A Temple Miracle

Elehna Luke, her husband, Simon, and children Elihna and Sairid, came to the Yigo Guam temple to be sealed as a family in October 2023.  The Inowe family, Joster, Mary, and their son, Joster Jr. also came to be sealed as a family.  Both families made the long trip from Pohnpei through the “first time temple patron fund” set up by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These funds are donations made by members of the Church to help their fellow saints living outside of the United States to have the opportunity to go to the temple, receive the blessings of the endowment and the sealing of their families for eternity.  The Luke and Inowe families are some of the many families that have been blessed by this fund.  They spent five days on Guam coming to the temple every day to perform each one of the sacred ordinances.

A few weeks before coming to the temple, Elehna suffered a stroke.  Her legs, arms and hands were affected by the stroke making it difficult for her to get around on her own.  Two days before her and her family were to board the plane, she fell, making her already hard situation even more challenging.  Many people thought that she wouldn’t be able to make the trip, but Elehna and her family were determined to go anyway.  This decision to come to the temple changed their lives and strengthened their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Elehna said: “In the temple, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I strongly believe that God is in the temple.  It was very peaceful inside.  People were dressed in white, like heavenly angels, and only speaking in whispers.”  She said that going to the temple reminded her of the story of Moses in the Old Testament when he went up to Mt. Sinai and saw the burning bush.  He was asked to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground.  Elehna testified saying: “I believe that the temple is holy ground, and it is filled with the spirit of God and Jesus Christ.”

A bus was chartered to bring the two families to the temple each day. Elehna had to crawl or pull herself on her hands and knees to get in and out of the bus. She was given a wheelchair to use while she was at the temple so she could get around easier. Before coming, she had prayed to Heavenly Father for forgiveness.  She said that she pleaded for His grace and mercy so that she and her family could be forgiven.  While performing some of the sacred ordinances, she felt like she received an answer to that prayer.  She said: “I felt an assurance that the Lord has forgiven me and that I received a remission of my sins through Jesus Christ.  My heart was really touched, and I cried tears of joy.”  Elehna felt like she gained a broader understanding of the endowment.  She could feel the sacredness of the white clothing and stated: “When I looked into the mirror, I saw how exquisitely beautiful it was to be dressed in white.”  She felt love and kindness from the temple presidency, temple workers, and appreciated all their help.  Both families were grateful for all the food and the hotel while they were in Guam.

The greatest blessing of the temple continued as their families were sealed together for all eternity.  It was a special and tender time to witness each family take their turn kneeling around the altar of the temple and become an eternal family.  They were given the opportunity to understand the sacred covenants even more by repeating them for other family members as proxies. 

Elihna Luke and Joster Inowe Jr were able to perform baptisms for the dead multiple times while their parents attended to other sacred ordinances that they were not able to do at this time.  Their parents joined them for one of the baptisms.  It was a tender and touching moment when Sister Luke wanted to be baptized as well.  Getting into the water in her condition was scary and very difficult.  Two brethren helped by getting into the water with her.  They stood by her in the font to help her be immersed into the water.  The spirit was very strong in the room.  Even though it was difficult, the Lord helped her complete several baptisms.  She said that she could feel the power of all the words of the prayers. She was filled with the Holy Ghost. 

Elehna knew that the Lord could heal her and that she would be able to walk again.  She was reminded of the miracles Jesus performed including raising people from the dead.    By the end of their five days at the temple, she didn’t need the wheelchair anymore.  She walked on to the bus to return home and was even able to walk around a little to see a few tourist places on Guam.  Her heart was full of gratitude at being able to return to Pohnpei and be able to walk. She felt like the Lord blessed her with a miracle because of her faithfulness and coming to the temple. 

The Luke and Inowe families learned that the temple blesses all who attend filling them with hope, peace, and the power to face their challenges in this life.

Joster Inowe in describing himself and his home said: “I am a mason, but I’m also well known for being a good painter.  People come to my house because we have fun.  They come knowing that they are loved and that I have a big heart.  It’s all about the heart.”

The Lord is a builder and painter of worlds that include temples.  He is also all about the heart.  When we come to His “house”, He wants us to feel His love and find joy serving in His house. He wants our hearts.    

"I have the conviction that the Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs. We will be eligible to have the Lord take an interest in our affairs both spiritual and temporal." (Boyd K. Packer)

“My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service.  (Thomas S. Monson, The Holy Temple-A Beacon to the World)

“God, in His infinite capacity, seals and heals individuals and families despite tragedy, loss, and hardship. We sometimes compare the feelings we experience in temples as having caught a glimpse of heaven.” (Elder Dale G. Renlund, General Conference 2018)

My dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will. In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple. I bless you with greater harmony and love in your homes and a deeper desire to care for your eternal family relationships. I bless you with increased faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a greater ability to follow Him as His true disciples. (President Russell M. Nelson, April General Conference 2018)