Day 5-Getting Closer

One of the major parts of this book was the construction of a Temple to the Lord in the city of Nauvoo. The saints were called upon to put their rescources and skills together to build, for their day and time, a very large and mighty structure. The building was much larger than most buildings of the day. The saints started from complete scratch. They had tools that, in many cases, they had built themselves. They had dynamite, sledge hammers, and wedges to cut the granite squares from the hillside. They had wooden cranes and pulleys to hoist the several ton blocks onto wooden horse-drawn carriages. It often took a dozen workers just to cut 2 blocks in an entire day's work. Then it took a wagon and at least a dozen well-bred horses to pull the cart all the way to the temple site, which was up-hill from the quarry. This was only part of it. They had so many more things to do on the temple, that It makes me feel kind of guilty in a way; just to know that I have the things I have at this day in age makes me feel very grateful, and yet guilty in the sense that I don't always appreciate everything I have. One of the biggest things that I have that I take for granted is not the technology of the day, but the very thing that the Saints so long ago strived so hard to construct. We as a church have so many of these beautiful temples, all of them built with such ease compared to that Nauvoo Temple so long ago. There are probably 5 temples within an hour's travel time of my house, and yet I still can't manage to find the time to go there and partake of those blessings. I have only been a few times in the last few years that I have had the opportunity to. Reading of the things that the Saints of the early church went through to build a temple of our Lord gave me more than just a knowlege of church history. It also gave me great apprectiation of the blessings that I have, as well as a stronger testimony of the doctrines of the Church. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that it really is the only true gospel on Earth, and I know that it is the true church of our Savior, Jesus Christ, without a doubt. I think at this point, it would not be out of place to say that I bear witness of these things and testify of them in the name of Jesus Christ, my redeemer. Amen.

I never thought that an English assignment would come to that, but there it is; part of my testimony of what I know to be true.