What a great experience this was. I am so very thankful to Grace Cruz and Terry Foss who made it possible for me to be a part of the ERT (Evangelical Response Team). My flight arrived at the Columbia South Carolina Metropolitan Airport at 4:30pm on Thursday October 7, 1999. I was greeted at the airport by Terry Foss. After grabbing a bite to eat we headed to the Temple. The first thing I did before actually working with the ERT was tour the Temple as a common member of the public.

The first thing you do before entering the Temple is enter a large white tent. At the entrance you are given a tract on the Open House and also a pair of plastic booties which you are instructed to put on over your shoes.

The tent is filled with rows of folding chairs and televisions line the walls. A small introduction is given in which we are told that it would be a "silent tour" and any questions we had could be asked after we came out of the Temple. Then we all watched a short (7 minutes) video that gave the impression that this Temple of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints was very similar to the Tabernacle and Temple that God had instructed His People to build in the Old Testament. After that had concluded we are then allowed to enter the Temple in a very orderly fashion. 

Men in dark suits are everywhere, like CIA or FBI agents. They had signs posted to check in cameras but not really a place to do it at. So as I entered the Temple I shot a couple of pictures.

The guy to the left standing behind the recommend desk was very clear to tell me that pictures were not allowed in the Temple and that I would have to leave my camera with him. So of course after making sure I could trust him, I left my digital camera with him.

In this picture on the left in the right area you can see the top of the doors that go into the Baptismal Room. Then to the left is a door way that goes either to the left or right that takes you to the Male (to the right) or Female (to the left) Dressing Rooms and Initiatory Rooms.

Well that is all the pictures of the inside, but I must say it was very beautiful, although many comments were made that it felt kind of eerie like a funeral home inside. In this Temple unlike the Boise Temple they have broken the endowment up into two parts or should I say the Endowment Ceremony is performed in two rooms rather than all in one room. This is slightly similar to older Temples where patrons would move from one room to another as they progressed in the ceremony and in their "light and knowledge". The Celestial Room was near the same size if not a little bigger than the Boise Temple. The furniture and chandelier was gorgeous and all the wood work, walls, and trim was all accented with gold. I remember quite a few places where the paint looked like it could use another coat and also on the outside I noticed one of the marble tiles was coming off and not properly adhered.

Columbia South Carolina Temple

HOLINESS TO THE LORD
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

Behind these windows is the Celestial Room

Three "Sunstones" or
a circle within a circle
being a phallic symbol.

At this point I received several taps on my shoulder from behind. It was LDS Security (a man in a dark suit). He said he needed to ask me to leave, that "my people" had promised to not do this sort of thing on Temple grounds. I responded, my people? I informed him I was not with any people and that I had just arrived that day from Boise, Idaho. He continued and said that I was seen with "those people" across the street and that they had promised they would only do this sort of thing across the street. Well I informed him that yes one of "them" picked me up from the airport today and that I had not officially started working with them, and that I hadn't even put on the official name tag on yet. I continued that I was just a common person of the public at this point and just had some questions I was curious about. He continued his insistence of asking me to leave, so I did. But I unfortunately had not seen the last of this guy.

The next day one of our volunteers, Brian Bell, had not had a chance to go through the Temple and was a little nervous about going alone. I offered to go with him, and so we removed our name tags and went over and got in line. Mr. Salt Lake appeared again while we were calmly standing in line and told me he was informed by his superiors that he needed to specifically ask me  to leave, that I was not welcome on Temple grounds let alone in the Temple. Wow, can you believe this? Not worthy to go in the Temple even when it's open to the public! Okay fine, I said and made sure Brian stayed in line and went through without me.

After this they kept a very close watch on us and especially me. Notice the guy (in the picture on the right) across the street watching me as I hand out our free literature on the Mormon Temple.

Also, one guy was on his cell phone as he watched me. I was getting a little nervous. I didn't think I had done anything serious enough to warrant calling the Sheriff, but you never know.

Other than this, a Mormon man who nearly physically attacked Terry Foss, we had a lot of opportunities to witness and share truth with several Mormons. Including several of African American descent who were completely unaware of the Mormon Church's teaching on the blacks and the priesthood.

Here in these photos I got the opportunity  witness to some African Americans. Because some of the things I shared with one family, they went up to the temple and went in to watch the video. But as soon as it ended, they got up and left, and never even set foot inside the Temple. Even though they had promised the LDS Elders who they where taking the missionary discussions from that they would. Praise God. If I was able to plant a seed to prevent just one person from joining the Mormon Church, my trip was worth it!

Here are some shots of Terry Foss handing out free literature about the Mormon Temple.

Here's a shot of Tom Jones with Cult Watch, a volunteer who drove up from Florida to be with us. He had great materials and a awesome large flip chart to show documentation.

Here is a great kid, who with Brian Bell, helped us everyday. Kyle Smathers may only be 12 years old but he has the stamina and courage of someone a lot older. We are really thankful for him and for the opportunity to meet him. God bless you Kyle!