Utah Temples Tour: Manti and St George

With eleven temples visited during Day1, Day 2, and Day 3 it is time to visit the two remaining temples. Day 4 of the Utah Temples Tour began, as you may have guessed, at a rickety 4am. We left the Wayside Motor Inn in Monticello at 4:50am bound for Manti but hunting for breakfast on the way.

The Manti Temple

We traveled all the way to Manti before we found breakfast. We passed up the 8:30am session so as to eat and then we just managed to catch the 9:30am session. This is an awesome temple. Every room is big. The celestial room is the largest of all the Utah temples. This is a real pioneer structure with ornate ceilings and wooden bench seating. A temple worker showed us the sealing rooms. Very beautiful. Daniel and Spencer hung back and were shown the spiral staircase that goes to the top of the tower. This is a temple built on hill. Walking around the grounds meant some steep climbs to get some great photographs. If I were to choose two Utah temples to visit, other than the Salt Lake temple, it would be the Vernal and Manti temples.

The St. George Temple

Leaving Manti we drove to St. George and took some photographs in the temple grounds before attending the 4pm session. The temple is the first completed by the Church after the Nauvoo exodus and is similar in its design to the Nauvoo Temple. It is the oldest LDS temple still actively used by the members of the Church. There are three ordinance rooms and 18 sealing rooms, and a total floor area of 110,000 feet. In the 1970s the temple was closed and underwent extensive remodeling. The temple has an all white exterior and quiet grounds with some very old trees. When we left we ate at Subway before leaving St. George and arriving home at 10:45pm.

Reflections

On this tour I have enjoyed seeing the interior of eleven Utah temples and working for the dead in all of them. Eight of those temples I have never entered before. Jake and Daniel saw nine new temples. Paul seven new temples. Spencer six new temples. And of course we also visited the construction sites of two temples. But most importantly we have helped to provide saving ordinances for the dead.

A thank you to Andrew for joining us for a day and kisses to Jill for providing the snacks and participating with us at the Ogden temple. What I will remember most is the time spent traveling and being in the temples with three of my sons.