“No Matter How Early,” New Era, Sept. 2013, 18
No Matter How Early
Sierra Stites lives in Utah, USA.
My mom’s example made me want to visit the temple regularly.
Illustration by Ben Simonson
I go to the temple every Tuesday morning. I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to go to the temple and make it to school on time. Even if I go to bed late Monday night, I still get up the next morning and attend the temple. No one forces me to go—it’s my choice.
People have asked me, “Why do you do this every week?” My answer is that my family started this habit a long time ago. I’m the youngest of 12 kids, and for as long as I can remember I’ve seen my mom coming home from the early Saturday morning temple session. She promised Heavenly Father that if she ever lived near a temple she would go often (for her, once a week), and she has kept her promise ever since my family moved close to a temple many years ago.
Seeing her example made me want to go inside the temple so much. I started a countdown to my 12th birthday when I was only 4! My mom would take my siblings and me to the temple grounds, and this only made my desire to go inside the temple grow even more.
For my 12th birthday, my mom took me to the temple! The temple workers were so nice and treated me like a princess. I’d never experienced anything like the temple in my life, and the Spirit was so strong. I will never forget the peace my mom and I felt. Afterward I wiped tears from my eyes as I hugged my mom and thanked her for her example.
That year I continued to go on youth temple trips but felt like something was missing in my life. I told my mom I wanted to go to the temple every week before school and asked if she would take me. She thought it was a great idea, and we have been going together ever since.
I’ve received many blessings from going to the temple. It’s not always easy to wake up that early, but it’s worth it. I’ve done better in school, and I see my temptations in a different light. My faith and testimony have increased, and I feel more love for others and an increased desire to be a good example. I testify that blessings come when we go to the temple, no matter how early we have to get up.