We love this temple and all the symbolism inside and out.
The stained glass star windows are so beautiful, you can see a row of them at the top
and in between each window is a Starstone.
The early Saints call the starstone "The Star of the Morning".
This is a physical reference to the planet Venus, which borrows its light from the sun
(as the Son reflects the light of the Father).
In the morning Venus is directly below the horizon, giving it the
appearance of an elongated ray.
Dating back to the early Christian church they have been known as the
"Morning Star" and is symbolic of Christ..
In Revelation 22:16 it states Christ is the morning star:
"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you thee things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
Hugh Nibley said that the elongated point of the Starstones of the Nauvoo Temple indicate
"the projection or transmission of light to the earth from on High,"
a primary purpose of temples.
The window stars are referred to as "Day Stars".
The star set in a circular window which also carries a level of
symbolism since it is surrounded by a circle, the symbol of eternity.
Christ, represented by the star, within the context of eternity.
The colors are symbolic as well; blue for the water in baptismal fonts,
red for the blood of Christ, and white representing the Holy Spirit of Promise.
So much to ponder upon and contemplate.
Everything about this temple points to Christ and reminds us of Him.
This is Stone Arch Bridge just south of town. It is a bridge that spans a drainage ditch that was built by the early Saints. We didn't have a P-day this week, so when we had a minute we visited some places close by.
This is at David's Chamber, about a mile further south. David Smith was the son of Joseph Smith born after his father was martyred. He was an artist and poet and would often come here to meditate. It really is a beautiful spot with a cute little waterfall.
For FHE we watched a dress rehearsal of Sunset by the Mississippi,
one of the fun entertaining summer shows.
So, here is our sunset on the Mississippi picture we captured the other night.
Truly these missionaries are good sports. The singing and the dancing, oh my. The show is fantastic. Things here in Nauvoo are starting to pickup. Summer is coming and so are the visitors!
The Young Performing Missionaries arrived two weeks ago. This brass band is all young performing missionaries, and they are great. They will be performing all around town this summer, even riding the wagon and playing. Can't wait for that!
We got a shot of some of the temple missionaries behind us watching the show!
Some missionaries danced while the band played some swing songs.
A tribute to the branches of the military.
These young performing missionaries are so talented, it's crazy. They serve here for four months as called set apart missionaries. They come from all around the world and most every state.
This number was so fun. A little fun being poked at the amount of bugs in the summer in Nauvoo. The Elder in the center is from Brisbane, Australia and has an amazing voice.
We had another fantastic week serving here in Nauvoo in the temple.
We love it. We love it. We love it.
While doing some training on the Arrival Center
(The Arrival Center is where baptismal groups gather beforing going over to the temple, or where families can come and change chothes, etc. before going to the temple).
Pres Nelson told us a story from before the Arrival Center was there. A young man from Mexico came into the baptistry to perform baptisms for the dead. He left and about 20 minutes later another young man from Mexico came to do baptisms. He left and 20 minutes later another young man came. Curious to what was happening someone went outside to find a family with five boys that owned only one suit. One boy would enter the temple to serve. After returning to the car, the suit would be traded to a brother so he could serve in the House of the Lord.