles they will have in Syracuse.  Gary has already had one training and will have a second one in the temple before the temple is dedicated.  

What a pleasure it will be to go to the temple and see so many people we know serving there.  We have 32 ordinance workers from our ward alone. And then many more from our stake.  Our former stake president, President Brandt and his wife are serving as the counselor and assistant matron in the temple.  And Gary said that he grew up with the wife of the temple president, Luann Flint.  It is Syracuse and it will have its own special feeling because of those "good people" I felt those many years ago.