FATHER LEHI AT THE MEXICO CITY TEMPLE

The Mexico City temple dedication was special as it was the first one dedicated in Mexico. President Spencer W. Kimball testified about a house of the Lord coming to the people of Mexico long before it was ever planned or built. In a dedicatory session, Gordon B. Hinckley, commented that there were many from other side of the veil present and that one of them was "Father Lehi". This among many other miraculous experiences, marked the dedication of the Mexico City temple as one that would never be forgotten.

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CITATIONS:

Spencer W. Kimball, Oct. 1965 Conf.

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/a-prophet-for-all-the-world-glimpses-into-the-life-of-president-spencer-w-kimball

Virginia Hatch Romney and Richard O. Cowan, The Colonia Juárez Temple: A Prophet’s Inspiration (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 155-75.

June, 22, 2018, Church News, Gerry Avant

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hello, friends. Welcome to the Thinning of the Val podcast. I'm your host, Tia Smith. Happy Wednesday. We've made it to another story day. Yesterday we talked about the role of Ephraim and Manasseh, particularly, and it extended out to all of the tribes of Israel, no matter what tribe you're from. The pattern in preparing the world for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ and for the building up of Zion. I'm hoping that you learned. If you haven't watched that, go watch it. Because I hope that you learned looking at patterns is so helpful when we understand first who we are. Because first we need to understand that. Second, who our forefathers are, what promises were made to them. They had prophecies, they had visions and dreams about our day. They literally saw our day. So it might be good to know who your forefathers were and then understand what they prophesied about, because that helps us in our gathering of Israel. We learned about unicorns. I mean, it was a full episode. So please go watch that. So as we learned even more about specifically Ephraim yesterday, too, I wanted to kind of continue that theme today. We're going to be specifically talking more towards Manasseh in this story. There's many different kinds of thinning of the veil experiences within contained within this happenings of what happened at the Mexico City temple dedication. And so I will read several thinning of the veil experiences that happened at the same time and what unfolded there. I believe that, especially at temple dedications, anything that has to do with temples generally has revelatory experiences in all of the ways. There isn't a particular way that's better than others. It's just sometimes people experience dreams and visions, other times people receive feelings and impressions, and all and all of that is good. So I wanted to kind of relate that story today because it's also extending the theme of understanding who we are particularly, but even more particular, uh Manasseh, as I've been studying that a lot lately. All right. First, I wanted to start by a quote by then Elder Spencer W. Kimball in October 65 conference because it will kind of set the tone for the rest of these thinning of the veil experiences. He said, I desire today to emphasize our responsibility to the children of Father Lehi. There are many, there are of many tribes from New York to San Diego and from Alaska to Florida and from the Isles of the Sea. They are of numerous tribes and of many languages and dialects. The Lord chose to call them Lamanites. They are fulfilling prophecies. They are a chosen people with rich blood in their veins. Lamanite, Nephite leaders are now standing forth to direct and inspire their people. The day of the Lamanite is come and tomorrow will be even better. I love that statement, first of all, because yes, things are good today, but we have no idea what's coming tomorrow. But thankfully, his tomorrow is actually our today, and we can see the fulfilling of these prophecies in real time. Not only of his then Elder Spencer W. Kimball's prophecies that the day of the Lamanite is here and it's happening and it's coming even better tomorrow. But also we read then of the descendants in the Book of Mormon, specifically Lehi and Nephi, and their prophetic pronouncements about seeing our day. The temples that are dotting the earth are literally the fulfillment of prophecy in gathering the sons and daughters, not necessarily tribes, but yes, tribes. But I want, I love the context of uh sons and daughters being brought back into the house of Israel, preparing the world for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Now I'm going to share a dream that Spencer W. Kimball had before the Mexico City Temple was dedicated to give context of what then transpires from that. So this is the dream of Spencer W. Kimball. President Kimball told of a dream he had some 30 years before, so this was a long time before he's even speaking, in which he saw the destiny of the Mexican people. He saw wards and stakes organized by the hundreds, a temple filled with men and women, and thousands of young men and women on missions. He saw the people of Lehi as engineers and builders, as administrators of the land, as heads of cities and nations. He saw their children becoming attorneys, doctors, and owners of shops and factories. In his dream, he saw them no longer as servants, but as employers. That must have been a most magnificent dream for him to see in context about what the future happenings of the Mexican people in general was going to be. At this time, there was not very many temples dedicated, and hardly any in uh South America. There was very, very few. But this dream that he had, this revelatory experience carried him through, and I believe he was taught line upon line how to participate in fulfilling that prophecy for these descendants of Manasseh. Again, he generalized the descendants of Lehi as in South American countries. We will see further, also as we learned yesterday, too, but we will see in the further dedication revelatory experiences that it will be generalized again by elder Gordon B. Hinckley at the time. He was not prophet at the time. And we're also going to learn of a couple more experiences that happened to different people at that dedication. So the cornerstone was placed and the temple dedicated on December 2nd, 1983, by Gordon B. Hinckley. He was the second counselor in the first presidency at the time. Some 40,000 saints attended the nine dedicatory sessions extending over a period of three days. Several speakers referred to the temple's dedication as a fulfillment of Book of Mormon promises of great latter-day blessings to the descendants of Lehi. So several speakers referred to the temple dedication in South America as blessings to the descendants of Lehi. And this is a quote by President Hinckley: Bless thy saints in this great land and those from other lands who will use the temple, petitioned President Hinckley in the dedicatory prayer. Most have in their veins the blood of Father Lehi. Thou hast kept thine ancient promise. Many thousands that walked in darkness have seen a great light. Remember, as we learned yesterday, that is that is in first Nephi, and that is also in Isaiah, that in the last days the darkness will give way to light. This is fulfillment of prophecy. And again, this is just one of many temples to come. The article then says some speakers refer to Elder Spencer W. Kimball's dream in 1947 of a temple in Mexico. So almost 40 years later, that dream is now being referenced. It was at the dedication. So here is a revelatory experience of Elder Ezra Taft Benson. It was at the dedication that Elder Ezra Taft Benson was prompted to stress a theme that would become one of the hallmarks of his presidency. He says, as I participated in the Mexico City Temple dedication, I received the distinct impression that God is not pleased with our neglect of the Book of Mormon. So at the temple dedication, people are having many different kinds of thinning of the veil experiences. But Elder Ezra Taf Benson at the time received an impression that when he moved forward in testifying in whatever calling he was going to have, that it needed to be about the Book of Mormon, that we were neglecting our study and our participation in the invitations that are contained in the Book of Mormon. So that was a unique singular experience for Ezra Taf Benson at the time at this temple dedication. Now let's receive, let's hear another story about a man who also participated who had a different different revelatory experience. David Trevino, a young man living in Mexico City at the time, had a special experience as he sang with one of the dedication choirs. He had wondered why the Hosanna anthem was in the Spanish hymnal because there had never been a temple dedicated in that language. I learned to love that anthem, he reflected. As we began to sing the Hosanna anthem, he recalled, we started to choke up because of the strong emotions, yet we did our best to keep singing. The words of the anthem had a very strong meaning at the time. As we continued to sing, I could hear a rather large group singing behind us. I even looked back a couple of times just to find myself staring at the wall. I offered a silent prayer of gratitude for the help sent to our little choir. I just accepted the fact that angels were indeed helping us, since they were also rejoicing with us on this historic day. As we continued to sing, I heard the choir behind us getting larger and larger. Later, as a member of the Mormon Youth Chorus, he had the opportunity to sing with the Tabernacle Choir, which he likened in volume and quality, to the unsing singers at the Mexico City Temple dedication. So for this dear brother, who was doing his best to sing the Hosanna anthem, the veil was thin for him, and he could hear choirs of angels singing with him on that day. Why wouldn't they? His ears were able to hear those angelic voices singing praises and hosanna's to the Savior for the opening of this glorious temple, one that would be the beginning of many on that continent. Now let's read another thinning of the veil experience from President Gordon B. Hinckley. And this was written in the church news article by Jerry Avant. One of my memories came from the dedication of the Mexico City Temple, December 2nd through the 3rd, 1983. President Gordon Beheckley, then second counselor in the first presidency, conducted and addressed some of the sessions to dedicate the temple, which was the first in Mexico and the 26th worldwide. As he began his address in one of the sessions, President Heinckley spoke with a quivering voice as he testified that souls, quote, from the other side of the ville were present. All rooms of the temple are filled with faithful Latter-day Saints, he said, but I am convinced there is a larger, unseen congregation participating with us. So echoing the experience that that dear brother who was in the choir had, some way, and it doesn't say what way, whether it was seeing or hearing or feeling, he knew that there were others from the other side of the veil present in large amounts of large amounts of numbers within all the rooms of the temple. The first one he referenced was Brigham Young. He stated the names of several of the missionaries and the first mission president. He named the first Mexican who was baptized and pronounced the names of several others who had occupied a place in the history of the church in Mexico. President Hinckley then proceeded to give the talk he had prepared. She writes, I suppose most of us have been in congregations when the person conducting the meeting has acknowledged certain people, such as a member of the state presidency or other visitor, and later has said something to the effect, there is another person I failed to introduce. Something like that happened during the dedication of the temple in Mexico City. President Hinckley had been speaking several minutes. He paused and explained that there was another person from the other side of the veil he had not mentioned. In a strong voice filled with emotion and joy, President Hinckley exclaimed, Welcome, Father Lehi. Oh, how your heart must rejoice. I was seated on one of the front rows in the celestial room. I wanted to turn around and look in the direction where, quote, a latecomer might have entered the room. The moment seemed so real that I felt surely I could see what Father Lehi looked like. I didn't see that great book of Mormon Prophet, and I can't affirm that President Hinckley saw him with physical eyes, but I've no doubt that the Spirit let President Hinckley know that Father Lehi indeed was present that day in that temple. President Hinckley spoke of other temples as a fulfillment of prophecy regarding Lehi's descendants. Six new temples have been dedicated this year, he said. These were unplanned in terms of particular prophecy. But most of these temples have been built to serve descendants of Lehi. I believe the Lord has touched his prophet, then Spencer W. Kimball, to bring into play those processes by which he is remembering ancient covenants concerning descendants of Lehi. In one session, President Hinckley said he had watched the choir director. I'm confident from her appearance, there is in her veins the blood of Father Lehi and Mother Sariah. I've seen shining in her eyes the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I see it in your eyes. What wonderful people you are, people of capacity, faith, and devotion, he told the congregation. Temples are sacred, holy places of bridges where both worlds are connected. And when a temple is dedicated, many on the other side of the veil rejoice. But on this particular day, in this particular temple, President Hinckley was able to either see with his spiritual eyes or with his own mortal vision, the prophet Lehi, standing in awe and gratitude, that the promises were finally being fulfilled, that the law that the Lord had promised Lehi, that his family would be reunited, that they would be brought back into the covenantal relationship with the Savior, and that as a family they would walk hand in hand through the eternities. Temple dedications and temple in general are sacred, holy places where we all can receive thinning of the veil experiences because our ancestors on the other side of the veil are praying that we will reunite, reunite our ancestors together, that the generations may be secured. I promise you, my friends, that in some way, shape, or form, you'll receive revelatory experiences as you gather Israel. As you go to the temple and build the family of God ever larger, sealing together, you will have special sacred experiences that will bless your life and those around you. If you are prompted, please, please have courage to share them as it gives others an insight into what could happen for them. It's important to testify of these things. I am grateful that there have been recorded experiences that I can learn from them, that I can also feel gratitude in my heart and understand that thinning of the Vell experiences and the parting of the Vell experiences that I have received are in direct correlation with all others that came before. Because my ancestors want to be saved. I hope you've enjoyed the story. It's pretty special. As we look forward to working with all of the tribes, but Ephraim and Manasseh in particular, we are to spearhead in this last generation. And we see it starting to be extended into all of the tribes. It is a wonderful day that we live in. May we look with joy instead of fear towards the second coming and to the establishment of Zion, my friends. Join me tomorrow as we learn more awesome tools that makes this work so much easier in trying to find our ancestors as well with Colette. And then Friday, we will hear a talk that wraps this all up from um our dear friend Bradwill Cox that helps us to understand the role of the tribes and what we should be looking for. Have a great day. I will talk to you or see you tomorrow. I guess that's none of that is really true, but I guess if you email me, that's true. But know that I'm grateful for you, my friends. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.