An apostle of Jesus Christ

My name is Melanie Brough. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I am a mother of four. I am a wife, sister, daughter, cousin and friend. I am a daughter of God. My goal in life is to serve those around me so that we may all grow closer to our Father in Heaven. My family can be together forever because of the plan of salvation. This plan was explained to us by our Heavenly Father before we came to earth. We are here to learn and serve and become more like Him. Through faith and diligent righteous service we can make sacred covenants and return to live with Him again.

This morning I was blessed to be invited to a very special church service with one of the Lord's 12 apostles on the earth today. Elder Quentin L Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Philadelphia. I am honored to be a choreographer for the very special Youth Temple Cultural Celebration that will be performed on September 17th. Almost 2,000 youth from our area will perform to celebrate the dedication of the Philadelphia Temple. This is an amazing project.

I am part of a committee with several choreographers, musicians, costumers, and a production team that has dedicated countless hours to pull this performance together. We were all stressed, exhausted and overwhelmed. Today we are uplifted, loved and spiritually fed. I have renewed enthusiasm and faith that I was given my talents for this cause. I was reminded that my Savior is aware of me. I was given an apostolic blessing.

My husband and I took our older two children to this sacred event. We heard testimonies of how the temple has blessed lives. Stories were shared that bore witness of the divine nature of temples. My heart was full.

The Philadelphia Temple is a magnificent structure. The architecture is exquisite. But more importantly the ground is holy. I know my Savior lives. I know the temple is the house of the Lord. I know that through the covenants made within those walls families can be sealed together for time and all eternity. The gospel of Jesus Christ is of peace and love and only by abiding by those laws and precepts can true happiness be achieved. I bear witness of this in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.