Houston Texas

Temple #38

Houston, Texas

September 25, 2015

Houston Texas Temple 

 

     Another Texas Temple! We made it down to Houston, a busy city unlike the rest of Texas. It was only a few hours for us to drive there, and we decided to go on a weekend for a fun trip. 

     The drive was very similar to the rest of Texas; flat and straight with trees lining the roads and hindering any view. The skyline of Houston was different though, and was another large city. 

     Getting to the temple was a struggle once we arrived in the Houston area. If you've ever been to Houston you’ll understand when I say the traffic was bad, really bad. It's like any other large city, yet somehow worse. 

     After waiting in traffic for a while we finally made it to the temple. It was tucked away in a really nice neighborhood surrounded by mansion-like houses. The temple rose above all the other buildings, standing out with its high steeple. 

     It was a beautiful sight and we were so excited to be there! There is an inner excitement that builds up every time we pull up to a new temple. The anticipation to see what was new and unique about this temple was exciting. 

 

     The exterior of the Houston Temple was beautiful, and appeared like a small palace or castle of some sort. It was amazing to say the least. There also was a water fountain out front which always adds to the beauty of the temple grounds. 

     Reading about the short history of this temple was quite fun. The land it was built on was not available when the Church was looking to buy land, yet they wanted the land it stood on. The man who sold it to them had his heart softened and his mind changed when he learned that the land would be used for a temple. Where the temple now stands is a really nice area of Houston. It's always fun to read about each temple before we go, and the history and miracles of each temple. 

     We went inside and enjoyed a session. The rooms inside were magnificent and bright, with chandeliers and stained glass windows in every room. It was a wonderful temple and the spirit was strong when we went. 

     We left the temple smiling, happy to have just done a session there. It was one of those temples that we weren't sure when we would get to it when we first got married, but now here we were, and we had just went through. 

     We explored Houston for a little bit afterwards, going to a park and enjoying the skyline of skyscrapers. There wasn't much more to see there, so we found a hotel, but not until we drove around some scary neighborhoods, which are plentiful in Houston. 

 

     We stayed the night in Houston, and the next day went to Galveston to the coast. We swam at the beach, drove the coast a little ways, explored an old mansion in downtown Galveston. We stayed the night in Galveston, attended church in the morning, where the ward was extremely friendly, and then headed home.

 

     It was a fun weekend, and we had a ton of fun. The Houston area was fun, and Galveston was even more fun, with a warm beach and all, yet the highlight was definitely the temple. The Houston Temple is a beacon of light to the city of Houston, and blesses the thousands of members in the area. It had now blessed our lives and brought more light to us as well. It was wonderful!