Saturday, April 15, 2023

Billings Montana Temple

2019 at the Billings Temple to perform baptisms - my son Teancum, daughters Rebecca and Lizzie, and husband James
My kids rolling down the hill on the Billings temple grounds.  When we drove to Billings to do temple work they usually played outside while they waited for us.


2009, my boys outside the Billings temple


2019


2022, my daughters at the Billings Temple for a ward temple trip

2022, Lizzie and her friends on a ward temple trip


2020, Teancum's endowment day

2020, Ethan & his wife LaShae on Teancum's endowment day

2020 Teancum's endowment day

2020, my sons Micah, Teancum, James, and Ethan on Teancum's endowment day



Rebecca and her Grandpa Whiting at the Billings Temple, 2020

2020, me and Rebecca

The Billings Temple on Teancum's endowment day in 2020



Teancum before his mission in 2020


Rebecca in 2021

James and I, 2021

2021

2021

My son James in 2018


2017


Lizzie on the temple grounds in 2009

Ward temple trip in 2021

2021

Ward Temple trip in 2021


 The Billings Temple is currently our temple district as we await the opening of the Casper Wyoming Temple!  Billings was my 12th temple.  I first attended the Billings Temple in 2003.  I have been many times since then!  There used to be a couple hotels that would give you a discount to stay there if you were coming to attend the temple.  One of them was the Travelodge.  We took them up on this a couple times, but one of the times we stayed there, there was a mouse on our floor!  We heard screaming and went out into the hall and saw a mouse running down the hallway, with hotel guests trying to contain it.  We never stayed there again!  It is five hours from our home, and usually we would make it a day trip and just drive out early in the morning and get home late at night.  Our kids sometimes played on the lawn while we did our temple work.  When they were older, they went on many ward temple trips to the Billings Temple.

We had a very, very special experience during COVID.  The temples were closed to normal temple work, but we were able to go with our son Teancum to receive his endowment before he entered the mission field.  He was only allowed to have 17 people in his temple session.  It was such a special experience to only have 17 people, plus a few temple workers, in the temple with us that day.  We were doubly blessed during COVID because we also had the special opportunity to be inside the Snowflake Arizona Temple for our son Ethan's sealing to his beautiful wife LaShae (see my post about the Snowflake Arizona temple).  Being in the temple is always sacred, but being almost completely alone in the temple is sacred beyond words!  I had a similar experience with my son James when we attended the last session at the Salt Lake Temple and stayed in the Celestial Room until there was only one worker left.  We wandered the halls a little bit, looking at the artwork, before we headed to the dressing rooms to change and go home.  It was so special to be in such a beautiful House of the Lord without anyone else there.  

Once when James and I went to the Billings Temple, apart from the temple worker who checked my recommend, I didn't see another living soul at all in the temple until someone finally came to the new name booth to assist me in attending my endowment session.  I was completely alone in the dressing room!  I doubt this was the norm, but it made me feel like this temple is not utilized as much as it should be!  

Whenever we attend the Billings Temple, we always eat at the Olive Garden in Billings (my favorite restaurant!), and one time we went there with James' sister Liz (who lived there at the time), and my nieces Brittany, Shelly, and Sydney.  My nieces had never been to the Olive Garden before, and I loved watching their reaction to it.  Shelly was especially delighted with the breadsticks -- she called them "heaven on a stick."  We stayed a couple times at Liz's house when we went to attend the temple, but after Liz moved to Helena we usually didn't stay overnight in Billings.

The Billings Temple is located at 3100 Rim Point Drive in Billings.  It was dedicated in 1999.

2019 our stake temple trip

2019, stake youth temple trip to the Billings Temple

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