"The carpet, the paint, even the wood gets lighter," Halvorson says.
The temple is primarily intended as the site of three key covenants: endowments, baptisms for the dead and sealings.
Endowment is "a gift of blessings from God; things that He has promised for us and knowledge He wants to impart to us," Baker says. "It's basically a personal commitment to God."
In the rite of baptism for the dead, ancestors are posthumously given a physical baptism by water.
"We believe that God is just and fair and loves all His children, so it's important that all His children have an opportunity to accept or reject the Gospel," Baker says.
The third ceremony, sealing, formally binds family members together for all time.
"These sealing ties are efficacious beyond this life," Brinton says. "I love my family and it is a beautiful thing that we will be together for eternity."
These three covenants can only be performed in a temple. Before Sunday's dedication, believers had to travel to Washington, D.C., to take part.
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