Preparing for the Temple

Going on a mission is one of the most important things you could do with your life. Regardless, going to the temple for your own endowment is more important. The ordinances you will receive in the temple are eternal and will affect you for the rest of your life. If you question whether this is true or not, just ask anyone if going on a mission or going to the temple is more important. I can guarantee they will say the temple.

This post is part of my missionary preparation series but is written for both those going on missions and those who aren’t, so don’t feel like the series title will hold you back.

Preparing the enter the temple can be a long process and there is much to be learned before you actually enter the temple doors. In this post, I will talk about the things that I did before I entered the temple that was helpful, and the things that I wish I would've done/known.

Disclaimer

The temple is a house of holiness and reverence. One thing I love about going to the upper rooms in the temple in comparison to the baptistry is the peace and quiet that is up there. Because of how reverent and sacred it is, there is only so much I can talk about here. If you want to know more after reading this, let me know and we can find a time to talk and possibly discuss more.

Scriptures to Read

Before going through the temple, I took an Old Testament class in Institute. It was a very fun class spread out over the course of two semesters, and full of a lot of good information! One of the things we talked about a lot in the class, was temples and temple symbolism. It has been fun to look for the symbolism as I go back to the temple and learn more in the House of the Lord. I loved this class and found it really helpful, but if you don't have time for that then consider reading the Pearl of Great Price, and the first few chapters of Genesis. There are a lot of scriptures and symbolism from the Old Testament found in the initiatory and endowment ordinances.

I also highly recommend reading Elder Bednar’s general conference talk from April 2019. He talks a lot about the temple and preparing your children to enter the temple one day. Though I’m not a parent, I found it to be a great talk in preparation for entering the temple myself. Elder Bednar said: “President Russell M. Nelson emphasized the vital balance between the sacred nature of temple ceremonies and the valuable information about temples published by the Church that is accurate, appropriate, and available publicly. He explained: ‘I recommend that members … read entries in the Bible Dictionary that are related to the temple, such as ‘Anoint,’ ‘Covenant,’ ‘Sacrifices,’ and ‘Temple.’ One may also wish to read Exodus, chapters 26–29, and Leviticus, chapter 8. The Old Testament, as well as the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, underscores the antiquity of temple work and the enduring nature of its ordinances.’” If I had more time before entering the temple, I would’ve loved to take the time to read all of these scriptures and study more about the temple.

Temple Prep Class

Not all wards are the same, but in my ward, it is basically a requirement to take a temple prep class before going to the temple. I enjoyed this class and found it pretty helpful as I was preparing for the temple. We had a total of 6 lessons before I went to the temple, and then a quick lesson afterward to talk about my experience and answer any questions I had. The lessons talked about the plan of salvation, being worthy to enter the temple, the blessings that come from going to the temple, ordinances and covenants, temple symbolism, and preparing to enter the temple. I’m glad I was able to take this class and for the things I learned in preparation to enter the temple.

As a part of the class, they gave a pamphlet titled “The Holy Temple” by Boyd K. Packer. I read the whole pamphlet because it was so short. I found that most of the pamphlet focused on the sealing ordinance. It was a good read, but not super helpful when it came to the initiatory and endowment ordinances.

Buying Temple Clothing

The last lesson in the temple class before you go to the temple talks about the clothing and things you need to buy before going to the temple. I actually went with my mom to the store before we had that lesson, so it was just a review and double check to make sure I had everything. Buying temple clothing wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. When you go to Deseret Book, they have a specific part of the store that’s called the distribution center. That is where you can go to buy temple clothing, garments, and the other things you may need for the temple. After you have your recommend showing that you are going to the temple, a worker will help fit you for temple clothing that should fit according to their sizing chart. They will also help you find the right size of garments and help give recommendations on what type of garments will be best for your mission climate and weather. I started with about 4 pairs of garments in two different styles to try out. I liked both of them so I went back a couple of days later and bought more so I would be prepared for my mission.

You won’t be able to try on any of the temple clothing or garments before you go to the temple. Your temple dress/pants you can try on though! For the sisters out there reading this, I felt like they had a pretty good selection of temple dresses at the distribution center. You can also go to Sister Missionary Mall and even a couple of boutiques like Mikarose where they may have temple dresses. Temple dresses need to be long in length, have long sleeves, and obviously, be white.

The other thing you will need to buy is a temple bag. They had lots of different temple bags to pick from when I went to the distribution center. I actually had a hard time picking one since there were so many to choose from! I also picked up a recommend holder to my favorite temple because why not?

Any temple clothing that you buy from the distribution center you can get for half off since it’s your first time if you ask about that. It still cost me about $150 for everything, but there were some things I could’ve purchased for cheaper if I wanted to.

What to Expect

When I went to the temple for the first time, I felt very overwhelmed by my mom. She was so excited and giddy that it honestly kinda freaked me out. The first time you go to the temple, it is a lot to take in. I went back the very next day to go to the temple by myself, and doing that helped me feel a lot better about the endowment ordinance and all the things you do and learn during the session. Try to relax and just enjoy the spirit and sacred feeling of the temple. You can go back and understand what’s going on later. I was a little worried about that because I knew that you make promises in the temple and I felt like I should be paying attention to the promises I was making before choosing to make them and accept them. The good news is, you can read and learn all about these promises in temple prep class or on this page of the church’s website about temples.

Questions I had

Hopefully I’m not the only one who had this concern, but here it is stated explicitly. Will there ever be a point when we will all be there in only our garments? The answer is no. You change into your temple dress/ pants before doing the initiatory and endowment ordinances. There is nothing pornographic that happens in the temple. The temple seems like such a secret place, but I can assure that the church doesn’t go against the no pornography doctrine that our own prophet’s and apostles teach. When you go for the first time they ask you to bring a pair of garments to the temple in their packaging. You will put them on and your temple dress/pants before going through for your own initiatory and endowment ordinances.

Another question I had was whether I would be able to bring a Book of Mormon with me through the endowment session to read in the celestial room at the end. While going to do baptisms, I would often bring a Book of Mormon with me to read while waiting in the chapel. The endowment doesn’t allow you to do this unfortunately. You can only bring what you can fit into your pockets with you. As I have been back a few times, I have learned more about why this is the case. The celestial room is such a holy peaceful room. Even if you want to read scriptures there, it is best to read the temple provided ones because they are free of markings and distractions. Even your own highlights and notes in the scriptures can be distracting. When you are in the celestial room and that close to the spirit, you don’t want any distractions to keep you from the promptings you may receive and things you may learn.

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I hope that this post was helpful for my friends who are preparing to enter the temple soon. I hope I covered everything I wanted to, but if I missed anything, I’ll be sure to update this post. If you have any more questions you would like to ask me, don’t be afraid to reach out to me.