On Palm Sunday, a hosanna shout celebrated the dedication of the 150th LDS temple, the same shout used to greet Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Provo City Center Temple on Sunday. The temple is the 150th temple of the church.
A YouTube video from Mormon Newsroom recapped the dedication of the temple, including clips from the Sunday morning cornerstone ceremony and the Saturday evening cultural celebration.
“There’s something special about this particular temple because of its historic nature,” Elder Kent F. Richards said in the video.
Tens of thousands of members participated in the dedication by viewing the broadcast at local meetinghouses and over 4,500 youth participated in the cultural celebration.
Members showed their excitement for the new temple through posts on social media.
Richard Neitzel Holzapfel shared a photo on Instagram stating he attended a session at the Provo City Center Temple early Monday morning with Elder Kent F. Richards and his wife Marsha; Provo City Center Temple President Allen Carlsen Ostergar Jr. and matron Nancy Sigrid Farnsworth Ostergar; Area Seventy Elder R. Scott Runia and his wife Tammy; BYU President Kevin J Worthen and his wife Peggy; and Utah Valley University President Matthew S. Holland and his wife Paige.
LDS blogger Stephanie Nielson wrote a blog post earlier this year about how she saw pieces of her personal story in the transformation from tabernacle to temple. Nielson was in a plane crash that burned over 80 percent of her body but now speaks frequently about finding that God has given her "beauty for ashes," a phrase from Isaiah 61:3 which was also the theme of the cultural celebration. On Sunday, she shared a photo with her family on Instagram after the temple dedication.
Echoing Nielson’s ability to see her life in the story of the temple, Crystal Hurtado shared her own life's parallels to the temple on Instagram. When the tabernacle caught fire, her life also seemed to be going down in flames, but she has now found happiness.
Kellie Haws shared a photo on Instagram of her husband Hayden, who helped with the construction of the temple.
Jenny Williams attended the temple dedication in a sealing room of the temple with her fiancée. According to a post on Instagram, the two will be married in the temple in April.
Cassandra Barney posted a photo on Instagram and said she attended the dedication in a room she helped paint.
Lindsey Williams writes for the the Faith and Family sections of DeseretNews.com