“Come, Get Away from the World,” New Era, Oct. 2009, 20–23
Come, Get Away from the World
Temples offer peace the world can’t provide. A recent temple open house gave these youth a deeper look inside.
Why prepare for the temple? After attending an open house for the Draper Utah Temple, some 60 teens from the Bluffridge and Whisperwood Wards of the Syracuse Utah South Stake have plenty of answers.
And they also have a one-word definition of their experience: “Cool.”
Yes, cool. And it’s not because they got to see the beautiful windows, carpets, and paintings. It’s because they know the feeling of the temple comes from a remarkably rare peace available inside.
“You get the coolest feeling and know that it’s a holy place,” says Tyson Clark, 14.
The Syracuse youth laughed and talked together as they arrived. But noise dropped to whispers as they entered the lower level of the temple itself, through polished brass-and-glass doors that lead to the baptistry. Their eyes were as wide as their smiles.
“When you come through the door, everyone stops talking,” Tyson says.
Ryan Tucker, 16, says, “I noticed the peace and serenity the moment I walked in.” It helped him to leave worries of the world behind.
Service Counts
Looking at the exterior of a temple can often provide a feeling of peace. But many of these youth, who have already participated in baptisms for the dead in other temples, know that one of the great things that goes on inside is serving others. “I know that I’m helping people who can’t be baptized for themselves,” Ryan says.
Tyson’s sister, McKenna, 16, remembers feeling nervous her first time doing baptisms for the dead. But at the open house, when she saw the Draper temple font supported by 12 white oxen, it reminded her of the blessings of temple service.
“Just entering the temple helps you feel a little calmer,” she says. “But as you do baptisms, the feeling gets even better.”
Leaving the baptistry, the Syracuse youth walked up a wide staircase to the second floor. Their heads kept swiveling as their long line slowly progressed past images of the Savior and paintings of local landscapes.
“It was nice looking around and noticing things by yourself,” says Megan Skidmore, 15. “It’s nice to get away from the world. It helps me feel like I have someplace to go if I ever feel alone.”
As they stepped into the celestial room, quiet awe replaced already softened whispers. They craned their necks just enough to take in the detailed glass chandelier hanging in midair, with a high, vaulted ceiling overhead.
Reflections on Eternity
Their final glimpse inside the temple included a short stop in one of its five sealing rooms. This was the favorite room of recently ordained deacon Stockton Stoker, age 12.
“When you look at the mirrors on either side of the altar, the reflections just keep going,” he says. “It represents that families can be together forever.”
McKenna says, “It’s important to stay worthy so I can be married in the temple. It’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”
Perhaps the most important understanding the open house reinforced, however, was that the temple can already be a very real part of their lives. They each have their own ways of keeping an eye on the temple. Megan and Ryan like keeping pictures of a temple on their walls because it helps them remember what it’s like when they are there. McKenna suggests setting aside time to read the scriptures and what they say about the temple.
Stockton keeps it simple: “Keep being holy. Repent if you do something wrong. Just prepare to go to the temple.”
“It’s definitely worth it to go to the temple. You just have to remember what you’re on earth for,” says Tyson. “The temple is a place that can help us learn where we’re at spiritually and how to be a better person.”
In other words, by getting away from the world, we gain the perspective we need to get along in the world. And after all, isn’t that what we’re really after in life?
Teens from the Syracuse Utah South Stake made an appointment to tour the Draper Utah Temple during its open house.
Photographs by Jacob Fullmer, except as noted; temple photographs by Ravell Call and August Miller, © Deseret News
Top left: photograph by Christina Smith; background photograph by Craig Dimond