Lisbon and Indianapolis Temples!!!!

Alyse and I had the great privilege to watch general conference in Lisbon this year. There is something different about having conference sessions start at 5 PM half way across the world!!! But the blessing of the internet allowed us to watch each session live and in English.

As we settled into our comfy seats on the couch, we heard President Monson state that 5 new temples would be announced. It astounds me that there is such a unique feeling that exists when this happens; it is a sense of excitement mixed with hope that one will be announced in your area, even though the majority of the time, the location of where the temples being announced are not significantly connected to you.

This time, it was very personal though, as both Indianapolis, Indiana and Lisbon, Portugal temples were announced. For me, it was particularly touching, as we lived in Indiana for well over 20 years. As for Lisbon, approximately 50 members gathered at the Benfica building to watch the conference. One of the members described the scene as follows:

When the temple was announced, the members were so excited that they couldn't stop themselves from clapping, and then shedding tears of joy. After the session finished, they held an impromptu testimony meeting regarding their happiness for the announcement of the temple.

We are looking forward to participating in the preparation for the temple here. Although we will be back in the US in August of 2011, we can already sense difference here. We are grateful for the temples and are so happy that the members both in Indiana and Portugal will enjoy the blessings that come from the ordinances that are performed therein.