Thy House

We love thy house, O God,

Wherein thine honor dwells.

The joy of thine abode

All earthly joy excels.

It is the house of prayer.

Wherein thy servants meet.

And thou, O Lord, art there,

Thy chosen flock to greet.

We love the word of life,

The word that tells of peace.

Of comfort in the strife.

Of joys that never cease.

Preparing for the Dedication

The temple dedication will take place on the first day of spring.

The temple will be the 150th operating temple.

The Provo Temple was the Church's 15th operating temple

It looks like someone from the temple department likes numbers.

Over 800,000 visitors toured the new temple. 

There were actually people assigned to count heads as visitors entered the temple.

If you like numbers, here's one I found amazing:  Over 25,000 volunteers helped with the open house.

I had to wait a few days until more volunteers removed all the tents.

This hyacinth enjoyed the warm air in his tent.

So did a few daffodils.

I continue to look for evidence of the approaching spring.

Buds on these cherry trees are almost ready to burst.

These buds across Center Street are about to explode.

It won't be long until new leaves are open on the trees.

The pansies enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun.

Somehow these blossoms from last year survived the winter.

The south entrance has been blocked with tents for months, even before the construction fence went down.

I was very happy to see this transom window this morning without using the extreme range of my zoom lens.

The grounds were busy with workers again.  The red zamboni was cleaning the sidewalks.

Painters touched up the fences.

Meanwhile, workers underground are dismantling the theaters and removing the displays.

On March 20th, the temple will be dedicated.

Regular church meetings in Utah will be replaced by the dedication.

The anticipation is delicious.

Old and New and In-between

Many visitors were on the temple grounds this afternoon.

No one seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

The fountain is a crowd-pleaser.

As for me, I'm still focused on the pulpit.

A. LeGrand Richards shared some old photos with me.

This 1893 article states there were three pulpits, apparently patterned after the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

President Heber J. Grant is shown in this photo taken during a graduation.  Notice the mohair covering on top of the pulpit.

This photo from last week shows the pulpit as it was just before the fire.  The top part replaced the mohair.

I added some contrast so you could see the base.  This has been replicated in the temple.

The temple has come a long way.

Three years ago, the temple was on piers.

By February of 2014, the temple had a new foundation and a slate roof.

Restoration of the brick kept the temple shrouded for months.

The decking underneath the west gardens was just being poured in February of 2014.

This afternoon, crowds flocked around the pavilion.

Two years ago, it was a different story.

Progress has come slowly, but surely.

Last year at this time geofoam covered everything.

It's been worth the wait.