MY FIRST 100 TEMPLES

Dear family,

The word "family" includes many people. I have met many family members during my travels throughout this beautiful world. Whether I'm visiting Japan, Colombia, or Germany, or California, Utah, or Alabama, whenever I approach a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which more often than not is topped with a statue of the Angel Moroni, I immediately feel a connection to the people inside. Most of those people don't look like me or talk like me, but that doesn't matter. Jesus Christ and His gospel unite people. 

Live the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes frequent temple attendance where possible, and you will find yourself more united with your brothers and sisters journeying through this life. Jesus Christ is the Great Uniter.

"When you come to the temple you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before. The temple is about families." - Richard H. Winkel

I love temples. The structures and surrounding grounds are beautiful. What we are taught inside is even more beautiful.

Daniel Ben Ogden

Summer 2022

Note: Years ago I began a little competition with my Dad to see who could go to the most temples. According to my rules, in order to count a temple I had to participate in some kind of temple work inside (baptism, initiatory, sealing, endowment), not simply take a picture in front of the temple and move on. These are my first 100 temples. I had a goal of attending all of the temples in the world, but President Russell M. Nelson came along and destroyed my goal by announcing 10-20 new temples during every General Conference weekend. I cannot help but be happy about the fact that I will never achieve my goal. It means the blessings of the temple are reaching more people.

Sam at the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple.

With Dad in front of the Anchorage Alaska Temple.

Anchorage Alaska

With my beautiful Sam in front of the Atlanta Georgia Temple.

Atlanta Georgia

With Joseph in front of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple. This was temple #100 for me. It was built and dedicated where I served my mission, almost 20 years after I left the mission. Joseph and I returned to my mission 25 years after I began my service.

With Rene Sarmiento (left - a stake patriarch) and Robert Bolaño, 25 years after I met them on my mission. I participated in Rene's baptism while I was a missionary.

One of my favorite families from Colombia.

Oliva, Maria Isabel, Ana Paulina, me, Jackiee, Cesar, and Mateo 

Barranquilla Colombia Temple

"Temples are the greatest university of learning known to man, giving us knowledge and wisdom about the Creation of the world. Endowment instructions give guidance as to how we should conduct our lives here in mortality." - Robert D. Hales

Baton Rouge Louisiana

Bern Switzerland

Bern Switzerland with Sam and two-year-old Douglas.

Bern Switzerland

Billings Montana

Birmingham Alabama

Bismarck North Dakota with little Douglas off to the right side.

Boise Idaho

Boise Idaho

"I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually." - I Kings 9:3

Boston Massachusetts

Sam and I were married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Bountiful, Utah Temple on July 20th, 2013.

Bountiful Utah

Sam's family

My family

"It is in these holy houses that faithful couples enter into the ordinance of celestial marriage through which they become parties to the Abrahamic covenant." - Bruce R. McConkie

Brigham City Utah

Sam and baby Douglas at the Calgary Alberta Canada Temple

Calgary Alberta Canada

Cardston Alberta Canada

Cardston Alberta Canada

Cardston Alberta Canada with Sam and Douglas.

Cedar City Utah

Cedar City with Sam, Douglas, and Penny.

Cedar City Utah

Chicago Illinois

Chicago Illinois

"As we come unto Christ and journey to higher ground, we will desire to spend more time in His temples, because the temples represent higher ground, sacred ground." - Joseph B. Wirthlin

Columbia River Washington

Columbia River Washington

Columbia South Carolina with Sam

Columbus Ohio with Marianne and Kevin Scoresby

Columbus Ohio

Dallas Texas

Denver Colorado with my brother, Joseph, in 1996.

Denver Colorado

Detroit Michigan with baby Douglas

Draper Utah with Sam and Douglas

Fort Collins Colorado

Fort Collins Colorado

Fort Lauderdale, Florida with my brother-in-law, Nate Coombs.

Fort Lauderdale 

Fort Lauderdale

Frankfurt Germany

Frankfurt Germany

Freiberg Germany

Freiberg Germany

Freiberg Germany wearing my hoodie from Libya.

Fresno California with Dad

Fresno California with Chris Green

Gila Valley Arizona

"At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can 'see' things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known." - Boyd K. Packer

Gilbert Arizona

Gilbert Arizona

Gilbert Arizona

Guatemala City with Dad

Guatemala City

Hartford Connecticut

Hartford Connecticut

Hartford Connecticut

Sam in front of the Hong Kong China Temple

Hong Kong China

"And early in the morning [Jesus] came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them." - John 8:2

Houston Texas

Idaho Falls with Aunt Audrie Gunn

Indianapolis Indiana

Indianapolis Indiana

Sam and Douglas at the Jordan River, Utah Temple

Jordan River Temple

Jordan River Temple

Kansas City Missouri

Kansas City Missouri

Sam and Douglas at the Kirtland Temple. This one does not count among the 100 because it is currently owned by another church.

"For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people." - Doctrine & Covenants 109:5

Doctrine & Covenants section 109 is the prayer offered by Joseph Smith at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March 27th, 1836.

Kona Hawaii

Kona Hawaii

Laie Hawaii

Laie Hawaii

Laie Hawaii

Sam at the Las Vegas Nevada Temple

Las Vegas Nevada

Lima Peru

Lima Peru

Lima Peru with Doug Coombs (my father-in-law) and Clara and Miguel Barragan (Coombs family friends)

"I urge our people everywhere, with all of the persuasiveness of which I am capable, to live worthy to hold a temple recommend, to secure one and regard it as a precious asset, and to make a greater effort to go to the House of the Lord and partake of the spirit and the blessings to be had therein." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Logan Utah

Logan Utah

Logan Utah

London England

Los Angeles California

Los Angeles California

"And [there were] other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work, including the building of the temples and the performance of ordinances therein." - Doctrine & Covenants 138:53-54

Louisville Kentucky

Louisville Kentucky with Dustin Adams (aka Chuck Norris)

Louisville Kentucky

Lubbock Texas with Sam

Manhattan New York with Dad

Manti Utah

Medford Oregon

Memphis Tennessee

"One thing have I desired of the Lord...that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." - Psalm 27:4

Meridian Idaho

Meridian Idaho with Sam

Mesa Arizona

Mom, me, Sara, Lizzie, and Joseph at the Mesa Arizona Temple.

Mesa Arizona with Paul McLaughlin (cousin)

"The time will come when there will be temples established over every portion of the land, and we will go into these temples and work for our kindred dead night and day." - Lorenzo Snow

Monticello Utah with Dad

Montreal Canada

We had the opportunity to help clean the temple.

With Dad and David Galbraith in front of the Montreal Canada Temple. Brother Galbraith was the temple president at the time and he let me do an endowment session in Arabic.

Mt. Timpanogos Utah

Mt. Timpanogos Utah

Nauvoo Illinois

Nauvoo Illinois

Newport Beach California

Newport Beach California

Oakland California

Oakland California with Sam

Oakland California

Oakland California

Oakland California

Oakland California with Quince Altman (US Army friend) - 2002

"I have a suggestion: When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan." - Richard G. Scott

Ogden Utah (before reconstruction)

Ogden Utah (after reconstruction)

Sam and Douglas at Ogden Utah Temple

Oklahoma City

"We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple." - Psalms 48:9

Oquirrh Mountain with Douglas

Oquirrh Mountain Utah

Orlando Florida

"We should expect that the adversary will try to interfere with us as we seek to participate in this sacred and inspired work. The interference can vary from the terrible persecutions of the earlier days to apathy toward the work. The latter is perhaps the most dangerous and debilitating." - Boyd K. Packer

Palmyra New York

Palmyra New York

Panama City Panama

Panama City with (left-to-right) José Barragan, Miguel Barragan, and Doug Coombs

Payson Utah with Jude Frye (nephew)

Payson Utah

Payson Utah with Sam and Douglas

Philadelphia Pennsylvania with Sam and Dustin Nguyen. Sam and I met each other thanks to Dustin.

Philadelphia Pennsylvania with baby Penny

Philadelphia Pennsylvania

"There, in the house of the Lord, you can learn what you need to know to be truly free. There, tucked away from turmoil and strife, is the chance to be totally unselfish--a rarity in today's world." 

- Robert L. Simpson

Phoenix Arizona

Phoenix Arizona

Douglas wanted his mama, not a photo in front of the temple.

Phoenix Arizona

Portland Oregon

Preston England

Preston England

Preston England with Dad

Provo City Center Utah

Provo City Center Utah

With Dad at the Provo Temple just before leaving to serve my mission - 1997.

With Mom at the Provo Temple just before leaving to serve my mission - 1997.

With Sam, Mom, Dad, Sara, Lizzie, and Joseph at the Provo Temple the day Joseph received his endowment - April 23rd, 2022.

Mom, Dad, Joseph

With Sam, Mom, Dad, Sara, Lizzie, and Joseph at the Provo Temple the day Joseph received his endowment - April 23rd, 2022.

Raleigh North Carolina

Redlands California

Reno Nevada

Reno Nevada with baby Douglas

Rexburg Idaho with Uncle Craig Gunn

Sacramento California

Kathy and Luther McLaughlin, Daniel, Zach, Kelly and Brian Zufelt at the Sacramento California Temple. Kathy and Luther are my aunt and uncle. Kelly is my cousin. Brian is her husband. Zach is their son.

Salt Lake City Utah

With cousin Paul McLaughlin at the Salt Lake Temple.

Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City Utah

"To accomplish this work there will have to be not only one temple but thousands of them, and thousands and tens of thousands of men and women will go into those temples and officiate for people who have lived as far back as the Lord shall reveal." - Brigham Young

San Antonio Texas

San Antonio Texas

San Antonio Texas

San Antonio Texas

"To you who are worthy and able to attend the temple, I would admonish you to go often. The temple is a place where we can find peace. There we receive a renewed dedication to the gospel and a strengthened resolve to keep the commandments." - Thomas S. Monson

San Diego Temple with cousins Ben Carter and Paul McLaughlin

San Diego Temple with Sam shortly before we were married.

San Diego California

Santiago Chile - 1999

Seattle Washington

"I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Snowflake Arizona

Spokane Washington

Spokane Washington with baby Douglas

St. George Utah with Douglas

St. George Utah

St. Louis Missouri

With Sam and Douglas at the St. Paul Minnesota Temple

St. Paul Minnesota (Sam took this photo while I was inside the temple)

"[The temple] is where we climb high above the smoke and the fog of these earthly things and we learn to read by God's eternal stars a course that will lead us safely back home." - Harold B. Lee

Star Valley Wyoming

Star Valley Wyoming

Star Valley Wyoming

Star Valley Wyoming

Tijuana Mexico

Tijuana Mexico

Tijuana Mexico

With Dad at the Tijuana Mexico Temple

Tijuana Mexico

Tokyo Japan

"I would advise all the Saints to go to with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth." - Joseph Smith

Toronto Canada

Toronto Canada

Trujillo Peru with Miguel and Clara Barragan, and Doug Coombs.

Trujillo Peru

Trujillo Peru

Tucson Arizona with Dad

Tucson Arizona

Twin Falls Idaho

Twin Falls Idaho

Vancouver Canada

Vancouver Canada

Vancouver Canada

Vernal Utah with Jon Groneman

Vernal Utah

"Finally it may be said that the temple endowment is not secret. All who meet the requirements for entrance to the temple may enjoy it." - John A. Widtsoe

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C.

May 2022: with Clayton, Kate, and Sam at the open house of the recently-renovated Washington D.C. Temple, almost 50 years after the first open house. Kate is Sam's sister. Clayton is Kate's husband.

Washington D.C.

"There exists a righteous unity between the temple and the home. Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family; understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple." - Gary E. Stevenson

Winter Quarters Nebraska

Winter Quarters Nebraska

"Let us truly be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the supreme mortal experience." - Howard W. Hunter