Journey to the Temple

Bright and early on a beautiful September morning, Heidi and I, along with 30 youth and leaders, met at a neighborhood elementary school to start on a journey of 22 miles.....on foot.  And although we started walking crisply at 6:30 am, the journey to that point had started long before that.

My personal journey began back in March of this year.  I attended a General Young Women Broadcast, along with Heidi and the other Young Women of our Ward.  At that meeting, Sister Elaine S. Dalton, the Young Women General President, gave a beautiful talk, "Guardians of Virtue." In it, she related the story of John Rowe Moyle, a convert to the church after it was newly organized in the 1800's.  As a result of his conversion, he and his family emigrated to the United States, and after many hardships, traversed the country, finally reaching the Salt Lake Valley.  He settled on some property 22 miles from the Valley.  A skilled stonemason, Brother Moyle was called to help with the construction of the Salt Lake Temple.  Despite the hardship of the distance, he walked the 22 miles to the construction site of the temple every week, then walked the 22 miles back home.  He continued to do this for 20 years, even after an accident on his farm caused him to lose his leg.  After regaining his strength, he continued to walk the 22 miles to the construction site every week on a home-made wooden leg, which he fabricated himself.  His were the hands that carved "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord" high on the east wall of the Salt Lake Temple.

To honor Brother Moyle, and affirm their dedication to the temple, the Young Women in the Cedar Hills Sixth Ward decided to follow the steps that he took, walking from the Draper Utah Temple to the Salt Lake Temple, a distance of 22 miles.  It was very difficult, and Sister Dalton related how the Young Women stayed strong by focusing on their decision to stay pure and worthy to enter the temple one day.

As I was listening to this talk and the incredible journey these Young Women made, I felt a little nudge deep down inside of me saying, "What a wonderful experience for those girls!  Think of how much they learned as they made that journey and overcame all the obstacles of fatigue and pain.  Wouldn't it be wonderful for our girls to experience that as well, and gain a firm testimony of the sacredness of the temple?"

And although I was deeply moved by this, I firmly patted down that feeling rising up inside of me.  After all, it's twenty-two miles, for heaven's sake!

One month later I was attending a Time Out for Women's Conference with several of my friends.  The speakers and messages are always so uplifting and empowering at these conferences, and I love going to them.  One of the speakers there, Emily Freeman, revealed that she is a member of the Ward that made that epic journey to the temple.  As she related her personal experiences with that journey, I received another gentle nudge deep inside of me.  "Wouldn't that be an amazing experience for our girls?  Just think of the testimony they could gain of the temple!"

Once again, I resolutely patted the feeling down.  How could I possibly walk 22 miles?!

A few weeks later, we attended a meeting that Sister Mary N. Cook, the First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, was speaking at.  She presented a short video titled "I'm a Young Woman and I Believe!"  In it were several Young Women, bearing their testimonies of the Savior, the reality of his life and purpose, and how the temple is a place we can draw nearer to him and our Heavenly Father than in any other place.  Their testimonies were so clear and so pure.  Sister Cook instructed all those present to see how their eyes "sparkled."  They truly had the light of Christ shining through their eyes as they were speaking.  It was very inspiring. She then mentioned that every one of those girls went on the same 22-mile walk to the temple.

This time a not-so-subtle nudge.  "Look how strong those girls are! Look how their testimonies have grown! Don't you want that for your girls?!"

It was getting much more difficult to tamp down that feeling!

The final straw came two weeks later....

I was preparing to teach a lesson to my Beehives on (of all topics) the temple!  As part of my preparation I was listening to a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson in our last General Conference, "The Holy Temple -- a Beacon to the World."  He talked about how saints have always had to make sacrifices to build temples and also to enter its holy doors.  It was an excellent talk, of course, full of poingant personal experiences of individuals and their personal journeys to the temple.  Then, near the end, the Prophet made this statement:

"Now, my young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there."

As he said this, I did not receive a gentle nudge, it was a gigantic push right to the center of my soul!  The feeling was so intense, it literally took my breath away!  It said, "You HAVE to do this!!"

Finally, with tears pouring down my face, I said yes.  All my doubts about whether this journey would be possible were erased.  I knew that it was what the Lord wanted these girls to experience at this time in their lives, and I knew he would provide a way for that to happen!

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Probably the most difficult part of this journey was what I had to do next, because I knew there would be no turning back afterward.  I called our Ward's Young Women's President, Linda Lamprecht, to tell her about my experience and ask if it would be alright if I took my Beehive class on this Journey to the Temple.  As I asked her this question, without hesitation or even a second thought she replied, "Absolutely not.....we ALL have to do it!!!"

There was no turning back from there!!  Linda, who is one of the most amazing, inspiring women I know, took this journey to heart, turning a small and undeveloped idea into a highly organized and incredibly meaningful reality!  I can take no credit for the amazing success of this adventure for the girls.  Linda was there from start to finish, coordinating all the tiny details which can overwhelm and undermine a technically difficult proposition.

I think one of her most inspired additions to this experience was the challenge which she added for all of the Young Women and their leaders to memorize the document, "The Living Christ."  It is a beautiful document, giving testimony of the divinity and life of the Savior, as born by the First Presidency of the Church and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  I took this challenge very seriously.  I wanted to have that document memorized word for word, so I could always hold those words close to my heart and they would be with me forever. 

I completed memorizing the entire document by the week of the big walk.  I think it is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I hold it very dear and sacred, and feel it was such an incredible blessing to go through the experience of memorizing it.  As I was memorizing, I had to repeat the phrases over and over and over.  It is written in a more formal language, making some of the wording awkward or unfamiliar.  Yet it is also very poetic, with beautiful rhythm and alliteration.  This made the recitation of it a pure joy.  Even more than this, though, the words spoke very powerfully of Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Redeemer.  I cannot help but be overwhelmed with the Spirit bearing witness to me of the truth of this when I recite the last section:

"We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

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From the beginning, we knew that preparation was going to be vital for this Journey to the Temple to be possible.  Walking 22 miles is difficult, and all those involved would need plenty of training in preparation to make the journey.

We held weekly training walks.  Most were 3-4 miles, walking at a brisk pace for over an hour.  Linda was great at pacing the girls, encouraging them to push themselves and get their bodies and minds conditioned.  Two of the training walks were 7 miles, and the longest was 11 miles.  The girls were all exceptional at keeping a pace, not complaining, and maintaining a positive attitude.

I think the main reason for this is because, from the very start, the girls caught the vision and significance of this journey, making it a very personal experience for each involved.  We introduced the plan, starting off by showing a movie portraying the life of John Rowe Moyle.  We then presented the plan to do the 22-mile walk ourselves.  You could have heard a pin drop in that room as I related to them the experience I had in determining if we should do this.  Everyone was touched and immediately jumped on board for the challenge!  I don't think the girls realized at first how far 22 miles really is, but their parents did.  You could see it in their faces, but you could also see in their faces the determination they had to help their daughters make it through to the end.  How grateful I am for dedicated, loving parents!!!

I, of course, did the training walks along with the girls.  I quickly discovered that it would be more of a challenge for me than I first anticipated.  I have been fighting issues with my hip for many years.  Every time we would start walking, no matter how much I warmed up and stretched, it would freeze up.  By the time we would finish the 3-4 mile training walks I was in serious pain.  I had high hopes that with more training I would gradually improve, but things never seemed to get better, only worse!  By the end of our first 7-mile walk, I was literally fighting off the tears.  The pain had gotten so bad, that I had had to take several shortcuts, cutting my distance by a mile.  A great feeling of dread washed over me. 

Was I going to be able to do this walk?

I made an appointment with our bishop, Bishop Barker, who also happens to be an orthopeadic surgeon.  After taking some x-rays, he determined that I have bursitis in my hip, which is painful but not debilitating.  I was relieved with this information, thinking I could stretch the area out.

Then my lower back started acting up.  My sciatic nerve was affected by the issues in my spine, causing severe pain in my back, hip, and leg.  This was more than I could overcome with mere stretches.

This was a very trying and emotional time for me.  I felt so strongly that I needed to do this walk with the girls, but was coming to the realization that it was physically impossible for me to do so!  I had many pleading moments with the Lord asking, "WHY would I be given such a strong impression to do this, if I am not even capable of following through?  Am I lacking the faith necessary to do it?  Shouldn't I be able to do it if I put my trust in him?"

I literally wrestled with this for a long time.  I agonized over it while I was at work, when I was doing the dishes, when I was driving....

Finally I related my feelings of frustration and desperation to a friend at work.  She looked at me and said.  "Have you considered that maybe you got the inspiration for this to happen FOR THE GIRLS?  You did what was asked of you to get it started, and you will still be involved with it every step of the way."

I think it took someone else telling me this, for me to accept that it was okay for me to not walk the entire 22 miles.  It was still hard to swallow, but I started to feel some peace, knowing that the entire purpose of this experience was for the girls to make the personal Journey to the Temple, so it could help them in their lives as they are facing difficult challenges and temptations.

I decided I would be at all the rest stops, cheering the girls on, giving comfort where it was needed, and encouragement when spirits were low.  I would then join them for the last six miles, since I knew that was the limit of what I was physically able to handle in the training walks.  I really wanted to be with them at the end when they rounded that final corner to the temple!

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Saturday, September 3rd came, and we gathered together to start this 22-mile journey.  Everyone was in great spirits, with no doubts as to being able to accomplish this task!  Linda and I had gone over the route extensively, and we were comfortable with the logistics of the course.  About 30 youth, parents, and leaders started on their way.  With one of the mothers and Linda's husband, I followed along and met the girls at all the rest stops.  We passed out snacks, refilled water bottles, offered first aid and especially words of encouragement.

The following pictures are at the first stop, at mile 4:

Heidi, doing some stretches.

I was immediately impressed with how positive the girls were!  They were happy to be there, and cheered along with us as we saw them approaching from down the street.

The next stop, at mile 8, showed that things were getting a little harder.  Blisters were starting to form and feet were starting to protest, but everyone was still so positive!

Some of our fantastic leaders!

Bishop Barker biked the entire way, with water and supplies in his trailor.  He ended out cycling over 40 miles that day.

Linda didn't even have to ask twice for the girls to get up and keep moving!  They stopped again at mile 9.5 to have an early lunch and rest before they entered the Sammamish River Trail.  The trail is 5.5 miles long, with no road access and no shade, so the walkers were on their own for a time once they entered it.  Here are some pictures at the lunch stop:

Linda Lamprecht, my hero, with her daughter Erica.

By this point, Heidi was starting to physically struggle.  Her feet, ankles, and knees were screaming at her, but she desperately wanted to continue.  During the training walks we discovered that Heidi rolls her feet inward as she walks.  This is not an issue during normal activity, but the extensive walking would cause severe pain and swelling around her ankles and knees.  The night before the walk, Eric gave her a beautiful Priesthood blessing, promising her that she would be able to complete this walk, and that she would not sustain any injuries from it.  I clung on to that promise with the desperate heart of a concerned mother.  It was so painful to watch her struggle, and yet I was profoundly proud of her for continuing to push herself.  I knew that Heavenly Father was looking out for her, because He wanted her to complete this.

At the end of the trail, we waited for the walkers with a cooler full of popsicles.  It was well over 80 degrees by this point, and the girls had gone 15 miles.  They were exhausted, and yet I could see their excited determination to continue.  Some of the girls led them all in a cheer they made up, and got their "game faces" on!

My cheering partner, Kim Bowley, with Brooklyn LaBaron.

Leaving the stop at mile 15 was daunting.  They had a mile-long hill to climb that was a monster!  The leaders instructed the girls to put their heads down, pump their arms and just GO!  If they allowed themselves to get distracted, it was a lot harder work to get to the top.

We had another stop at the top of the hill, at mile 16, where I then joined the walk.  I was so excited to get going!  The entire day I was on pins and needles, because I wanted so desperately to be walking with them!  Even though I knew it was okay that I wasn't walking, I still fought the feelings of guilt and disappointment in not sharing the experience with them.  So.....I started posting updates on Facebook for the parents and friends of the girls to see their progress along the way.  We didn't allow the girls to carry their phones with them, so they weren't able to post anything themselves.  I had a lot of fun posting things the girls were doing or saying, and where they were on the journey.  And the posts got a lot of positive comments, encouraging them along.  It was fun to be able to involve others who were also not able to walk with the girls.

From here on out, I was right where I wanted to be, rubbing shoulders with these amazing girls, leaders and parents.  By this point, everyone was getting pretty tired.  Blisters needed constant attention, and several of the girls were limping.  I wrapped the knee of one of them, who immediately said how much that helped.  Then she kept right on going, never wavering in her determination to continue.  I was so proud of her, because I knew how much she was hurting.  I was able to walk a lot of this distance with Heidi.  It was so special to me to share it with her, and help encourage her to keep going.  She also never wavered in her determination, even though she had a blister the size of an egg along the side of her foot and her ankle was completely swollen.

The last stop was only 1.7 miles away from the temple.  The girls who arrived first waited until everyone got to that point, so that we could walk the last little bit all together.

Can you believe these beautiful smiles, after just walking over 20 miles?

Heidi is "icing" her ankle with her cold grapes.

With one more cheer, and a few words of encouragement from Linda, we all left as a group and started on the final distance.  It was a long incline uphill, which made the last stretch that much more challenging.  Steps were slower, but the feeling that swirled around the girls continued to be positive.  I could still hear chatter and laughter, and I was amazed that they were able to sustain such positive energy.  We were almost there, and the excitement of their arduous journey coming to its end was palpable.

When we were one block away from the temple, we passed a beautiful park.  As the girls passed under the welcome relief of leafy shade, the mood among the group changed.  They started singing the beloved Primary song "I Love to See the Temple."

I love to see the temple.

I'm going there someday

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God,

A place of love and beauty.

I'll prepare myself while I am young...

This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple.

I'll go inside someday.

I'll covenant with my Father.

I'll promise to obey.

For the temple is a holy place

Where we are sealed together.

As a child of God, I know this truth:

A family is forever.

As the words to the song echoed throughout the trees, I felt such a surge of the Spirit come upon me, and I know they felt it too.  This was why we were doing this walk.  This was why they pushed through all the pain and struggles to make it to the house of the Lord.  This was where they could make sacred promises with their Heavenly Father -- promises that, if kept, will enable them to return to live with our Father in Heaven and be sealed to their families for all eternity.

Then, we rounded the last corner.....

And just like I imagine the afterlife to be, we were greeted by all of our loved ones cheering and welcoming us with open arms!

There were a lot of tears shed with the realization that.....WE DID IT!!!

22 miles in 9 hours

After enjoying the temple grounds, we made the last part of the journey around to the back of the temple.  There, directly under the inscription "Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord" carved high on the wall, we sat in the grass and recited "The Living Christ" in its entirety.  You can only imagine the Spirit that resonated as 30 girls and leaders recited those sacred words, bearing testimony that Jesus is the Living Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, and the Redeemer of the world.

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I went home that afternoon, feeling exhausted and proud, and hoping that the Journey to the Temple was as profound an experience for the girls as it had been for me.  There were so many parallels to our own personal journeys to the temple, and throughout life.  But did the girls get that?

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Luckily for us, the next day happened to be Fast Sunday.  The Spirit was overwhelmingly strong as girl after girl got up in our Fast and Testimony Meeting to bear their testimony about the truthfulness of the Gospel, and what they learned along this Journey to the Temple.  They learned that life is a journey, with our end goal being to return to live with our Father in Heaven.  The temple is the key along the path to get us there.  Even though there are challenges, distractions, temptations, and trials along the way, we can overcome them with the help of the Lord.  The theme of our journey was "In the Strength of the Lord, I Can Do Hard Things," and that is exactly what these girls learned.  In the strength of the Lord, they can accomplish anything.  They can remain strong when the world around them is trying to pull them off the path.  They have leaders and parents who love them, and will always be there as a support for them when they need bandaging up, or the encouragement to continue.  They learned that they can succeed on this journey, and the end destination is worth it all.

They got it.