My Full Circle, Long Distance Temple Journey

Below is the copy of a talk I gave in Superior, Montana, on Sunday, March 26, 2026. 

It’s always great to visit you good folks in Superior.

My name is Mark Holyoak. Like Travis, I from Frenchtown and am serving as stake clerk.

Thank you to Brother Peterson and Travis for sharing their thoughts.

Brother Peterson and I have served together in our callings as behind-the-scenes members of the stake presidency for five or six years now, including the recent transition to our new leadership of Presidents Fullerton, Gage and Nygard. We can tell you they are fired up and truly want to do all they can to serve you as they serve the Lord.

For me, our assigned topic of “strengthening faith in Jesus Christ through temple worship” is a full circle, long distance journey. I’d like to lay that out for you.

I spent most of my childhood growing up in Wichita, Kansas. At that time, it was exactly 1,000 miles from the front door of my house to the Manti Temple, which was our assigned temple district. I think I went there once on a stake Seminary bus trip as a teenager.

I did attend the Idaho Falls Temple when I was a student at Ricks College in 1981. The following year, I received my endowment in the Jordan River Temple before entering the MTC, where I attended the Provo Temple just one time before it was closed for renovations.

As a missionary serving in southern Italy, the nearest temple was in Switzerland, so that was out.

When I returned home, I attended college in Wichita one semester before transferring to BYU, where I was finally close to a temple but did not give it the important attention I could’ve and should’ve, instead focusing on studies, then getting married, starting a family and graduating.

My first job was in Topeka, Kansas where we were in the Dallas Temple district, 500 miles away. After living in Topeka for eight years, our temple district shifted to St. Louis in 1997 where a new temple was about to open 310 miles away. We were slowly cutting the distance. Lori and I attended the dedicatory service with President Hinckley presiding. The Spirit was so strong. How strong? Regular folks driving by on Interstate-64, which runs right in front of the temple, pulled over, stopped and called the local fire department, claiming they saw flames coming out of the building during the service. True story. It felt that way too.

In late 1998, I accepted a new job in Spokane, Washington, where we were thrilled to learn a new temple was being built. We attended the dedication in 1999. Again, President Hinckley came and offered the dedicatory prayer. Again, it was amazing. The Spokane Temple was 3 and a half miles from our house. Lori and I took advantage, attended every Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the rest of the time we lived there. We learned intimately more about our Savior than ever before and the role he played in creating the Earth and the role he plays now for each of us, thanks to the Atonement, in clearing the way for us to be able to be resurrected and return to live with him and our Heavenly Father, depending on our works and worthiness.

During that time, we also took part in the national broadcast of the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple in 2002. It was blessing to watch that in the Spokane Valley Stake Center with our fellow ward and stake family members.

The next year, in 2003, we moved to Lolo. Ten years later in 2013 there were 141 temples in operation, when President Monson announced in general conference that 85 percent of the church membership worldwide lived within 200 miles of a temple. Unfortunately, we – being those of us in the Stevensville Stake at the time that included President Anderson and his family – were among that other 15 percent that did not live within 200 miles.

Fast forward to 2021, when President Nelson announced Helena would receive a temple. It opened two years later. And then on April 3, 2022, President Nelson made a thrilling announcement for me and my family, declaring new temples would be built in Wichita – where I grew up, Austin, Texas – where my sister lives and Missoula, Montana. We let out a scream of joy in our house and my phone instantly exploded with texts from my friends here, friends in Kansas and my sister and other family members.

Such a great day but that was four long years ago. What’s been going on? When would hear anything about the groundbreaking of the Missoula Temple?

Fast forward to four weeks and two days ago. My wife Lori was flying to Tennessee to attend a family wedding. When I got home from work, I noticed an email notification pop up on my phone from someone I didn’t recognize. It said, “See the attached letter from Elder Steven R. Bangerter.”

“Dear Brother and Sister Holyoak, we are pleased to extend an invitation to you to serve as members of the Missoula Montana Temple Groundbreaking Committee. Your assignment will be to co-chair the Historical Subcommittee. May the Lord bless you in this important assignment. Sincerely, Steven R. Bangerter, Temple Department executive director.”

I just stared at it, reread it and I was like…what??

Lori was still in the air so I texted an image of the letter to her with six exclamation points and said, “Call me after you see this!”

When she landed, she did and was as surprised as I was but also extremely honored.

It still seems surreal. Since then, we have had multiple Zoom meetings with contacts at church headquarters in Salt Lake City as well as with our entire local Montana committee and with our subcommittee members.

For Lori and me, it is our responsibility to compile a detailed written and photo history of everything leading up to the groundbreaking, the event itself and then to send the finalized historical version to church headquarters. We have invited photographers, fellow church members from the Stevensville and Kalispell Stakes, to help us. I’ve also been recruited to serve in the communications subcommittee with assignments there.

Plans are being made for the June 6th groundbreaking. Invitations lists are being created to invite community, interfaith, business and other leaders from the Missoula, Mission, Bitterroot and Flathead Valleys, and points in between. Elder Jose Teixiera of the Seventy will preside. Each stake will receive a very limited number of tickets. And the event will be broadcast virtually so everyone can take part. Details will be announced later.

Lori and I are pumped

When the temple is built, it will be 34 miles from my house. It’s not 3 and a half miles, but we’ll take it. And it will be 62 miles from where we sit right now here in Superior.

My first trip to the Missoula Temple site

President Dallin H. Oaks said this while dedicating a temple in the Philippines: “Temple teachings center on Jesus Christ, whose house this is. All that is taught here relates to our Savior. This is His house. This is His work and the work of His Father.”

President Ezra Taft Benson said: "I promise you that, with increased attendance in the temples of our God, you shall receive increased personal revelation to bless your life as you bless those who have died."

President Thomas S. Monson said: "As we touch the temple and love the temple, our lives will reflect our faith. As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation."

President Russell M. Nelson said: "Here is my promise. Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing! The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us. For the temple is the only place on earth where we may receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham."

President Oaks again: “Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He only does so for those who seek Him and ask for His help.”

Brothers and sisters, we can seek and find him when we attend the temple – any temple.

As for the Missoula Temple, it is not just a temple. It will be our Montana temple! So, let’s take advantage of it. Start preparing now. If you don’t have a temple recommend, do what you need to do to get one. If you have one but it’s expired, talk to your bishop and then to Brother Peterson who can line you up with a stake presidency member to renew it. If you have a current recommend, keep plugging forward. And for all of us, no matter our current temple recommend status – please be there to enter the House of the Lord. Let’s make attending a regular habit. Also, consider becoming a temple worker. The temple will need hundreds of workers to fill out its day-to-day staff.

I am so grateful for my lifelong temple journey, for the truthfulness of the gospel, for a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior willing to die and live again for us so we can do the same as individuals, as families and as friends.

Let me repeat again what President Nelson said: “The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us.” 

So, let’s go there!

Missoula Montana Temple (photo credit: © Intellectual Reserve)