This morning I was thinking not only about the history of the Provo City Center Temple, but my personal history with this sacred edifice. Though all temples are special-this temple has special meaning to residents of Provo and to me personally. This was the building where I received my university diploma. I have a great graduation picture wearing my black cap and gown, huge smile, set against the backdrop of spectacular stain glassed windows. This was the building where I spent many a 2-hour stake conference encouraging my children to be reverent while stuffing sour patch candies in my mouth A building where I looked down from the balcony after making our way to the available hard benches and saw the prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley who just happened to be in town. This was the building I passed every day for the last 5 years while traveling down University Ave to get to work. I remember the day it was in flames and how heartsick the community was about losing such a treasure. I watched as the workman gutted the destroyed building. Nothing appeared to have survived except the charred brick shell of a once glorious historic building. It looked liked a war zone complete with a bombed out building.
I rejoiced with other members of the church when the prophet, Thomas Monson, announced the church would be using the remains of the Provo Tabernacle to build a new Temple. This would become another one of the Church's "historic" temples. This building site had connections to Brigham Young as he designated the area as a good place to build a meeting house. The original tabernacle was designed by the same architect as the Salt Lake Temple-Truman Angel. After the original tabernacle was torn down, a new tabernacle was built a few blocks from the BYU academy building with funds raised by my first boyfriend's ancestor, Abraham Smoot. (Mark always told me I was so "lucky" to be dating a "Smoot.") The bell from the old tabernacle now resides in front of the Marriot Center-we rang the victory bell quite a lot in the 80's. BYU and the tabernacle had continued association not only for graduations but university leaders used the tabernacle as a public venue to bring the likes of Rachmaninoff, Helen Keller, Robert Frost to name a few.
Being such a historic site, the charred brick walls were braced and put on stilts allowing the construction site to literally become an archaeological dig. As I daily drove by this never ending construction project, I wondered what was going on and why it was taking so long to construct this temple. I knew they were working on the foundation, but I didn't realize they were looking for artifacts under the foundations of both the old and new tabernacle sites. I appreciated the symbolic significance as I was married in the stunning Provo Courthouse overlooking the construction site; one more reference of having "history together" with this would be temple.
So I guess it was no surprise when I walked into the City Center Temple open house and got choked up when one of the volunteers greeted us saying, "Welcome to the Temple" Talk about a makeovers! And this was a makeover of a pioneer friend. The antique replica furnishings and decor, intricate woodwork and beautiful stain glass windows pay homage to earlier pioneer times. As such, they inspire me and build my faith to be like these early pioneer saints; building with faith, one step at a time, one brick at a time. It is glorious. I look forward to doing temple service within those walls.
When gazing at the temple from a nearby restaurant window, I asked my kids to share some of their thoughts. My daughter made the connection between adversity and opportunity. If the tabernacle would have never burnt down, we would never had this temple; now there is beauty from ashes. No matter how burned out or decimated we feel, God helps us re-build, re-store our lives into something glorious. With dedication to the Lord, we can make our own burned down lives-holy. Over each temple is engraved the words, "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." This Provo City Center Temple stands as a beacon of hope; Hope for a glorious resurrection. Hope for a glorious change from ruin to temple. Hope breathing I too can change for the better.
I love my pioneer friend, The Provo City Center Temple. I'm so thankful for having history together.
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