A Temple

A part of preparing to going on a mission is the temple endowment. I am humbled and thrilled that I will receive the temple endowment next week in St. George, the temple that my ancestors helped build when they moved to Utah.
I've been thinking about how important the endowment is for missionaries and why missionaries get it before they go. The more I read, the more I understand how amazing the endowment is and how much missionaries need the blessings that come from it!
Here are a few of my favorite scriptures on the topic:
D&C 109: 22-23 (really, all of D&C 109 - the dedication of the Kirtland Temple - is amazing)

22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with they power, and thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
23 And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, truth, unto the ends of the earth...

then Isaiah 2:3

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And lastly Revelations 7:13-17

13 And one of them elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes: and whence came they"
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, no any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

I just love these scriptures!! I can leave his house armed with power, with His name and glory around me. His angels will have charge over me! I will learn of the gospel, and learn the law. I will be one of those that have "come out of tribulation" and "washed my robes", and in return I will hunger and thirst no more and God shall wipe away all tears from my eyes.
A mission is a really hard thing. Going for long days in all kinds of weather, facing daily rejection of something so important to who I am, working with people I am struggling to understand and love all will be things I have to face. It's really scary. But what a comfort it will be to be endowed and carry those promises of protection and power if I live worthy of them. It is wonderful.
Recently I found out that a temple is currently being built in the Missouri Independence Mission in Kansas City. It will be dedicated next Spring, about 6 months into my mission! I'm so excited! As a missionary there (especially as a Visitor's Center missionary) I will most definitely get to be a part of the open house and dedication. Researching it is my new distraction for when I should be doing something else. :)
It also means that there will be a temple in my mission, so I will get to go while I'm out! Yay!

This is a picture of what it will look like when it is done. Beautiful.