Reflections

I went to the temple with a good friend this week and was overcome by feelings of peace and joy. While we were waiting to do confirmations, I looked around the room and noticed the paintings hanging on the walls; one of Jesus teaching on the Sea of Galilee, and another of Christ being baptized in the Jordan River. I couldn't help but think back to Jerusalem -- I have been to the very places that the paintings depicted. I walked in those sites, read my scriptures there, sang hymns... I felt the spirit so strongly in those places, where such special events happened. But, I can testify that the spirit is the strongest within the walls of the temple. The temple is the House of the Lord. It is one of my favorite places on earth. I did not go to Jerusalem to gain my testimony or to search for the spirit -- I feel the spirit every day and I know it is possible for everyone to feel it. Jerusalem gave me a deeper knowledge and understanding of our Savior's life and the history of the Bible and Book of Mormon - I learned things in Jerusalem that I would never have learned had I not gone. I miss Jerusalem. But I am grateful I had the opportunity to travel there and learn. I am grateful for temples today.