Our move to Idaho brought many things – cooler weather, 4 seasons, a new home, being back in an area that is surrounded by agriculture (which we love!), being closer to family, mountains, and the chance to be close to the Meridian, Idaho Temple. It’s been so fun to take our kids and see the progress each week. In fact, I’ve driven by it almost daily over the past year as I’ve taxied kids to & from swimming lessons and school.

Every time we’ve gone past we’ve look to see what might have changed – some days it was obvious, other days the changes were so small that it had us guessing. But the one thing that I’ve loved about this experience is the chance we’ve had to watch the Meridian Temple progress. It’s been such a lesson to me about how this life – our progression towards making, and then keeping, temple covenants, and building an eternal family – is done bit by bit… that the changes may sometimes be drastic, but that more often, they are small and simple. And that those little changes that happen over time, keep our focus on eternal principles and create us into something as perfect, lasting, and glorious as one of these holy buildings and the covenants made within.

My trips past the Meridian, Idaho Temple have made me ponder on the eternal principles of this beautiful building. I’ve talked about them with my kids, but wanted something more focused than just a short conversation had in passing as we headed off to a more worldly activity like swimming or school. It was during these moments that the Temple Lessons came to be. I jotted down notes in my phone of things we talked about and things I wanted to talk more about, with them. I  also brainstormed ideas for activities that would make preparing for the Meridian, Idaho Temple Dedication a focus of every week as we got nearer to the dedication date.

My own family will be using these lessons as Family Home Evening activities. But they’d be wonderful for youth group mutual nights, Personal Progress goals, individual study sessions or to provide to those in your ward or whom you home or visit teach. My hope is that each lesson provides enough information that you’ll find something that works for your family or at least have a starting point in creating something tailored for your needs. President Howard W. Hunter said it best,

Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.

 

You’ll find each of the 4 lessons listed below. Each link provides you with a lesson outline that can be used in preparation for the Meridian, Idaho Temple Dedication:

Come to the Temple Lessons – Welcome

Temple Lesson No. 1 – Ties That Bind

Temple Lesson No. 2 – Look to the Temple

Temple Lesson No. 3 – Turning Hearts Through Family History

Temple Lesson No. 4 – This is the House of the Lord