The raising of Moroni

On Wednesday I heard that the Angel Moroni was going to be placed on top of the Kansas City temple.  I quickly drove to the temple lot, only to be informed that it was too windy and had been postponed until the next day.  So after getting the youngest 3 off to school yesterday, me and Brevan drove to the temple (it's only 15 minutes away).  It was such a memorable experience to be there.  I didn't think I'd be so emotional, but I had tears streaming down my face.  I kept thinking of the early Saints and all the hardships they went through to live the gospel.  In a little over a century, Missouri has changed from the law enabling anyone to kill Mormons, to now having a beautiful temple where we can worship and go to find peace.  I also kept thinking that we've been in Missouri long enough that it really is "home," especially for my kids.  So the odds are great that they could take out their endowments or be sealed to their future companions in this temple. 

Moroni is out of the box and attached to the crane.

 On his way up.

 And being put in place.  There is a copper rod that goes through the statue, making it less likely to be affected by a lighting bolt.

 There has also been a lot of construction accomplished on our new Stake Center, which will be directly across the street from the temple.  They have almost finished all the framing, and have created a beautiful pond with walkways and rock walls.

While gazing at the beautiful structure, Brevan and I were discussing the reasons for having Moroni (a Book of Mormon prophet who assembled the past writings and buried them) holding a horn on the top of the temple.  We reviewed some interesting facts, such as:

• The Angel Moroni is placed on top of most temples, but not all of them. The idea for the statue came from a sculptor, not church leaders.
• Moroni blowing his horn represents the restoration of the gospel and bringing the gospel to all the world.  It also represents the long-anticipated Second Coming of Christ, which will be announced by trumpet-blowing angels.
• Since the Savior will return to Earth from the east, Moroni is placed facing eastward.
• The Moroni statues stand between 12 and 20 feet tall, depended on the temple size.
• Earlier statues of Moroni weighed up to 4,000 pounds and were made of pure copper or gold.  Now they weigh about 300 pounds and are made of lightweight fiberglass with gold leafing.
• There are 134 Latter-Day-Saint temples in operation throughtout the world, with 23 temples announced or currently being constructed.
• Moroni's physique has gotten more muscular over the years.  This fact made us laugh.  I can just imagine Moroni in heaven bragging about how he gets better-looking with age.  :)

For more information about temples, or to see more pictures of "our" beautiful temple, visit http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/kansascity/.