Once upon a time... The saints were sent into the Salt Lake Valley, and shortly after were sent to settle other parts of Utah. The third temple built in Utah was built in Manti and then dedicated in 1888 by those settlers.
So, today in honor of Pioneer Day (which will be in two days), I traveled up and went through it today! The Manti temple was the most beautiful temple of all the temples!! And even though I say that literally every time I come out of a temple that I have visited, I really do mean it this time! :] The session we attended was just like in all the old temples, (instead of a video, there were live teachers), so that was truly an interesting experience. The inside of the temple was so beautiful words cannot even describe. Everything was antique and made to replicate the original, if most of it was not already an original piece, which to my knowledge a lot of it was actually. I decided that was the temple I will get married in, it was so big and amazing I just could not understand why anyone would get married in any other temple! :P and as I jokingly told my parents while we were inside, "I want this venue for a future wedding" hahahaha Anyways, the size of the building and it's structure in all its magnificence and it's glory stood as a testimony to the world of what can be accomplished by even the poorest, when people put their heads together and all work hard they can complete something, even such a grand edifice as this temple!
When we were leaving I wanted to go down to the baptistry to see it, of course, because I always like to see the baptistries at all the temples I have visited. But when I got down there, there were about four old men working at the welcome desk and when I told them that I had never been to this temple before, and I had just finished a session upstairs and I just wanted to see the font, they were a little hesitant to let me in. I even showed them my recommend and everything, then my grandma and my mom came in, and my grandma told one of the men that I was a missionary going into the MTC tomorrow and I had been visiting all the temples I could in Utah before I got there. At that point, all the little old men wanted to do was sit and talk to me because they were so happy and excited for me, but all I wanted to do was go in and see the font!! So finally I spoke up and said "you guys are like the guards at the gates of heaven, or something!" Hahah cuz all I wanted to do was run in real quick and see it! And, as my grandma put it "that just tickled them all to death!" Hahaha but seriously, it made me feel safe, because unlike at the other temples, they weren't that quick to just let someone wander in and behold the beauty of what was inside. I actually liked that they were not so quick, because it made me feel like the temple was guarded and secure and that was a testimony to me of the sacredness of the temple and I just loved it! After that "guards" comment, they finally let me in and it was worth it! It was spectacular and it reminded me of the Mesa temple because of a huge mural on the wall that spanned around the entire room, and there were doves painted on the ceiling. It was just great! When we left, one of the old men who had been "so tickled" told me to come over to the desk so he could look me in the eye and wish me luck on my mission and he told me to keep doing something, I forgot what it was but I remember I told him right back to keep being such a great temple guard! Which I could tell he liked very much. He must have felt a great honor to be called a temple guard :] I think anyone should be honored to be named a guard for the house of The Lord. So, that was my day! Best day in Utah yet! And a very happy day full of happily ever after!
The end :]
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