Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Ninety-One

Sister Lunt’s Homecoming Message

Introduction – I am writing this on December 10, 2023 which is Susan’s 78th birthday. She has been my eternal companion for almost 56 years, and she is an essential part of everything that matters in my life. As the Matron of the Louisville Kentucky Temple she blessed the lives of the thousands of temple workers, and patrons, and hundreds of thousands of people in the spirit world whose temple work was done in the Louisville Kentucky Temple during the three years we served there together. The following is her testimony given at our homecoming in the Holladay 10th ward on November 9, 2014:

“I have had the opportunity to travel every weekend for three years visiting wards, stakes and branches. I have felt the spirit of members throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia. Some of the areas reminded me of Holladay Stake and others were humble people in hilly remote towns. However, I found that the members love the Lord and the temple just as you do and because of this love they were willing to make great sacrifices in their lives to attend the temple. In the temple everyone is dressed in white and we learned to show love to one another by looking into their hearts.

“Everything in the temple is about the Savior, serving Him and learning how to become more like Him. Everything is pointing us toward eternal life with our Heavenly Parents and to find strength in the blessings of the temple ordinances. The temple is about developing an eternal perspective and knowledge of the Saviors love for each one of us. Every ordinance is performed one by one.

“One day I experienced the blessing of having a GPS in our car that helped me arrive back to our home after I had become lost. As I sat in the drive way I thought about the GPS that the Savior has provided each one of us with his Plan of Salvation. He wants us to find strength and peace in this life and he has given us direction on how to return to him. He has provided us the blessings of the Saviors Atonement; the Holy Ghost; the Restored Church with priesthood, scriptures, living prophets, and ward families. He has provided us Temples that we might have Peace, Hope, and Direction. (PHD) In these temples we not only receive ordinances that seal us for the eternities but as Elder Neil Anderson said: “The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in your life”.

“Each morning as I turned on the lights in the temple or locked the doors in the evening I could feel the witness of the Spirit that the Temple truly is the House of the Lord. I witnessed how the Temple was a blessing to all who worshiped there. I witnessed the fulfillment of D&C 109:22, which reads: “ ….that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them”.

“I witnessed the temple blessing children’s lives as they were taught about the temple. They looked forward to turning 12 years old so they could come perform baptisms in the temple. The youth loved carrying their own current temple recommend, (CTR), which defined who they are and that they are worthy followers of Christ. They have turned their hearts toward family history and are coming to the temple with their own family names. This strengthening power blesses newly baptized members of the church also as they bring family names to the temple. I have seen the powerful ordinances blessing patron’s lives as they received their endowments for themselves or others; being sealed as eternal families; and coming to the temple to serve the Lord as ordinance workers.

“I have a testimony of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ who provided a way for us all to return home. He knows each one of us individually. I am grateful for Joseph Smith who restored the higher priesthood so families can be eternal. I am so thankful for a living prophet today who holds these priesthood keys. My prayer is that we all see and enjoy our lives with temple eyes and find the peace hope and direction that is found in the House of the Lord.”