The dedication of the Anchorage Alaska Temple is evidence -- once again -- that the work of the Lord doesn't wait just for good weather.
The Church's northernmost temple was dedicated last weekend on Jan. 9-10. (Please see coverage beginning on page 3.) With the temperatures outside only into the teens at the time of the first dedicatory session, the spirit inside was warm and bright.When a temple is completed, it is dedicated -- no matter how cold it may be outside.
And the work of the Lord goes on!
Such also should be the case with each of us in our own personal responsibilities in the Church.
No matter how strong the cold winds of winter blast against our lives -- and surely the winds of adversity will come -- we must keep the gospel flame in our hearts warm and bright.
If we do that, then we will be as those whom the Savior spoke of as He concluded the Sermon on the Mount:
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." (Matt. 7:24-25.)
But the Savior also cautioned:
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matt. 7:26-27.)
"You can't stop the work of the Lord from going forward," President Gordon B. Hinckley said at the priesthood leadership meeting in the Vacaville/Santa Rosa (Calif.) Regional Conference shortly after he became president of the Church in 1995. "You can stop yourself from enjoying its blessings, but you cannot stop the work of the Lord from going forward. This is His work and regardless of what we do individually, He will find a way to accomplish His eternal purposes."
It is important for us to enjoy the blessings of the gospel and do what we can to help see that the Lord's eternal purposes are accomplished. That way, the spirit will always burn brightly in our hearts. In the Church, there is much to do.
Such as temple work. The newly dedicated Anchorage temple and the other 53 operating temples that dot the world need to be staffed and kept busy. That takes a lot of willing workers not only to perform the sacred temple ordinances but also to help supply the names to keep them going.
One woman, who because of health problems has a difficult time holding a Church calling that requires a set schedule, makes sure she attends the temple as often as health permits. Generally, it is for an ancestor from the Family File. Think of the eternal good that has been done by this one sister, who does not let the winds of affliction keep her from going to the temple. Countless others, many of whom are faced with tremendous health challenges, are likewise giving selfless temple service.
Another man, a former bishop nearing his 90s -- an age that sometimes eliminates members from receiving formal callings -- was surely taken aback when he was called to be a Sunday School teacher -- for the 12- and 13-year-olds! What could he offer them? Wisdom. Testimony. Righteous example. The list could go on and on. Age was no deterrent as he helped mold the lives of these young people.
Both the man and the woman are slowed by age or health, but their contributions are significant in helping to move the work of the Lord along. Neither has let the chill winds of mortality put out the gospel flame in their hearts. They have built their houses on the rock.
Just as the temple in Anchorage was dedicated when it was completed, it spite of the cold weather outside, we, too, can continue to dedicate our lives in the service of our Heavenly Father -- in spite of any wintery blast of adversity that may come our way.