Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Ogden Utah Temple Open House with my wife and kids. Since none of my kids are old enough to attend the temple, it was the first time my whole family could be inside the House of the Lord. It felt amazing and strengthened my testimony of eternal families.

The short video just prior to the open house tour inside the temple explains a little bit about why we build temples. in short, it’s as close to heaven as we can get in this life, and it helps us prepare ourselves to return and live with our families.

At the conclusion of the tour, we stepped inside the while informational tent they had placed due south of the temple and found information about eternal families. Here’s a short quote from The Family and Temples.

“God’s divine plan for our happiness provides the means for the loving family relationships that we enjoy in this life to continue after death. Sacred ordinances (ceremonies) and covenants (promises) available in temples make it possible for all people to return to the presence of God, along with their families, to be together forever.”

Tours of the Ogden Utah Temple will continue through September 6, 2014, so if you have not had the opportunity to visit this House of the Lord, I strongly encourage you to make the time to tour it with your family. If you miss the Ogden Utah Temple Open House, stay tuned for the opening of the Payson Utah Temple in the coming months.

– Jason Carlton (Sandy, Utah)