The Grounds of the La'ie Hawaii Temple

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The landscape of the La'ie Temple in Hawaii are full of rich symbolism, history and beauty. The art surrounding the temple, points visitors to a loving Heavenly Father. This timeless artwork demonstrates the way the Lord guides and directs his children from the beginning of time. The art outside the temple, from the fountains, the sculptures and the frieze's on the top of the temple, each are there to teach and remind God's children of His eternal love for them.

Maternity Fountain

When you walk onto the ground of the Laie Temple you see the beautiful fountains pools at the base of the temple. The water of the top pool cascading to the next. At the crest of the three pools there is a beautiful relief depicting a Hawaiian mother with her children. The artist Avard while explaining the art said "I designed a group to represent Hawaiian Motherhood, or, as it is called ‘Maternity.’ . . . Motherhood was represented by a Hawaiian lady with a great shell, and she was pouring water out of this great shell to her children.”

The shell depicted in this relief is an oyster shell, which often represents fertility, femininity, and beauty. The mother depicted, is holding an oyster shell over the children while water is pouring out of the shell onto her children. This beautiful depiction represents the mothers influence and love for her children. The pools where the water falls, represent the impact of a righteous mother has on generations, from one generation to the next, with the pools water cascading from one pool to the next.

Sheri Dew said: "When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living”—and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “God planted within women something divine.”(Sheri Dew "Are we not all Mothers" 2001)

The Prophet Joseph F. Smith was sent to the sandwich islands as a 15 year old boy to serve a mission. At one point on his mission he was deathly ill and was nursed back to health and cared for by a faithful Hawaiian mother. Her love and influence over the this young, future prophet is incalculable. Although, she was not his biological mother, she was a mother to him, and her influence effected generations.

Joseph F. Smith said his mission to Hawaii changed his life. At one point he described his early life as "a comet or a fiery meteor, without. . . balance or guide." Joseph F. credited his mission to Hawaii for having "restored my equilibrium and fixed the laws . . . which have governed my subsequent life." The Lord sent the perfect people to help Joseph F. Smith learn the lessons he needed, and this Hawaiian mother fulfilled a great purpose during this time with him.

Lehi Blessing Joseph

In October 1917 in general conference President Samuel Woolley shared his belief that the building of a temple in Hawaii was a "fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made to Lehi who. . . in blessing his son Joseph promised him that all of his seed would not be lost." Woolley further suggested that a remnant of Joseph's descendants ended up in Hawaii, Samoa and New Zealand and other Pacific Island and that the Lord "sent his servants there in an early day in our history. . . to fulfill his promises."

This statue "symbolizes God's promise to Lehi son realized. . . through the Hawaiian people." Although we may not know how this ancestral connection occurred the statue remains symbolic of the latter-day gathering of Isreal that has taken place in Hawaii and across Polynesia.

Exterior Panels

Leo, one of the artist involved was deeply interested in religious history, and he came up with an incredible idea to depict these pivotal moments on the entire upper ridge of the Laie Temple. He worked out sketches for four extensive panels, or friezes, that would encircle the temple. His idea was to make each side of the temple a depiction of each major scriptural era or dispensation. “The Old Testament,” “The New Testament,” “The Book of Mormon,” and “The Latter Days.”

Leo and Avard’s plan was to portray each panel with several characters from its corresponding era in a way that would be inspirational as well as decorative. Leo even consulted his friend, Apostle and scriptural scholar David O. McKay, about the choice and arrangement of these characters. The architect of the temple then arranged for Leo and Avard to present their ambitious plans to the First Presidency, who gave their approval.

The artist researched each time period along with the clothing that would have been worn during the time

Each panel is about 24 feet long including thirty figures, each four feet high. "To give relief, shadows and strength to the friezes, the upper part of the figures are made in full round and the lower part is low relief so that the upper part tips forward." to give the figures better visibility, when viewed from below in all the friezes including 123 nearly life-size figures.

This art a top the Laie Temple represents the love of God from all generations of time. A loving Heavenly Father is calling his Children to Him and has throughout time. Today we are blessed to live in the final dispensation of the Fullness of Times, knowing God has given us all we need to gather and prepare for His second coming.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave a talk titled "This, the greatest of all Dispensations" July 2009

Here is a favorite quote of mine from the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44): “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; … we are the favored people that God has [chosen] to bring about the Latter-day glory.”

Note this similar affirmation from President Wilford Woodruff (1807–98): “The Almighty is with this people. We shall have all the revelations that we will need, if we will do our duty and obey the commandments of God. … While I … live I want to do my duty. I want the Latter-day Saints to do their duty. … Their responsibility is great and mighty. The eyes of God and all the holy prophets are watching us. This is the great dispensation that has been spoken of ever since the world began. We are gathered together … by the power and commandment of God. We are doing the work of God. … Let us fill our mission.”

References:

"A Century of Aloha" by Clinton D. Chistensen, Chapter 7, and 8

https://rsc.byu.edu/laie-hawaii-temple-century-aloha/temple-grounds-completion

https://rsc.byu.edu/laie-hawaii-temple-century-aloha/sculptures-murals-interior-finish

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2001/11/are-we-not-all-mothers?lang=eng