Dallas temple walk
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DALLAS, TEXAS
As 27 young women set out at 4:30 a.m. to walk from their meetinghouse to the Dallas Texas Temple, leaders were sure the energy and enthusiasm of the goal would wear off.
Instead, the young women embarking on their 18.1-mile walk to get to the temple, practically "ran to the temple," said Janice Aoyama, second counselor in the Frisco Texas Stake Young Women presidency.
"The energy of the morning never ran out," she said. "The biggest challenge of the day for leaders was that we were always way ahead of schedule. We could not hold back the determination of these young women to get to the temple."
Sister Aoyama said the girls were well prepared, well taught and ready to be at the temple. "These girls were reminded that the road to the temple is not easy, but it is possible in the Lord's strength."
A year ago, Camden LeeMaster, Young Women president in the Frisco 1st ward, Frisco Texas stake, read an article in the Church News by Sister Elaine Dalton, Young Women general president, about a group of young women who walked 22 miles from the Draper Utah Temple to the Salt Lake Temple.
"In the strength of the Lord, I can do hard things" was the theme of the temple walk. The article stated that often leaders want to protect youth from experiencing or doing hard things.
The idea of a temple walk challenge with this theme really spoke to Sister LeeMaster.
"When you are broken down physically, you have to rely on the Lord's help," Sister LeeMaster said. "You can't do it alone."
A marathon runner, she compared the feeling of crossing a finish line after a hard race to the joy you feel when making righteous decisions and feeling the celebratory love of Heavenly Father around you.
"The temple is our crowning jewel of exaltation," Sister LeeMaster said.
The young women prepared both physically and spiritually for the walk. They trained on Saturday mornings by walking together and also attended the temple to do baptisms throughout the year.
The young men in the ward were at the finish line cheering on the young women in their quest to get to the temple. The young men even prepared lunch and served it to each young woman as they arrived on the temple grounds.
"Often, it is the young women serving the young men as they end a difficult physical journey or experience, but today's roles were reversed," President Richard Dotter, first counselor in the Frisco Stake presidency, said.
President Dotter praised the young women for uniting in their cause to get to the temple. He said that there were shorter routes, but none of the routes were as safe as the one the leaders mapped out.
"There are no shortcuts" on your road to the temple, President Dotter said.
We all must obey the commandments, gain a testimony, keep the standards in "The Strength of Youth" and live worthily to enter the temple.
Ward parents and leaders had set up aide stations, water breaks and cheering places along the path. The girls hardly wanted to stop at any of these breaks, their eye solely on the goal to get to the end. "As we walked, several of the girls said it was easier than they anticipated," Sister LeeMaster said. "Getting off the trail or stopping only seemed to make it harder to get back on track."
