Digital Only: Young Adults
3 Powerful Truths I Learned While Serving as a Temple Worker
While serving in the temple, I received a quiet message from the Lord telling me that He was aware of me and loved me.
One day while attending a stake fireside, I had the impression that I needed to serve in the temple. I was surprised because the idea had never crossed my mind before, but I talked with my bishop about it, and he was supportive and glad that I wanted to serve.
A few months later, I became an ordinance worker at the Manti Utah Temple. Though I was excited for the opportunity, I was a little concerned that it would be a burden on my time. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of college, and I always tried to keep myself busy with school. I consistently took 18 credits every semester and had taken on leadership roles with the student newspaper and the college literary journal.
As it turns out, I was wrong. Serving wasn’t a burden at all, but a blessing I’ll cherish throughout my life.
I would like to share just three things I learned during my time as an ordinance worker.
1. Heavenly Father knows us personally and wants what is best for us.
I was nervous when I first started serving in the temple because I knew I would have to memorize the words to all the ordinances. I was worried I would mess up, so I spent hours studying the words to make sure I could get them right. And while I’ve heard stories of workers who felt like the Holy Ghost helped them memorize the words faster, that wasn’t my experience.
Sometimes I felt upset that I was struggling to memorize the words. Learning the words to the first ordinance took me almost a month. But looking back, I’ve realized that my struggle was an amazing blessing. I was able to sit in the Lord’s house and study the words of the ordinances for hours. And deepening my understanding of those words brought both peace and power into my life. I was able to recognize the voice of the Lord more clearly and more often when I was both inside and outside the temple.
This experience was a testament to me that Heavenly Father knows us personally and knows what experiences will be the most beneficial to us. The opportunity to contemplate the ordinances gave me a better understanding of what the ordinances say and strengthened my desire to keep the covenants I made in the temple.
2. We are loved perfectly.
During my first time working at the veil in the temple, I had the opportunity to assist a Spanish-speaking patron. I spoke Spanish fairly well at the time, so it meant a lot to me that I was able to help that sister with her temple ordinance in a language I was familiar with. This was also a blessing for me because I was so nervous about remembering the words, and to translate effectively I was able to read the words of the ordinance.
When I was asked to help with the ordinance in Spanish, I felt like I received a quiet message from Heavenly Father letting me know that He was aware of exactly where I was and that He loved me perfectly. Experiencing this ordinance in another language also helped me better understand it because I was able to focus on the Spirit testifying to me of its truthfulness. And I gained a better understanding of what it means to be part of a worldwide Church that is full of many different cultures and languages, and of the love that Heavenly Father has for every single one of His children.
3. The temple gives us access to God’s power.
Another time when I was helping a patron at the veil, I was surprised to see that my fiancé was the worker assisting me. In his face I saw the Light of Christ. I had a feeling that I was where I was supposed to be at that time. I felt so much love for my fiancé and hope for the future that we would have together.
I also felt the power that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and keeping my covenants. I was reminded that, as long as I did God’s will, I would have safety and peace. As President Russell M. Nelson said: “Everything taught in the temple … increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power. And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.”1
Being an ordinance worker in the temple truly helped me to better understand the power of the covenants we make and the strength that they bring. Not everyone will be able to serve as an ordinance worker, but we can all still strive to serve in the temple as often as we can. In doing so, I know we will feel the power it brings into our lives, and we will come closer to Jesus Christ and strengthen our spiritual foundation.