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Washington DC Temple Rededication

After waiting over 2 years, the Washington DC Temple was rededicated in 3 sessions by members of the First Presidency. We were privileged to attend the rededication session in the temple at 2pm.

Elder Allen Haynie, President of the North America Northeast Area, conducted the meeting. The choir was conducted by Milo. They sounded very strong and confident. After 2 member speakers, Sister Jan King and President Craig King spoke. Then Elder Christoffersen spoke. President Oaks spoke last, and then pronounced the rededication prayer. It was the same prayer from President Nelson at the 10am session. Then Elder Mark Bassett, 1st counselor to Elder Haynie, taught us how to do the Hosanna shout. He led us in the Hosanna shout. We took out our white handkerchiefs while participating in the shout. Then the choir sang the Hosanna anthem. The congregation joined in singing the Spirit of God.

After President Oaks left, we walked out slowly. We were pleasantly surprised to see Bowei Zhu and his wife and Ta-Cheng Hsu and his wife. We talked and took photos on the temple lawn outside.

The temple rededication meeting was a refreshing treat to all those who attended with a great desire to feast upon the Spirit and to rejuvenate a testimony of the importance of temples. The words themselves were not impressive to me, but the things of the Spirit which I felt pulsating through my body were most memorable. The purpose of this historic meeting was to rededicate the temple as an edifice of God to last throughout the next eon of time in accomplishing God’s work. However, more important, the underlying takeaway message for each of us as individuals is how we are going to rededicate our commitment to God and to building His kingdom. The temple testifies of the reality and importance of the resurrection and is centered on Jesus Christ and His atonement. I learned that His atonement supports all of the temple activities. We can draw power from the temple ordinances by living and keeping the covenants we have made. Through participating in the temple ordinances, we can implement ways to strengthen our families and marriages. Through temple worship, we learn to move away from the world and towards God. Although we leave the world behind when we enter the temple, we return back to the world with all of our same trials. The difference is that we find the strength and way to endure through our trials and overcome our challenges. The temple is most important to me because it provides the ordinances and covenants to make it possible to reunite my family and the family of the whole earth. The joy and peace and love I felt with my family at the family reunion can endure forever through this life and beyond this life. That makes me excited and grateful.

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