Laie Hawaii Temple 🌸

Temple #14

Laie Hawaii

July 15, 2014

     Aloha! The Temple in paradise! This temple has one of the prettiest grounds and area ever! The Laie Temple is one of my favorites, and partially because of the people there. 

     Ivy and I were in Hawaii for Ivys’ birthday. I had surprised her with flights to Hawaii a few months before, and then before we knew it, we were in paradise! We were there for a week, and it was a wonderful week. From snorkeling, playing on the beach, swimming with turtles, to hiking, sightseeing and relaxing, we did it all. One of our favorite hikes ever was in Hawaii, and was absolutely beautiful. We went to Pearl Harbor as well, which was a humbling place. It was all around amazing. 

 

     One of our main purposes of wanting to go to Hawaii was to go to the temple. It has always been a dream for both of us to go to Hawaii, along with the temple in Laie. We also planned it to where we went to the temple on Ivys’ birthday to make it more meaningful. 

     We rented a car one day, and drove from Honolulu to the other side of the island, which was a gorgeous drive. We passed through hundreds of pineapple fields, and even stopped at the Dole plantation where we had the best ice cream ever! We then drove on past beautiful beaches and through small towns, and eventually made it to the temple. 

     The palm trees lined the road, and flowers and tropical plants were everywhere. The temple was stunning and breathtaking! The entire area around it was also gorgeous. 

     We went inside and were welcomed with giant smiles. The Hawaiian people are extremely kind, and the Hawaiian saints even kinder. We had a wonderful experience going through the temple, and loved every moment. It is one of the seven unique temples where you go through different rooms as you progress through a session. The Temple itself was fairly small though, with small rooms. This didn't take away from the spirit we felt though. 

 

     Afterwards we walked around it, and admired the building. It's very unique, to where it is similar to the Cardston Temple. It is more square and flat, not having a steeple. There are carved friezes in the side of the top of the temple, which are carved on all four sides. The images are of Christ, his apostles, and the four main books of scripture. 

     The weather was perfect, and it was overall a wonderful day. We ended it by going to the Polynesian Culture Center, which was a fun experience. The Polynesian culture is great and entertaining. We had a dinner there, and then watched a show at night. The entire experience was fantastic. 

     It was awesome to also learn about the history of the Laie temple as well. It used to be barren in the area it now sits, and was unwanted land. The Church knew though that they could make it into beautiful scenery. 

     It's also amazing how this temple was built so early on in the Church's history. It's great to see how the gospel has grown so much in the Polynesian areas. 

     If ever visiting Oahu island, it is a must to go to Laie and to see the Temple there, and to experience the culture. Not only are there less tourists there, but there is a beautiful temple and wonderful people. We loved Hawaii, and can't wait to go back and see more of it and go to the temple on the Big Island someday as well. We loved the Laie Hawaii Temple!