Temple worker and full-time student Emily Reid, now a graduate from Washington who studied communications. Reid and her family shared how her dedication to service inside and out of the temple has led to her spiritual wellness and to her being an example.
After returning to Hawaii following her mission in Brazil, Reid said she knew it would be harder to focus on the Savior. She said serving in the temple was something she wanted to do to stay close with her Heavenly Father.
She said, “I needed to continue serving in some way. Not just a calling, not just in scripture studying and everyday service, but also in the temple. [It’s] an opportunity I have in a five-minute walking distance.”
Keeping Heavenly Father first, no matter how hard it gets, is what Reid said drove her to fill the four-hour shift in the temple once a week. At the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester, Reid was taking 19 credits and was serving as a club president. She said being stressed and having difficulties drove her to stop working in the temple. During a visit to her bishop, she said he surprised her with the suggestion she serve in the temple. It felt crazy, she said, but she knew it was what the Lord wanted her to do.
Reid said, “You can compare it to tithing. You give up 10 percent of your income, and he’ll help you financially. He’ll provide you with what you need.
“If you give up just that small amount of time in your week to the Lord, then he’ll give you the energy and the time that you need to get everything done.” She pointed out the blessings of energy she received that semester, including achieving a 4.0 GPA, without needing to drop any classes.
Reid's friend Jackson Oliver, a junior from Washington studying biology, said temple work for both of them has been a wonderful experience to step away from selfishness. The effect he said it has had on their life has been incredible. “It really helps put everything into balance.” Allowing them to take a break from the normal stresses of their lives, Oliver said it is an interesting pause from regular day-to-day life.
Referencing a talk President John Tanner gave, Reid said the temple and the school are connected. As a member of the Hawaiian Club, she was a part of their Culture Night group, dancing to represent the story of the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Growing up in the Church, Reid said the lessons she learned and songs she sang about the temple hold significant value. However, she said besides going to the temple for occasional baptisms, it was not until she was able to receive her endowment when she realized the temple is a place of learning. She characterized the temple as a learning center to thrive spiritually in the world.
When she finds herself no longer at BYUH, Reid said she hopes to take the lessons she has learned through her service in Laie and apply it to wherever she finds herself in life. She said, “I’m going to be blessed the most when I turn outside of myself and try to be like Christ.”
I’m going to be blessed the most when I turn outside of myself and try to be like Christ.
Her brother, Stephen Reid, who lives in Utah, said she is already engaged in service no matter where she is. He said, “She can genuinely connect with anyone she meets, whether that be the person sitting next to her on a plane or the employee at a restaurant. She will make you feel loved no matter what your background.”
He praised her ability to be charitable, which makes her a prime example of Christlike love. He shared how her kindness is “something we should all strive for.”
Explaining how she makes Heavenly Father first in her life, Oliver said she has been an incredible example in his life. He said her willingness to speak about the gospel and really make it the central focus in their lives has helped their relationship thrive and grow over the years.
Reid has two younger sisters, one in high school and one in middle school. While she was talking about her brother’s example encouraging her to serve a mission, she said she wants to be an example in their lives. Even if they do not attend school at BYUH like she hopes, she said she just wants them to be good people. Despite the distance, she said, “They’re still watching everything that I do and they’re listening to everything I say to them.”
Reid’s ability to be comfortable in pursuing the gospel and bringing it up in normal conversation is one of the strengths her brother said she has. Her brother said he hopes as they follow Emily’s example, they will “learn to talk about their faith with non-member friends without it being weird or awkward.”
He said she is willing to grow her testimony as well, never hesitating to look deeper as she grows in the gospel.