Children tug at prophet's heartstrings
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SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH
A recurring theme of the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple could be found in the Savior's admonition, "Suffer the little children to come unto me" (Mark 10:14).
Children had a significant presence during the dedicatory events Aug. 21-23, as evidenced in the attention paid to them by President Thomas S. Monson.
From the opening event of the cornerstone ceremony Friday morning until the moments leading up to his departure after the concluding session of the dedication Sunday afternoon, President Monson reached out to children, and they reached out to him.
On Friday morning, President Monson invited several children to place a bit of mortar on the symbolic cornerstone. Among them was Cade Ramsey, 5, who had come to the ceremony with a handmade sign wishing President Monson a happy birthday; Aug. 21 was the Church leader's 82nd birthday.
Children who had been baptized were qualified to attend the dedication. Younger children were at the outside portion of the cornerstone ceremony. Throughout the days of the dedication, President Monson shook hands with as many children as possible; he had a wave, a smile or a comment for those he met.
Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Temple Department, said, "We know the Savior reached out to the children and loved the children. President Monson is the same. He lives a Christlike life and that's obviously manifest in how he reaches out to the children and relates to them. He loves them and he is gracious to them. He sang to them and wiggled his ears for some of them.
"These children will remember this all their lives. Some of them who were here at the dedication will tell their grandchildren, 50 to 60 years from now, that they attended Oquirrh Mountain temple and they saw the prophet, and that he smiled at them or shook their hand and was warm, kind and gracious to them. It was a sweet experience. To me, one of the most tender parts of the temple dedication was to witness President Monson's kindness and sweetness to the children."
