Two Mormon Brothers-in-Law Carry Olympic Torch  — Read about what inspired these men to apply to be torchbearers.

Two Mormon Men Assist with “Extreme Makeovers” — Here’s another story of two brothers working to do some good.

Wondering what the inside of an LDS temple looks like? Live near Langley (Vancouver British Columbia)? — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints always holds an open house before the dedication of a new temple. The temple in Langley (the first in British Columbia) will be open for visitors in April. News stories are already talking about the opportunity, here and here. More information on our site about temples can be found here.

More About Haiti — This story isn’t just about Mormons, but about the outpouring of love that has been seen in Haiti as people from all over the world, from all walks of life, from myriad religious backgrounds or no religion at all, have come together to try to help. In the wake of a sobering tragedy, it has been inspiring to see that compassion shown by so many, for so many. Michael Otterson writes:

Despite many differences, everyone at the heart of these operations wants to do what is best for the people in Haiti. There is no other motivation than love and care for their Haitian brothers and sisters. This is pure religion in its simplest and most important form.

The post Links We Like: Mormons (and Mormon Temples) in the News appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

When my littlest one turned eight months old, she found a new tool to help herself drift off to sleep.  As I rocked her in my arms, she would sing-hum an almost meditative “om.”  Often it started as an “ahhhh” that lasted for a few seconds before she ended with a louder, punching “AH!”  Then she would take a breath and start over.  Sometimes she would just hum the /m/ sound.

One January morning I rocked her before her first nap. Her eyes started looking towards her forehead, her eyelids took longer blinks, and she started her meditative song.

“ahhhhhhh…..AH.   ahhhh……AH.”

Her head was nestled in one of her favorite places, my left armpit.  I lifted my elbow to bring her ear closer to my lips.

“ahhhh….” I chanted with her.

She switched to “mmmmm…”

I followed.

I giggled a bit.  A not-yet-toddler not-baby and mother, seemingly meditating together.

“ommmmm….”

While we were humming, I remembered  the word ‘namaste’ from my days doing yoga at the local gym.

Namaste: I honor the divine in you.

We took a breath together, and continued.

“ommmmmm….”

– – – –

It is easy to think of tiny newborns as having more of the divine and less of the world.  More spirit, less earth.  And then they grow, teethe, wake often through the night, make their will known with loud screams.  The divine seems further away.  The newborns become infants become toddlers become preschoolers; and by then, well, if I get a 30-second glimpse of the divine in my child each day it sometimes feels like a miracle.

– – – –

My baby’s body relaxed a bit more.  Her song got quieter.

“ooommmmmm….”

(namaste)

– – – –

Divine Nature.  It’s a value we teach our Young Women, and encourage them to honor that sacred piece of themselves.  But outside of that setting, do I often think about the idea? The truth behind it?

We are actual children of God the Father.  He is our King, and therefore, we are Divine.

I am divine, as are you, and each of my children.

Yes, my children need my help learning to count, read,color in the lines, and put their shoes away when they come in the house.  But how am I allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me in nurturing the divine in my children, and to honor daily that heavenly part of them?

– – – –

Her song became quiet, her breathing slow.  I rose from the rocker, placed her in the crib, and then leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“Namaste.”

_______________________

For more Family Friday posts, please click here.

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~by Ginny

twas the first day of school and all through the house
all the creatures were scurrying around like a mouse
the outfits were picked and laid out with great care
in hopes that approval could soon be found there

the children were anxious and mommy was too
a new school for all, how would they do?
dad took the day off for myriad reasons
an anniversary to celebrate and a change in the seasons

the contractors showed up to work on the basement
before the pictures were taken and the kids could be sent
momma took the oldest two while the three stayed with dad
PTA meeting, class presentations all to be had

then momma came home in just enough time
to grab the new kindergartner who was all primed
for her first day of school, she was a tad scared
but she revved up her courage and how well she fared

one more class presentation before running back home
to sneak in a celebration lunch with two toddlers in tow
who would have guessed that ten years would bring this?
then run back to school to pick up the kids!

the three school children loved their teachers and day
most of them even said they wished they could stay
but home they all went with homework and forms to fill out
by the time it was done, poor mom wanted to shout

due to momma’s mistake, dinner plans were confused
a full day of school, anniversary and construction one could muse
should have earned the family a good final meal
but instead they settled for a dinner of cold cereal.

——-

Do you have any funny school-day stories? Anniversary tales? Crazy-day accounts? Share in the comments below or send us an email at gmail to username ‘mormonwoman’

For more Family Friday posts, click here.

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Answer:
by Michelle**

As the Oquirrh Mountain temple will soon be dedicated (services will be held on August 21-23, 2009), we thought this would be a good question to address.

After the construction on a temple is completed, the Church holds an open house so that anyone interested can walk through and see the inside of the temple, and learn a little more about what happens in temples and why temple worship is so important to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Once the open house is completed, a dedicatory service is held. The service includes the singing and performing of sacred music, discourses from Church leaders, and a special dedicatory prayer. Members of the Church ages 8 and above are given the opportunity to participate in the services. In a sense, we are presenting the temple — which for Mormons signifies one of the most sacred places on earth — to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ. We ask Heavenly Father to accept the temple and bless those who serve therein.

We bring white handkerchiefs to participate in what is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the service — the Hosanna Shout. This is a sacred moment for us, when we join our voices in unison, praising God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is reminiscent of the praises voiced at the triumphal entry of the Savior (Matthew 21; Mark 11; John 12). There are also times in the Old Testament that are similar in this spirit of praise, where rejoicing was part of the sacred rituals of the tabernacle. We also see such sacred use of a cry of “Hosanna” when the Savior visited the American continent after His resurrection and ascension in Jerusalem, as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Temple dedications have always been important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the first latter-day temple dedication in Kirtland, Ohio,

“[h]undreds of Saints came to Kirtland for the dedicatory services; some traveled long distances to attend. There were nearly a thousand seats inside the temple, but many more people wanted to attend the dedication. The Prophet told the people who could not get seats in the temple to hold a separate meeting in the schoolhouse nearby, and the next Thursday the dedication service was repeated so these people could hear it…. [This illustrates the reason that multiple dedicatory sessions will be held, thus allowing many people the opportunity to participate in the sacred event.]

While the Kirtland temple dedication was more extensive than dedicatory services held today (it lasted over seven hours!), reading about it can give an idea of what happens each time a temple is dedicated:

The Prophet Joseph Smith read the dedicatory prayer, which had been given to him in a revelation. This prayer is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 109. In the prayer the Prophet thanked Heavenly Father for the blessings he had given the members of the Church. Joseph prayed that the temple would be a place of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order (see D&C 109:8, 16) and that those who came to the temple would grow in faith and wisdom (see D&C 109:14–15). He asked the Lord to accept the temple and make it a holy place (see D&C 109:4, 12–13). After the prayer the choir sang “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), which had been written by William W. Phelps for the dedication of the temple. The congregation then…ended the service by giving the sacred Hosanna Shout: they raised their hands above their heads and shouted three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen.”

Temples are dedicated today following the pattern of the Kirtland Temple dedication. The prophet (or someone he chooses) gives the dedicatory prayer, “The Spirit of God” is sung, and the entire congregation gives the Hosanna Shout.

(All quotes above were taken from this lesson.)

For more information on our site about the topic of temples, see the following articles:

What can you tell me about Mormon temples?
What the Temple Means to Mormons
Why Mormons Build Temples

***Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the administrators at Mormon Women. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

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