“The blessings of the temple are priceless,” said President Thomas S. Monson in April of 2015. “As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives.”
Keith T. Pierce, the first counselor in the Laie Hawaii Temple presidency, said, “I come in here at 3:30 in the morning to unlock the doors, and when I get here, I always say to my wife: ‘It’s just the three of us.’ That’s exactly what it is. I feel His presence. He is here, all the time.
“Have you ever noticed when you walk in the door, how you suddenly can’t think of anything else? You have cares outside in the world and they don’t matter anymore. Why do you think that is? The reason is it’s a familiar spirit. We recognize that spirit inside of us. We long for that spirit. When we left that spirit when we came down to earth, we don’t have the spirit of the Lord to be with us constantly. We walk in here and it’s like walking back home.”
Zach Hale from the Big Island, a freshman in business said about the temple, “We are going to our Father’s house. We are going home, going to be in His presence. That is important enough in itself. Since I have been here, I have gone to the temple at least two or three times a week. And I have only been alone once. We just send out a text, ‘We are going to the temple this day, this time. Wanna come?’”
Hao Tian Ye, a freshman majoring in business from China, recalled going to the temple on the first night he arrived here. The closest temple in his home country is a four-hour plane ride away in Hong Kong. “I just wanted to find the location. I feel the temple has become part of my life. It’s not something you go there and you finish it, but more you go there and receive some revelation. I want to find something there.”
Contemplating the blessings of living within walking distance to the temple, Parker Lovett, a junior in English from California, remembered his mission in Italy, where the Rome temple is awaiting its dedication in 2016, according to lds.org. Lovett said, “Only about 20 percent of the active members of Italy attend the temple regularly. For most of them, it’s a trip of several days. With the completion of the Rome temple, it will draw people from all over to it. Not only from Italy and the islands, but also from, for example, Albania. The temple in Rome, the center of Catholicism, is an evidence of the Church’s growth.”
Vonn Logan, the first counselor in the YSA 2nd Stake, lives in Laie. “We are going to the centennial anniversary,” he said. “The temple was built in the middle of nowhere if you look at some of the early photos of it. There are sugarcane fields that surrounded it.”
Logan added, “I want you to notice how many students are there at the temple as patrons and also as workers. From the 2nd Stake, we have over 100 who are currently called as workers. I think that’s amazing – on top of work, on top of play, on top of study. And that’s just from one stake.”
Logan continued, “The sacrifices that we make now are different than our ancestors. Their sacrifices were perhaps easier to measure – by the blisters on [their] feet and the scars on [their] backs. The sacrifices that we are called to today are the sacrifices away from distractions. Each generation has a different cause. Ours is no less important than those before us although completely different in nature. So the spirit of our sacrifice in our stake, on campus and in our hearts is just as powerful today as it was.”
Pierce said, “Every generation has its purpose. When I was born, there were 11 temples on the earth. I married in the 13th temple ever built in this dispensation. Now we have about 150 temples worldwide.”
President Monson continued, “As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart. We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’.”
Pierce also noted, “I never go to the temple without learning something new. We will arrive at a point where we want to go back as soon as we can, so we can learn more. You need this spirit. I think the temple adds strength. When you go to the temple, hopefully as often as you can, you will get added strength. So when the perils and the tough times come, you will have this strength drawn from the temple. There is great strength in here.”