Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bring people together. These wonderful buildings connect people from the past to the people who are living today. These temples teach that every person has a great purpose, and action makes all the difference. During the building of the Payson Temple the sweet Primary Children of the Spanish Fork Canyon View Stake had the desire to participate in the building process. This group of children with their leaders found a way to help, by bringing songs of joy and notes of appreciation to the temple construction workers.
On Augut 13, 2013 the Primary Children from the Red Pines Stake in Spanish Fork Canyon were motivated to participate in the building of the Payson Temple. These special Primary children had read an article out of the "Friend" magazine about the building of the Kirtland Temple, and the role the children played in helping build the Kirtland Temple. It was about a Elmada Stringham who helped collect pottery fragments and pieces of glass to build the wall of the Kirtland Temple. "Showing that anyone could help in the work of the Lord."
A mother of one of the Primary children, went and spoke with the Temple Building Missionaries of the Payson Utah Temple. In this meeting the Missionaries and the mother discussed things the Primary could to to help with the Payson Temple, and plan was hatched!
These sweet Primary Children from Spanish Fork wrote down their testimonies, those too young to write words, drew pictures of their testimonies. During singing time in Church the children practiced songs about the temple and families. The children who were a bit older, in Activity Days, baked cookies for this special day.
On a Wednesday morning the children met at their church and drove to the Payson Temple together. When they gathered at the gate of the temple they sang loudly, and beautifully for the temple construction workers. When they first began to sing, there were few construction workers, but as they continued the group of construction workers grew larger and larger. The children gave the workers the cookies baked for the workers, and the testimonies they had written. It was a beautiful morning.
The Payson Temple Missionaries regularly held a morning devotional and only had about six construction workers attend their morning devotionals. The morning that the children "helped build the temple" as the missionaries went to hold their morning devotional there were forty construction workers in attendance that day.
President Monson
"Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now. The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.
This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
..."My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today."
Do something, small steps forward will be magnified by the Savior. Today is the day to do something, and God will help our righteous efforts.
References:
Church Archives
The Payson Utah Temple, 2010-2015, P.113