It's here, it's built, and we look forward to touring it, as well as attending it once it is dedicated. The Philadelphia temple in Pennsylvania has been is finally complete, and it only took six years for this magnificent building to become a reality! The city of Philadelphia will be so blessed for having a temple, and we are sooooo excited for it to be in our district, and to finally have one sooooo super close to us!
Yesterday the kids, and I decided to take the train into Philly to take a closer look at the temple. The last time we were here was a couple of months ago, and after hearing about how beautiful it is from other people who have toured it already gets me all pumped up to be a part of this special temple celebration. When the kids and I reached the Franklin institute, and began walking through the fountain we were just getting so excited. Our kids absolutely love the temple, and it's so nice to see the glow in their faces every time we set eyes on one.
As soon as we stepped foot on the temple grounds, and by grounds I mean the sidewalk, I immediately felt an overwhelming feeling of peace, and hope that this is just what this part of the country, particularly this city needed. The kids stood in front of the sign that reads "Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple" and of course took a picture for memories.
It was a surreal moment for us all!
As we walked against the gates that led up to the front of the temple we saw a sister missionary who began running towards us shouting our names, and we were so happy to have run into Sister Casey. We hadn't seen her since spring, and just by talking to her can see that she has grown so much as a missionary, and the way she talks about the gospel, and temple is impressive, and I'm so happy that she's here to welcome the public into the temple.
We continued to chat, but because I didn't want to keep her from her "missionary work" let her go, and continued to snap a few photos. Here's Noah standing outside the gates with a soft smile.
I didn't take too many photos, because I kept focusing on how beautiful the temple is. I saw a few young women who were ushering that stepped outside for a moment, and they got me all excited to be serving inside the temple soon with Lexie.
I had a desire to serve a mission after joining the church, but guys got in the way, and dated a ton and eventually got married! So ushering in the temple is the closet feeling to being a missionary. Of course I don't need an ushering name tag to be a missionary, but Jon and I still have plans to serve a mission when we're senior citizens, and it is my hope that we will serve two in our lifetime. One in the U.S. (preferably a historical site), and one international.
This temple is absolutely beautiful, and the architecture is just amazing. It truly does exemplify the city of brotherly love, and is reminiscent of the historical sites nearby and blends in so well in center city.
The "free" open house begins on August 10th, until September 9th, and you can learn more about the open house, and reserve tickets here. There is no obligation to attend, and I guarantee you there will be no one forcing you to convert to the church. It's a simple tour combined with spiritual insight that will leave you with a sense of love, and peace.
Hoping you'll want to learn more!
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