Temple Service Strengthens Youth

During a visit to one of our children’s homes, our 16-year-old grandson, Bryce, walked into the room after school dressed in a white shirt and tie. We complimented his sharp appearance, assuming he had a school function that required him to dress up. He smiled and said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Yeah, I just finished at the temple.”

Latter-day Saint youth, like Bryce, are filling the temple baptistries worldwide. The Church has announced that a few new temples, including the historic Salt Lake Temple following its renovation, will have two baptisteries. This reflects the high usage and dedication of our youth to these sacred spaces. While not all members have close access to temples, those who do are making full use of the baptisteries.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized the importance of temple ordinances, stating, “The ordinances . . . of the temple are a fountain of spiritual power and spiritual strength” for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (from an interview by Guillermo Estrugo after the dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple).

In the temple, the first vicarious ordinances performed are baptism and confirmation. These ordinances can be received by any member of the Church with a temple recommend beginning in the year they turn 12 years old.

In his October 2012 general conference talk “The Joy of Redeeming the Dead”, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles posed a powerful question to our youth: “Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Bryce currently serves in Taiwan as a missionary for the Church. His early dedication to temple service has had a powerful influence on his commitment to the people of Taiwan, demonstrating the lasting impact of his early temple service.