Oakland California Temple
Finally! After two years of Covid related closures, I was able to go out and visit another temple. Thanks to a credit I had on Spirit Airlines, and the corresponding $160 round-trip flight from Baltimore to Oakland, I was thrilled to come to the Bay Area and visit this beautiful temple!
The Oakland California Temple is a Magnificent Sight
The trip started off in Baltimore, Maryland, with a couple of Dunkin’ Donuts sour cream specials and a milk. The five-hour and 15 minute nonstop flight to Los Angeles was also highlighted by some fudge brownie M&Ms (highly recommended!) and a Minute Maid Cranberry juice. Normally, I’m on Frontier Airlines in a padded exit row seat with plenty of room; that wasn’t the case here. Thank heavens I had the aisle seat though, which I was able to make work.
Travel Details
I left Baltimore at 12:55 in the afternoon. We landed in Los Angeles at about 3:45 PM Pacific time. It was a quick 30 minute turnaround and we were off to Oakland on the same plane. We landed in Oakland at about 6:10 PM.
The Lyft ride to the temple was about $20. The Lyft ride to the temple was about $20. I was stunned by the magnificence of this property the moment we got to the entrance.
I was stunned by the magnificence of this property the moment we got to the entrance.
A Member Missionary Opportunity
The Lyft driver was named Fred. We talked a lot about football: the San Francisco 49ers, BYU football, the Chicago Bears, and the former Washington Redskins. When I mentioned I was originally from Provo Utah, that launched us into a discussion of Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Ty Dettmar, Zack Wilson, and Taysom Hill. We also talked about pro football coaches including Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Joe Gibbs. After giving my analysis of 20 years of management fumbles with the Washington Redskins, Fred summed it up nicely when he simply said that they should hire me as the general manager. I agreed.
It was just a delight to talk to Fred. At the end of the ride I gave him an articles of faith card and one of my Public Affairs cards that has my name, phone number, and email on it.
Spectacular Grounds and a View
The grounds of the Oakland Temple are spectacular! The wide, cascading river/waterfall design that leads to the front of the temple is breathtaking. So is the view at night looking west towards San Francisco Bay.
The landscapers here deserve a trophy. The floral designs are superb.
A Friend from the Past
The experience outside was only surpassed by the experience inside. One of the temple workers was Sister Staking, a good friend of mine from many years ago in the Washington DC Stake! As they visit temples around the country, I am constantly amazed at the people I run into from some kind of prior experience. It really is a small world.
I had signed up to do some initiatory work at 8 PM, but when I arrived there at 6:45 I was delighted to join the endowment session at 7 pm instead.
An Inspiring New Friend
I enjoyed speaking with a temple worker in the beautiful celestial room. He was in his mid 60s and had joined the church about 10 years earlier. I asked him to tell me more.
He said he was in a sacrament meeting one time and the speaker discussed his favorite Bible story, where Jesus heals a blind man. During the talk he heard an audible voice tell him, “The Book of Mormon is true.“ That was it; he joined the Church.
He told me this was his last day in the temple because he and his wife were leaving for a six-month mission in Wyoming at the Martin Willey handcart trail. They depart in two weeks. I told him it’s people like him that make this church great.
I asked him about the temple open house held a few years earlier, since we’re getting ready to do an open house for the Washington DC temple in the next month. He got very excited when he suggested I should be a tour guide. He said the most interesting question he ever got came in three different times. People asked, “Is it really true you guys take dead bodies and baptize them in here?” Holy cow.
There is an interesting plaque on the west side of the temple property overlooking the valley. It talks about a chartered voyage made by members of the church back in the 1840s. About 250 members sailed from New York City, around Capetown, and eventually landed in the Bay Area. Two babies were born on the trip, one named Atlantic in the other named Pacific. About a dozen people died on the voyage. When the Mormons arrived in the area, it automatically doubled the size of the town. It is a pioneering tribute to the spirit of these early settlers and the 177 day voyage they took on the high seas. It’s worth reading that plaque.
I am amazed at the size of the property this temple sits on. There is a very large adjoining stake center and also a visitors’ center here. It’s a magnificent sight to see.
This is the 72nd temple I’ve visited since January 2017, and the first one I visited in two years. It felt great!