May 5, 2012, may be a day that 3,000 of the area's best youth will never forget. That night was the product of hours of work, memorization, sweat and tears and it was all worth it. The Cultural Celebration for the dedication of the Kansas City Temple was an amazing opportunity for the youth to grow their testimonies and be part of something far greater than themselves. The youth performed for Pres. Monson who was very generous in his praise, calling it the best he'd seen so far. The theme was "Of One Heart in the Heartland," celebrating the heritage of the Saints here in Missouri and Kansas.
I was unable to be in the auditorium with the youth, but far away in my stake center I felt the spirit so strong, testifying that Pres. Monson was a prophet of God, that God loved the youth of this church, and that he loved all of us. I cried throughout the entire event and cried even more when I saw both young men and young women wiping tears away. The Spirit was undeniable.
Here is a breakdown of the event with great pictures: http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/62319/Kansas-City-Missouri-Temple-The-reason-for-this-great-celebration.html
The next day dawned bright and promising of...rain. We had a majestic thunderstorm on the way to the stake center for the temple dedication. The downpour was so thick I could barely see the road. However, within the walls of the "temple extension" of the stake center, the Spirit was palpable. So thick at times that I could barely breathe. Pres Monson spoke of those early Saints who had suffered so much here in Missouri and who were witnessing this amazing fulfillment of prophecy today. Pres. Holland alluded to the future Independence temple that is yet to come and challenged us to continually be looking forward to a bright future.
I couldn't help but feel that my Great-Grandma Ellen was there during the dedication. She had served a mission right here in Kansas City in the early 1920's and was part of the force to bring the gospel back to Missouri even though there was a standing extermination order from Governor Boggs that stayed on the books until the 1970's. I felt that Grandma Ellen would be proud of us here today and that she is encouraging the missionary work on the other side.
Now that we officially have our temple, the hard work really begins. It is time for Alexander and I to do some digging through the family history and hopefully we can find some names of ancestors waiting for their work to be done. We are so blessed and so excited! :)
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