“Inside and Out,” Friend, Sept. 2026, 4–5.
Illustrations by Francesca Galmozzi. May be copied for Church use only.
Inside and Out
Someday Belén would come back to the temple and go inside.
A true story from Bolivia.
Belén yawned and rubbed her eyes. Twelve hours was a long time to be on the bus.
“Are we at the temple yet?” she asked.
“Almost!” Mamá said.
“I see it!” said her brother. He leaned over Belén to get a better view.
Belén pressed her nose against the window. She could see the golden angel Moroni of the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple shining just above the rooftops. Belén didn’t feel very sleepy anymore.
Belén and her siblings hopped off the bus and raced to the big fountain in front of the temple. They looked at the beautiful rushing water and bright flowers. They weren’t old enough to go inside the temple yet, but walking around the grounds was still special.
“Someday, when you are older, you’ll be able to go inside,” Papá said.
Over the next few days, Belén and her family stayed in a nearby apartment. Her parents took turns going inside the temple to do temple work. On their last day, Belén walked through the temple gardens one more time. She looked at the flowers and dipped her hand in the fountain. Then she took one last look at the lovely white building.
Someday I’ll be back, Belén thought. And I’ll be ready to go inside.
Years passed, and Belen tried to remember the peaceful feeling she had at the temple. She wanted to be prepared to go inside. She said her prayers and read the scriptures. She went to church with her family and tried to be like Jesus Christ.
Finally she was old enough to go inside! When the young women in her ward took a temple trip to do baptisms and confirmations for the dead, she was able to go.
Belén looked up at the temple as the car pulled into the parking lot after another long drive. She was a little nervous. What if she didn’t know where to go? What if she did something wrong?
Her friend Rosa tapped her shoulder. “You look worried,” she said. “It’ll be great. You’ll see! The temple workers are really nice. They’ll help you know what to do.”
Belén nodded. Rosa was a few years older and had been to the temple before. But Belén was still nervous.
As the group walked through the big wooden doors to enter the temple, Belén started to feel warm inside. Everything was clean and bright, and the temple workers smiled when they walked in.
“How do you feel?” Rosa asked.
“A lot better! I’ve never been anywhere so peaceful,” Belén said.
Belén changed into white baptism clothes and sat in the chapel with the other girls from her ward. As she looked around at her friends, she felt the warmth inside her grow. Everyone was wearing white like her! It made her feel even closer to her friends. She knew they all loved Jesus Christ too and wanted to be like Him.
The temple really is beautiful, Belén thought, inside and out!