Temple Blessings

We all went to the temple last Wednesday and it was AMAZING. The closest temple is in Taipei. Our mission goes once a year in two groups (i.e. half the missionaries go one week, the other half go the next week). Because the trip is every February, and I'm only in Taiwan for one February, this is the only time I'll get to go during my mission. I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity at all. The temple is unlike any other place. As soon as you walk in, the peace starts to settle in. Changing out of street clothes into all white sort of completes the process for me. It feels like all the fog and complications are cleared out and only the most precious and simple truths are left. It was especially nice to go with the other missionaries and my mission president. Temples allow us to do the ordinances necessary for salvation in the Kingdom of God. Through the ordinance of the endowment, we make sacred covenants and receive knowledge and blessings that allow us to return to our Heavenly Father. Through temple marriage, God is included as a party to the marriage covenant, and families become sealed to live together again after death. Endowments and sealings, as well as baptism and confirmation, can all be performed in proxy for the dead in the temple. All missionaries will receive their endowments before they begin their service, so we were all doing that ordinance in behalf of people who have already died. It is a wonderful opportunity to do something for someone that she cannot do for herself. It's also a huge blessing to go remember our promises to the Lord, the blessings He promises in return, and to receive enlightenment on our concerns and questions. Suffice it to say, I think we all felt spiritually rejuvenated by the whole experience. I can't imagine any success or accomplishment in the world that could possibly bring more satisfaction to me than the feeling of being in the temple with people I love around me.