Participating as tour guides for the Phoenix Temple Open House, Troy performing in the Youth Cultural Celebration for the prophet and other church leaders, and then witnessing the dedication of the Phoenix Temple is an experience that we will never forget and will forever be grateful for.
Temples are very important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is a short temple that explains a little bit more about why these buildings are so sacred to us:
Temples are very important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is a short temple that explains a little bit more about why these buildings are so sacred to us:
The Phoenix Temple is beautiful and it was such a privilege for Kent and I to be tour guides and help others, who are not of our faith understand more about temples. Governor Jan Brewer even came to a tour of the temple and said this:
“The opening of the Phoenix Temple is especially exciting for me. No doubt, the other temples are wonderful. However, you see, I am a West Valley girl and you have to be loyal in life. So I am officially declaring today that the Phoenix temple is my hometown temple!” http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865613312/Visitors-tour-Phoenix-temple-during-public-open-house.html
“The opening of the Phoenix Temple is especially exciting for me. No doubt, the other temples are wonderful. However, you see, I am a West Valley girl and you have to be loyal in life. So I am officially declaring today that the Phoenix temple is my hometown temple!” http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865613312/Visitors-tour-Phoenix-temple-during-public-open-house.html
These are just a few of the pictures that we have taken of the temple over the past few months. If you would like to see photos of the interior, and I highly recommend that you do, just click on this link: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/lds/photos-take-a-look-inside-the-phoenix-arizona-lds-temple/collection_372a59a7-00d1-5325-ae42-3d6390f5d9a6.html#0 I probably could have downloaded the pictures, but don't want to violate any copyrights! The celestial room and baptistry are particularly amazing, both having an elliptical shape. The word on the temple grounds was that only 2 temples in the world have celestial rooms/baptistries shaped like this: Phoenix and Nauvoo!
Kent and I both had a couple experiences as tour guides that were special. Kent was able to take the Bertrands through the temple. Jaime works for him and she brought her husband Bill. They loved it. They were so impressed with what they saw and learned that they brought their daughter, Tatiana, back for another tour. They have attended church now as well, and will be learning more from the missionaries. They are wonderful people!
During one of my tours, an older gentleman slowly made his way to the front of my group as we walked through the temple. He was alone and I could tell he wanted to talk to me. I gave him a little information about a painting we were passing and in reply he said, "You know, I'm Jewish, and I've been to every important building around the world. I've been to Greece, Italy, and Jerusalem just to name a few. But, I must tell you, I have never in my life seen a building as sacred and beautiful as this one. The feeling here is incredible. Such peace!" I got goosebumps and a little emotional as he spoke, because that is how I feel when I attend the temple. We can truly feel God's presence in the temple and it was lovely to hear that he was feeling that same tender, peaceful spirit too.
The Youth Cultural Celebration
A recent tradition included in the dedication of a new temple is the cultural celebration. The church puts together committees from the area of the temple and they produce a musical and dance performance for the visiting church leaders. It is a way for the youth to be involved and gain a greater understanding and love for the work and worship that goes on in the temple. We had about 5,000 youth perform that night!!! From a news report:
"The celebration featured the local culture of the area, where a city was first built by the Hohokam Indians in 1 A.D. Because the Hohokams constructed irrigation canals from the Salt and Gila rivers, the youths paid tribute to "the ancient inhabitants that brought life-giving water to the dry desert."
They also celebrated, through music and dance, the pioneer Honeymoon Trail; Arizona's five C's — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate; and air conditioning. In addition, the teens paid tribute to those who have served in the military and to the "culture of service" shared by modern-day Latter-day Saints. The celebration ended as missionaries from the Phoenix Arizona Mission marched around the football field carrying the flags of many nations."
The youth in our stake (which is a geographical area that incorporates 7 congregations) performed a dance celebrating the talents of the people of Phoenix. They practiced 1-2 times a week for almost 3 months. Kent and I both work with the youth at church and to show them that even though singing and dancing might be out of their comfort zone, their leaders were willing to try it too. Here's a video of the leaders at our first rehearsal to get the kids laughing and ready to learn their parts:
Kent and I both had a couple experiences as tour guides that were special. Kent was able to take the Bertrands through the temple. Jaime works for him and she brought her husband Bill. They loved it. They were so impressed with what they saw and learned that they brought their daughter, Tatiana, back for another tour. They have attended church now as well, and will be learning more from the missionaries. They are wonderful people!
During one of my tours, an older gentleman slowly made his way to the front of my group as we walked through the temple. He was alone and I could tell he wanted to talk to me. I gave him a little information about a painting we were passing and in reply he said, "You know, I'm Jewish, and I've been to every important building around the world. I've been to Greece, Italy, and Jerusalem just to name a few. But, I must tell you, I have never in my life seen a building as sacred and beautiful as this one. The feeling here is incredible. Such peace!" I got goosebumps and a little emotional as he spoke, because that is how I feel when I attend the temple. We can truly feel God's presence in the temple and it was lovely to hear that he was feeling that same tender, peaceful spirit too.
The Youth Cultural Celebration
A recent tradition included in the dedication of a new temple is the cultural celebration. The church puts together committees from the area of the temple and they produce a musical and dance performance for the visiting church leaders. It is a way for the youth to be involved and gain a greater understanding and love for the work and worship that goes on in the temple. We had about 5,000 youth perform that night!!! From a news report:
"The celebration featured the local culture of the area, where a city was first built by the Hohokam Indians in 1 A.D. Because the Hohokams constructed irrigation canals from the Salt and Gila rivers, the youths paid tribute to "the ancient inhabitants that brought life-giving water to the dry desert."
They also celebrated, through music and dance, the pioneer Honeymoon Trail; Arizona's five C's — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate; and air conditioning. In addition, the teens paid tribute to those who have served in the military and to the "culture of service" shared by modern-day Latter-day Saints. The celebration ended as missionaries from the Phoenix Arizona Mission marched around the football field carrying the flags of many nations."
The youth in our stake (which is a geographical area that incorporates 7 congregations) performed a dance celebrating the talents of the people of Phoenix. They practiced 1-2 times a week for almost 3 months. Kent and I both work with the youth at church and to show them that even though singing and dancing might be out of their comfort zone, their leaders were willing to try it too. Here's a video of the leaders at our first rehearsal to get the kids laughing and ready to learn their parts:
The Lake Pleasant Ward Youth Leaders go gangsta!
I must say, the youth ended up doing a far better job at dancing than we did, but it was fun. The youth worked really hard and had to sacrifice in order to participate in the celebration. Some of them would be at their sport practice all afternoon and then go straight to the church for the celebration practice. The kids even spent 2 Saturdays practicing all day long.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I had the privilege to be involved in the recording of some of the music for the celebration. We, 12 women, 12 men, and 12 youth, recorded a special arrangement of "Called to Serve" that would be played as all the missionaries from the Phoenix mission walked out onto the field with the youth. There is a very special back story about the arrangement of this song:
William Joseph, a composer, pianist, recording artist, performer, who grew up in our stake was serving a mission in Australia when his mission president asked him to put together an arrangement of "Called to Serve" for the missionaries to sing when a church leader was visiting the mission. As this young missionary began working on it, he had a flood of ideas for an arrangement that thousands of voices would sing, but he realized quickly that he would have to shelve this idea as it clearly wouldn't work for just a few dozen missionaries. A few years later, the MTC called William and asked him to write an arrangement that the missionaries at the MTC could sing. He thought this was it! He could finally put together that arrangement that first came to him on his mission. However, as he worked with only a few hundred missionaries, he realized that even this was not as many voices as his original idea was supposed to be written for. Again, he shelved it. Then 10 years later, the Phoenix Temple committee called and asked him to write an arrangement for the cultural celebration where almost 5,000 youth and over 200 missionaries would be singing. William was overwhelmed with the feeling that the Lord had put this arrangement in his heart many years ago for this very purpose, at this very moment, for this temple dedication.
When William told us this story at our first rehearsal, tears sprang to our eyes and we all had goosebumps. The Spirit spoke to each of us and we received a witness that what we were about to sing and record was given to William by the Lord, so that we could celebrate this wonderful temple, these amazing youth, and these incredibly obedient and dedicated missionaries.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I had the privilege to be involved in the recording of some of the music for the celebration. We, 12 women, 12 men, and 12 youth, recorded a special arrangement of "Called to Serve" that would be played as all the missionaries from the Phoenix mission walked out onto the field with the youth. There is a very special back story about the arrangement of this song:
William Joseph, a composer, pianist, recording artist, performer, who grew up in our stake was serving a mission in Australia when his mission president asked him to put together an arrangement of "Called to Serve" for the missionaries to sing when a church leader was visiting the mission. As this young missionary began working on it, he had a flood of ideas for an arrangement that thousands of voices would sing, but he realized quickly that he would have to shelve this idea as it clearly wouldn't work for just a few dozen missionaries. A few years later, the MTC called William and asked him to write an arrangement that the missionaries at the MTC could sing. He thought this was it! He could finally put together that arrangement that first came to him on his mission. However, as he worked with only a few hundred missionaries, he realized that even this was not as many voices as his original idea was supposed to be written for. Again, he shelved it. Then 10 years later, the Phoenix Temple committee called and asked him to write an arrangement for the cultural celebration where almost 5,000 youth and over 200 missionaries would be singing. William was overwhelmed with the feeling that the Lord had put this arrangement in his heart many years ago for this very purpose, at this very moment, for this temple dedication.
When William told us this story at our first rehearsal, tears sprang to our eyes and we all had goosebumps. The Spirit spoke to each of us and we received a witness that what we were about to sing and record was given to William by the Lord, so that we could celebrate this wonderful temple, these amazing youth, and these incredibly obedient and dedicated missionaries.
That's William Joseph, there in the blue shirt. We women were waiting for the youth to finish recording their part.
The studio
Linda Parrack and I during our recording. It was so much fun!!!
"The Women" of "Called to Serve"
Here is the finished product. This recording played while the missionaries marched out and the youth on the field sang along.
When performance time came, it was very exciting for Troy because they announced that the Prophet and President of the Church, Thomas S. Monson, would be in attendance. His first counselor, Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, were also in attendance. Because of limited seating at the stadium, only a handful of people from each ward in the temple district were allowed to see the performance live. Many people said that it was easier to get a ticket to be inside the temple during the dedication than it was to get tickets to the cultural celebration! Everyone was asked to watch the broadcast on the internet instead and we were very blessed that the local ABC affiliate here in Phoenix streamed the performance on their website. A few days before the performance, we were so grateful when the Bishop showed up at our house and gave Kent and I two tickets to see the performance live at the stadium and to be in the presence of the prophet along with our son on the field!
Elder and Sister Oaks
President Monson
President Uchtdorf speaking to the youth. Our kids are in the purple. He asked the youth to "be a light to your family, to your communities, to Arizona, to the world!"
Opening number called "Arise"
Ready for their karate number
The missionaries' entrance. These missionaries are all serving in the Phoenix mission and come from all over the US and countries around the world.
Called to Serve
The final number was "Keepers of His Light." This is the first time that all 5,000 youth are mixed up on the field. Our guy right there in the middle!
It was so incredible to hear these youth singing together. This song is so inspiring and is a fitting finale that speaks to the quality of our youth and their commitment to following the Savior and being a light to the world. Here are the words:
We were saved for these final days
And He has blessed us with the faith
To follow Him and remember Him
In a world that’s gone astray
To rise above the darkness that’s around us
That we might have His holy light surround us
We will stand strong
In the presence of our God
Letting virtue garnish every thought
We will hold on
Always steadfast in His ways
Faithful to the promise we have made
By the way we live our lives
We are the keepers of His Light
True to the faith that our parents have cherished,
True to the truth for which martyrs have perished
We believe we’re children of a King
And we will honor Him faithfully
We will lift our minds,
We will choose the light
Living lives of purity
We can feel His mighty pow’r inside us
We know He is reaching out to guide us
We will stand strong
In the presence of our God
Letting virtue garnish every thought
We will hold on
Always steadfast in His ways
Faithful to the promise we have made
By the way we live our lives
We are the keepers of His Light
We are the keepers of His Light
This is the full production as seen on ABC15 here in Phoenix.
We were saved for these final days
And He has blessed us with the faith
To follow Him and remember Him
In a world that’s gone astray
To rise above the darkness that’s around us
That we might have His holy light surround us
We will stand strong
In the presence of our God
Letting virtue garnish every thought
We will hold on
Always steadfast in His ways
Faithful to the promise we have made
By the way we live our lives
We are the keepers of His Light
True to the faith that our parents have cherished,
True to the truth for which martyrs have perished
We believe we’re children of a King
And we will honor Him faithfully
We will lift our minds,
We will choose the light
Living lives of purity
We can feel His mighty pow’r inside us
We know He is reaching out to guide us
We will stand strong
In the presence of our God
Letting virtue garnish every thought
We will hold on
Always steadfast in His ways
Faithful to the promise we have made
By the way we live our lives
We are the keepers of His Light
We are the keepers of His Light
This is the full production as seen on ABC15 here in Phoenix.
