“I Had Loved Her Before …”

By Bo G. Wennerlund

Counselor in the Mission Presidency, Sweden Mission

Although I was baptized in 1949, my wife did not feel ready until four patient years later. When the Swiss Temple was dedicated in 1955, we had a family of seven, and the trip seemed more than our family budget could take. Maud and I knelt and asked the Lord to open the way for us, and about a month later, my employer called me in to say how pleased he was with my work and to give me a substantial salary increase. That summer we went to the house of the Lord for the first time.

I shall never forget the joy and happiness and determination to live the gospel that filled my soul after that first visit to the temple. I gained knowledge and insights relating to my eternal destination that I had never dreamed of before. The highlight was when our family was sealed together for time and all eternity.

I looked into my wife’s eyes across the altar and saw tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. I had loved her before, but never so much as from that moment. She, a daughter of God, was the mother of my children! It seemed as if I had never understood that until then. Afterward our prayers were more meaningful, we loved the Lord more than ever, and we loved to serve him.

We continue to return to the temple because we love the work and the spirit there. Every time we return we are reminded of the covenants we have made, and this is the strongest motivation for us to continue to live the gospel way of life.