Hi, everyone. We would love to show you this beautiful, historic, and sacred place that is Temple Square. We are going to take you inside many of the buildings and tell you about the rich history of their faith-driven beginnings, as well as get to show you the Christmas lights on Temple Square. OK, let's get started. Welcome to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was built in 1911 as the Hotel Utah, the first world-class hotel built west of the Mississippi. Today it houses restaurants, reception rooms, a chapel, and of course it's decked out for the season with this beautiful Christmas spirit. [PIANO MUSIC] The birth of Jesus Christ was a global event. It wasn't just for us; it was for everyone. He truly is the Savior of the world. There are no exceptions or limitations to the blessings of the birth of Jesus Christ. That is why we have nativity scenes displayed here that represent cultures from all over the world. [PIANO MUSIC] The Salt Lake Temple was built in 1893, after 40 years of construction. Now it's undergoing a four-year renovation to strengthen the original foundation. Despite the temple undergoing this renovation, we can have peace in knowing that wherever we stand can be holy ground, as long as we focus on striving to become more like the Savior Jesus Christ.
[PIANO MUSIC] This is the beautiful Relief Society building. It is home to the women's organizations of the Church: the Primary, Relief Society, and Young Women. These artifacts were donated by faithful women from around the world. This building reminds us of the power of women when we unite together under Jesus Christ. Now follow us; we're going to take you all over to the Conference Center.
[PIANO SOLO] So this is the Conference Center. It is used for cultural events, concerts, and is home to a worldwide broadcast known as general conference, which is broadcast all over the world in over 90 different languages. This building is over a million square feet and has a 21,000-seat auditorium. It actually sounds like someone's practicing on the organ right now; let's take a look. [ORGAN SOLO] It sounds like Brian Mathias is playing. This organ has over 7,000 pipes. You know, this is actually my second favorite organ, right after the kidney. [LAUGHS] There are organ recitals held every week. You can find more information on ChurchofJesusChrist.org/events. [ORGAN SOLO] [PIANO SOLO] Everything on Temple Square points us to Jesus Christ. Recently, President Nelson has invited us to reemphasize Him as the center of all that we do. Which is why he introduced this sculpture as the new symbol of the Church. The scripture that inspired the sculpture is from the New Testament. It's Matthew 11:28, which says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." And I love that phrase, "come unto me." It reminds me that Jesus Christ does not want us to bear our burdens alone. And as we come unto Christ, we will find the peace and healing that we are searching for in our lives. As representatives of the Prince of Peace, we bear witness that all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
[PIANO SOLO] This is the Tabernacle, home to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. This choir has over 300 members. They're all volunteers, and they share their testimony of Jesus Christ through song. So, we kind of like to joke that this building looks like a baked potato with the tinfoil still on it. [LAUGHS] But it's shaped like that for a specific reason. The roof is actually made out of bridge frames to provide an echo effect, so when you go inside, the acoustics are perfect. They're so perfect, in fact, that when one person drops a pin from one end of the building, somebody standing on the complete opposite end can hear it. And the acoustics sound especially amazing when there's a Christmas concert going on inside.
[PIANO SOLO] This place is more than spires, organs, and Christmas lights. This is a place of possibilities. Why? Because when we visit Temple Square, we leave wanting to become more like Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ went about doing good, we can follow His example. As we allow the light of Christ to shine through us, together, we can light the world. We invite you to let your light shine this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!