Temple Trip

Here in Quetzaltenango, all of the buildings are run down, cramped, and cluttered. We have to walk in a single file line down the sidewalks because they are so narrow and so torn up. It is scary because if you look away from where you are walking for even a second, you will trip. Everything is pretty dirty with trash in the cobblestone roads. The driving is crazy and loud with a lot of honking. Don´t get me wrong, I love it here with all of my heart, but the conditions are very different from the US.

Yesterday afternoon, we piled into three separate taxis in the pouring rain, and asked to be taken to el templo. Every driver knew exactly where to go, because it is a landmark. We drove up hills and on torn up roads, seeing more poverty. Then, we came up a hill and saw the temple. It is a massive building that shone white against the gray sky, with the green volcano behind it. On the road that leads up to the temple, one side has bad sidewalks and the side of the temple has perfectly manicured gardens and even sidewalks, which are the only I have seen here.  We got out of the cabs and left the noisy, chaotic streets and walked into the silence of the temple. The workers were waiting for us and were so kind to help us in. We gave them all of our cameras and then walked through to the baptistry. After we changed, we went into the chapel where we spoke with some of the workers and waited for the other group. There were three boys from Quetzaltenango there do to baptisms. They were giggling and ponting at us, so surprised to be outnumbered by us Americans! One of them, name Francisco, reminded me of my little brother Zachary. He was giggly but so funny and was just so happy to be in the temple with his friends. The temple is beautiful, with intricate designs and paintings and stone. It is spacious and clean. And quiet. We sang Soy Un Hijo de Dios and then proceeded with the ordinances, which were performed in Spanish. I loved being able to sing in Spanish and to speak with the workers because there is a strong connection between us because of our shared religious beliefs. The Spirit was really strong because we all listened carefully to the prayers and tried to pick out the names of the people we were doing work for. We also loved hearing them try to pronounce our names! After we walked out, we took pictures and looked at the grounds. It was so peaceful and the Spirit was very strong.

I think what was really special about our temple visit was seeing the difference between being outside the temple and being inside. The temple truly is a refuge. It is a place to excape the world and to just feel the power of God. It was quiet and we were all influenced by the Holy Ghost. We don´t need to be in a different country to understand the power of the temple, and I hope we all continue to visit the temples where we live when we come home. The temple here is beautiful and we all are so grateful that we had the opportunity to go there while in Guatemala.


Love,
Callie