Saying Yes to the Temple

By Lori Fuller

Church Magazines

I know that I did things in the right order and timing for me.

When I was younger, I knew that at some point I would receive my endowment in the temple. I counted on getting married and having that decision taken care of for me almost by default. When I grew older and realized I was not getting married anytime soon, I decided I could think about the temple later—maybe in a few years.

A year or two passed. I finished college and started my first “grown-up” job. During this time, I hadn’t thought about the temple much. I did baptisms for the dead when I could, but it wasn’t a priority. Perhaps I would have kept putting off a decision about the temple if not for multiple promptings that came to me about receiving my endowment. For about a month, almost every talk and lesson at church had something to do with the temple. Each week, the promptings seemed clearer until finally I knew that I wanted to receive my endowment—not sometime in the future but as soon as I could be prepared.

I spoke with my parents right away. I had worried that they would tell me to wait, but they were encouraging and excited for me. I’m not sure why I was surprised, but like them, I knew that I had not been ready for this decision a year ago. I also knew the decision was too important for me to just wait until life took care of it for me.

I Prayed the Answer Would Be Yes

Before I met with my bishop, I prayed a lot. I told Heavenly Father that I was hoping to receive my temple endowment. If His answer was no, or “not yet,” then I would be patient and continue to prepare. But I prayed that His answer would be yes.

I met with my bishop, and like my parents, he was excited for me. He gave me some homework and reading to do, and I left feeling that so far, Heavenly Father had said yes to my wish to receive my endowment in the temple.

For weeks I prepared. I went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead every week. I read the Pearl of Great Price and Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple, started reading The House of the Lord by James E. Talmage and The Holy Temple by President Boyd K. Packer, attended my ward’s temple preparation class, spoke to my parents and others about the temple, and listened to conference messages about the temple and making covenants. And the more I learned, the more excited I became. I had rarely felt more peaceful about any decision.

For me, it was a blessing to be able to completely focus on preparing for the temple. I know that I did things in the right order and timing for me.

And Then the Answer Came

When I met with the bishop again, he interviewed me and signed my temple recommend. He told me that while he advised some people to wait, he had no reservations about letting me go to the temple. I smiled all the way home. I felt again that Heavenly Father had said yes.

This was not the last step; I still had to meet with a member of the stake presidency. I was nervous, but after our interview, he gladly signed my temple recommend.

That night, I prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for saying yes to my desire to receive my endowment. And then the answer came: “You said yes.” And I realized that I had. I said yes when I acted on my desire to receive the temple endowment and when I did all I could to prepare. And I said yes when I could meet all the Lord’s requirements to receive a temple recommend. The Lord had invited me to His house, and I had said yes. And I will always be glad I did.