Salt Lake Temple tour — 1996
Our extended Rudd family enjoyed a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience on the evening of August 29, 1996. Father Rudd had arranged for our family to go on a tour of the Salt Lake Temple with President George Cannon, the temple president, as our guide. President Cannon was very accommodating and patient with us, and shared many interesting stories and spiritual experiences with us. We first went to the Baptistry, where he pointed out that the 12 oxen are actually grouped into 4 groups of 3, with the four groups delineating north, east, west, and south. We were next privileged to spend about 1 hour in the 5th floor assembly room. I recalled this room, as I had the opportunity to attend a spiritual meeting in this room with Elder Harold B. Lee prior my departure for my mission in 1971. This room has pulpits on both ends, one for the Melchizedek Priesthood presiding authorities and one for the Aaronic Priesthood authorities. A beautiful spirit was present in this historic room. We were able to sit in the First Presidency chairs on the top of the Melchizedek Priesthood podium. President Cannon told us of President Wilford Woodruff recounting the story that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets were present in this room as the Hosanna shouts rang out at the dedication of the Temple, and that the prophets shouted Hosanna along with the rest of the Saints. He also told us of a faithful Latter-day Saint woman who was pregnant and very close to her delivery time, but was also determined to attend the dedication of the temple. She came to the dedication and was seated in the beautiful Fifth Floor assembly hall, participating in the meeting, when it became apparent that the baby’s birth was imminent. She was ushered into a side room on the 5th floor and gave birth to a healthy baby boy right there in the temple. The baby was given the middle name “Temple”. Someone later remarked how fitting it was that, on the day of the dedication of a beautiful creation of men’s’ hands honoring their God, that same God sent one of His most precious creations as an expression of thanks. The decorative woodwork in this supernal room is breathtaking, especially when one considers the circumstances under which this work was done. President Cannon told us that when the Church first started putting parts of the Temple ceremony on film, this room was used to shoot most of the scenes. Trees, shrubs, and sets of all kinds were brought through the 5th floor windows to be used in the scenes. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was assigned to oversee much of this work. At times when he would become discouraged or overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, President Hinckley would look at the woodwork surrounding him, remember the price paid by our early pioneers, and his woes would soon seem insignificant. There was a beautiful grand piano in this room, and Annette played it as we all sang “The Spirit of God”.
President Cannon also told us about a faithful brother from Alpine, Utah who walked from Alpine to the temple site every Monday, then worked all week on the temple, and would then walk back to Alpine on Friday. He took care of his property and family on Saturday, attended Church on Sunday, and then walked back to Salt Lake City on Monday to begin the cycle again. He eventually sustained an injury that necessitated the amputation of one of his legs at the knee, and after recovering from the surgery and being fitted with an artificial lower leg, he resumed his weekly walks from Alpine to the temple site in order to continue his work on the temple.
We were allowed to see the “Talmage Room”, the room on the 5th floor where Elder James E. Talmage wrote “Jesus The Christ”. Another thrill was the privilege of seeing the rooms on the 4th floor where the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve meet each week. On the table of the meeting room were 15 hymn books, each one engraved with the name of one of the apostles or a member of the First Presidency. I thumbed through President Hinckley’s book and noticed that he had written down the date each time a particular hymn was sung in their meetings. This meeting room had a painted portrait of every President of the Church. They were magnificent. We also saw the First Presidency dressing room.
This was a glorious opportunity to see parts of the Salt Lake Temple that very few ever are privileged to see, and an experience that none of us will soon forget.
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