- The Lindon Utah Temple open house runs from March 12 to April 11.
- Elder James R. Rasband, general authority seventy, highlights the temple's beauty and its role in members' lives.
- The temple, Utah's 25th and the church's 216th overall, features two baptistries and uses the flower from the linden tree as a motif in stained glass and woodwork.
LINDON — Isabella Bezzant, a student at Pleasant Grove High School, said she is grateful to be calling the new Lindon Utah Temple her home.
The temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is just minutes from her home, is "so beautiful and full of life," she said Monday. "I feel as though I got to watch it be built from the ground up."
Bezzant spoke about visiting a temple weekly with her older sister when she was first old enough to attend. She called it a "place of sanctuary." Looking out into Utah Valley, Bezzant said the temples represent to her quiet peacefulness among the bustling cities.
"As we stand in the wake of this beautiful temple, I am once again reminded of their necessity in my life," she said.
Bezzant spoke during the media day for the Lindon Utah Temple open house on Monday. After a few days of guided tours for community leaders and invited guests, the Church of Jesus Christ is inviting the public to tour the temple from March 12 to April 11 before its dedication on May 3. It will be closed on Sundays and on April 4 during the open house.
When the Lindon temple is dedicated, it will be the 25th temple in Utah and the 216th temple in the world, said Elder James R. Rasband, general authority seventy and assistant executive director of the church's temple department.
"We truly hope that this temple will stand as a beacon of light and hope here in this community," he said.
The Lindon Utah Temple is the second in Utah to have two baptistries. Elder Rasband said the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple and the Salt Lake Temple will also have two baptistries when they are reopened, making just seven temples with two baptistries around the world.
Elder Rasband said the number of youth eager to participate in baptisms for their ancestors has been so great, especially along the Wasatch Front, and two fonts is a "great gift" that will provide more opportunities for people to attend.
"For all of our saints here to be able to easily make the temple part of their regular daily worship is a wonderful thing," he said.
Throughout the temple, there are designs depicting the tree Lindon was named after, the linden tree, and its blossoms. Elder Rasband said this temple's stained glass and finishings are beautiful.
"The temple is a place where we learn about God's love for each of his children and his extraordinary mercy for us. I hope that you'll see that Jesus Christ is at the very center of everything in the temple, and that the blessings that we receive in the temple are only possible because of him, because of his resurrection, because of his atoning sacrifice, which ensures that this life is not the end of our existence, but it continues on," he said.
Elder Rasband said the temple is tied to families, and the purpose of temples is to bind families together and to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
As he brought members of the media through the temple, Elder Rasband pointed out symbolism from the Bible in altars, oxen supporting the baptismal font and a veil.
He expressed a hope that many members and friends of the church are able to come see the temple during its open house.
Dana Daly, a Pleasant Grove resident and member of the Lindon temple open house committee, said they expect about 1,000 visitors per day. No reservations are necessary for this open house.
She attended the groundbreaking and said it has been exciting to watch the temple grounds begin as a flat piece of land and become a landmark that can be seen from anywhere in the valley. She called the temple a reminder of goodness, beauty and peace.
Daly said she loves that the temple is in the middle of a residential area and surrounded by families. People on the nearby Murdock Canal Trail often stop, sit and take pictures.
"It's really neat to kind of have that community feel," she said.
Daly said she also loves the "warm and grounded" colors inside the temple — which feature green tones and dark wood — as well as the linden flowers. She said it is a unique temple, with four stories and two towers.
Elder Jorge T. Becerra, second counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, said the word "saint" in the name of the church comes from a word meaning rendered holy, and that Latter-day Saints are seeking to increase in holiness. He said the temples say "holiness to the Lord" because temples are set apart for a sacred purpose.
Light is a symbol of Christ, he said, and the temple is a place of light and learning.
"It's a great blessing to have another temple in Utah to bless our lives, to increase light, to take us away from that which is common and profane, to see if we might not build the holiness that we ought to have as we try to become as the Savior is," he said.
