Waiting upon the Lord, Prophesy of the Snowflake, Arizona Temple

Pic Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The early pioneers of the Snowflake, Arizona area were promised that they would receive a temple. These promises were written down by faithful pioneers from the early days of the Snowflake Arizona settlement. Although, the promise of a temple took many years to come, the members held firm to the promises of the Lord and would pass on the this promised blessing to their children and their children’s children.

In 1880, Wilford Woodruff, then a member of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, encouraged the struggling Saints to not give up on the Snowflake settlement. It was a difficult area that tried the hearts of the Saints. Wilford Woodruff encouraged the people by relying the message from the Lord of the possibility of a temple being built in their area. This promise of a future temple was important to the pioneers as they struggled to set up a settlement far from Salt Lake.

Wilford Woodruff was not the only apostle that came to Snowflake Arizona and prophesied of a future temple. Two more prophets said that same thing. President John Taylor prophesied of a future temple and also the Prophet Joseph F. Smith.

At the dedication of the Snowflake Arizona Temple President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“We are thankful for those who laid the foundations of this and other nearby communities,” said President Hinckley in his dedicatory prayer, referring to early Latter-day Saint settlers who came to the Snowflake area in 1878 as requested by President Brigham Young. “They struggled so desperately for so long against adversities of many kinds. Now their posterity enjoy the sweet fruits of their efforts, and crowning all is this magnificent and beautiful temple.”

To read the dedicatory prayer of the Snowflake Arizona click here:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/snowflake-arizona-temple/prayer/2002-03-03?lang=eng#:~:text=Almighty%20God%2C%20please%20smile%20with,name%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%2C%20amen.

From the year 1880 the pioneers of Snowflake Arizona had been waiting and wondering when a temple would be build in their area. It wasn’t until 2002 that the members of the area had their temple. For one hundred and twenty-two years, they waited on the Lord.

There is a great article in the Ensign from 2015, by Robert D. Hales when he talks about what it looks like to ”wait upon the Lord.”:

The purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. How do we do this? The scriptures give us an answer in one simple phrase: we “wait upon the Lord” (Psalm 37:9; 123:2; Isaiah 8:17; 40:31; 2 Nephi 18:17).
What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end.
To wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of faith and nourishing it (see Alma 32:41).
It means praying as the Savior did—to God, our Heavenly Father—saying: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). It is a prayer we offer with our whole souls in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Waiting upon the Lord means pondering in our hearts and “receiv[ing] the Holy Ghost” so that we can know “all things what [we] should do” (2 Nephi 32:5).
As we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we discover that “tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3) and we learn to “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).
Waiting upon the Lord means to “stand fast” (Alma 45:17) and “press forward” in faith, “having a perfect brightness of hope” (2 Nephi 31:20).
It means “relying alone upon the merits of Christ” (Moroni 6:4) and “with [His] grace assisting [us, saying]: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours” (D&C 109:44).
As we wait upon the Lord, we are “immovable in keeping the commandments,” (Alma 1:25) knowing that we will “one day rest from all [our] afflictions” (Alma 34:41).
And we “cast not away … [our] confidence” (Hebrews 10:35) that “all things wherewith [we] have been afflicted shall work together for [our] good” (D&C 98:3).
May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42), and return to Him with honor.

The diligence and patience of the Snowflake Arizona people can inspire and teach us what it looks like to "wait upon the Lord." The pioneers of the Snowflake Arizona worked through some of the hardest conditions to create a beautiful foundation for their children. These wonderful Saints acted in faith, persevering and having a greater view of their purpose here on Earth.

(Another interesting tidbit of information is the town next to Snowflake Arizona is the town of Taylor, Arizona named after John Taylor third prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)