A once in a lifetime experience.

We have been so blessed to have had a temple announced for Brigham City. I was a bit hesitant when I heard about where they were going to build the temple. But I have gained a testimony that "this is the place."

Because of the immensity of the event of the groundbreaking, a request was put out by the Brigham City Police Department for police assistance. I figured that I may not ever get the opportunity to work such a special event as the groundbreaking of the Temple.

I volunteered to work, and was truly blessed for making the sacrifice of being awake when the sun was out (since I am a graveyard person at the moment). I was stationed on the south east corner of the tabernacle. And It was a wonderful experience. The neatest part that I wasn't expecting was being able to hear everything that was said.

I have followed the posts and have been watching the news because of how excited I have been. I am going to post a few pictures and I will add above them my thoughts.

(This was the first picture of the temple that was released. I watched as this picture sent shock waves through everyone that saw it. It is obvious that the design is inspired and I think it is absolutely beautiful)

(I found this picture today. And despite trying all the tricks I know, I can't find a bigger picture than this. This is my absolute favorite picture of the temple. I know, not hard there are only two. I think the mountains in the background make this picture awe inspiring. And I know exactly what Boyd K. Packer was talking about now that I see how the Tabernacle looks behind the Temple. Elder Packer said that he had nothing to do with the location of the temple. And he recalled when he went with President Monson to look for the temple site.

"He called and said, 'I'd like you to come with me. We're leaving in 30 minutes.' … We came up and stood on this site and memories, memories, memories! Now I can see in my mind's eye a temple sitting here in about two years time. It will be gorgeous. It will be white. You will see in the design of it reflections of previous temples that have been built, particularly the Salt Lake Temple. And you will know that it will be a beacon from all over the valley.")

(I also just found this picture today. What an awesome depiction of the area. The picture was entitled "Brigham City Temple Square. We are truly blessed)

(It was very cool for me to see how the church protects our leaders, and too see all the steps taken to make sure everything went well. One of their major concerns was to keep the crowds away from Elder Packer. He is in poor health and they didn't want him to get mobbed. During the course of all of it, they failed to mention that Elder Nelson would be there as well. That was a surprise to me, and very cool. Considering how frail Elder Packer is, I found it interesting that he told the crowds that he would be back for the dedication of the temple.)

(Here is a view of the crowds that gathered on the Tabernacle block. The temple block was entirely covered with people, and the tabernacle block was about half way full.)

(And last but not least, I know some of you may not have been able to stay up to date with the news. So with a bit of effort I was able to extract the news video from the Internet)

Maybe if I am lucky they will need more Police assistance when the dedication comes around. Either way I feel grateful for the opportunity and the testimony gained from this event.