June 7, 2015, following the Hosanna Shout, everyone attending the three dedicatory sessions of the Payson Utah Temple sang, "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning" and the choir joined us in singing the words, "The House of The Lord is Completed!" What an amazing experience to be part of such once in a lifetime experience.
On October 8, 2011 I had the opportunity to sing in the groundbreaking choir for the Payson Utah temple. It was such an amazing opportunity to sing, as my wife and children were there (along with our new exchange student Selina Dembowy). After such an amazing experience, the only bad feeling was the knowing that it was over. The odds of being invited to participate with the dedication was nearly impossible. With 27 stakes in the temple district, I knew I would not be able to participate in much of anything, although my heart has been yearning for something with the dedication (most specifically singing).
On March 7, 2015 I was invited to sing in the cornerstone choir representing the ending construction of the Payson Utah Temple (my blog post on March 10, 2015 "Invitation to Sing" shares my feelings about that invitation).
Now, I share some of my experiences with the completion of the temple:
The Cultural Celebration was amazing. As a leader of the young men in our ward, I had the opportunity to attend and participate with them. (History: A few years ago, when a temple was being constructed, a prophet decided that the youth in the temple area needed the opportunity to participate. The decision was made to have cultural celebrations just before the dedication.)
On June 6 we spent most of the day in the hot sun practicing for our final dress rehearsal for the cultural celebration. The excitement was so much better than the week before. The youth were able to move through the program several times, with only a little disorganization.
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| Weather during Cultural Celebration |
After a final hot day practicing, we arrived that evening to perform and while waiting to begin, ominous black clouds began to blow into the area. I prayed that the youth would be able to perform before prophets of the Lord (President Henry B. Eyring was asked to represent the first presidency of the church, Elder Oaks and Elder Anderson also attended). Rain began to fall and I rushed to the car to get an umbrella for Noell, Kaneesha, Riley, and Tanner (who were there to watch). When I arrived at the gate, rain was coming hard with huge drops of rain, strong winds, and lightning.
The rain dumped on us for more than 30 minutes. During that time, I noticed a number of families leaving the stadium. they were certain that the show could not continue. As I saw the rainwater rushing down the sidewalks, I worried that we would not be able to perform. Everyone was below the stadium to get out of the rain. We prayed, some sang, and everyone anxiously awaited the outcome.
Finally, the rain began to slow down. The size of the drops became smaller, and there even began to be short brakes where we almost felt it would stop. At one point, it began to stop and we were told we could return to the seats in the stadium. I was still uncertain, because a weather app on my cell phone was providing me with instant updates of lightning strikes that were very close.
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| President Eyring Arrives! |
We were then told to move to positions to begin the program. The rain continued around the stadium, but had stopped for us. At one point, I looked into the sky and witnessed clear sky directly overhead with horrible dark clouds encircling the stadium. I know that the hand of the Lord was manifest that night, so the youth of the Church could dance and sing before a prophet of God.
The performance went well and was a true joy for all of us who were involved. Myranda and I were up front when President Eyring and other Church leaders arrived. We were able to see all of them up close. It was experience that should never be forgotten.
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| My view of the Cornerstone Sealing |
The next morning was beautiful and clear. The rain had cleansed the air from any impurities and I was able to stand on bleachers next to the temple as President Eyring arrived to participate in the dedication. When the point of the dedication arrived for President Eyring to exit the building and seal the cornerstone, I joined my voice in singing, "Behold, the Mountain of the Lord." After the cornerstone was sealed, we sang "Rise, Ye Saints, and Temples Enter."
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| Wayne Singing |
Participating at such a momentous occasion was life highlight.
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