Latter-day Saints prepare for dedication of Feather River temple

YUBA CITY, California — Kayden Ellyson received his mission call, to serve in the Maryland Baltimore Mission, long before many of his friends.

But the future missionary was somewhat dismayed to learn he would be the last of his friends to start his mission, in mid-September.

“I was a little upset because I knew I just have to wait a little longer,” said Ellyson, a member of the Yuba City California Stake and whose family lives in Marysville.

Kayden Ellyson was one of many youth who served as temple tour guides during the open house of the Feather River California Temple.

What Ellyson soon learned is that the Lord had another missionary opportunity in mind for him before departing — youth tour guide at the Feather River California Temple.

When he understood this, Ellyson invited everyone he knew. He led 120 youth from the area on tours of the temple, as well as 65 more during the open house, including family, friends, a elderly neighbor woman and his high school principal, many of whom had tender spiritual experiences in the celestial room.

“There are no coincidences. God needed me here to be a tour guide for the open house to take so many friends and family through the temple,” Ellyson said. “I know God needed me to leave on my mission a little later so I could have these experiences at the temple.”

Ellyson’s family and friends were among more than 55,000 who walked through the Feather River California Temple during its open house, which ran from Aug. 19 to Sept. 9, according to Drake and Holly Brown, who served as the temple open house and dedication coordinators.

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the Feather River California Temple dedication on Sunday, Oct. 8.

The Feather River temple will be the Church’s 184th dedicated worldwide, with 335 temples total in various stages — dedicated and operating, under renovation, under construction, or announced and in planning and design. The Feather River temple will serve seven stakes and more than 15,000 members.

The construction and public tours of the temple have allowed local Latter-day Saints to share the Church and its message with the community.

“To see their eyes open up and realize that we are really Christians, and this temple is all about Jesus Christ, it has been wonderful to share that with people,” Holly Brown said. “It is not a mystery any more to them.”

The Angel Moroni statue atop the Feather River California Temple in Yuba City, California