Barranquilla Colombia Temple

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Barranquilla Colombia Temple

Colombia, home to over 212,000 Latter-day Saints, is the home to two Latter-day Saint temples. The Barranquilla Colombia Temple is the second temple built in Colombia, following the Bogotá Colombia Temple, which was built in 1999.

Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Barranquilla Colombia Temple on 1 October 2011, during the Saturday morning session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church. The temple includes a baptistry; instruction rooms; a celestial room, which represents eternal life with God; and sealing rooms, where eternal marriages are performed.

Early Latter-day Saint Church History in Colombia

People from North America living in Cali and Bogotá made up most of the first 45 members of the Church in Colombia. Then, in May 1966, the first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in the country. Five years later, there were 27 congregations meeting in 10 different cities. In 1975, a chapel was built. Today, Colombia’s 254 congregations contain a membership almost 19 times what it was 20 years ago. There are now five separate missions dividing the country regionally. The congregations are divided into 30 stakes and 10 districts.[1]

Temple Site

The Barranquilla Colombia Temple is located just outside of Barranquilla, Colombia, in Puerto, Colombia, across from Colegio Alemán, approximately two kilometers west of Barranquilla proper, on the highway to Cartagena. The temple is situated on a hill overlooking the biggest river in Colombia - the Magdalena River - and the ocean. Latter-day Saints from Colombia and Venezuela worship in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple to find peace and draw closer to God.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Five decades ago, the South American land of Colombia—a land renowned for its rich culture, natural beauty, and welcoming people-was dedicated for the preaching and establishment of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, 20 February 2016, members across Colombia participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple. Elder Juan A. Uceda, a General Authority Seventy and President of the South America Northwest Area, presided over the outdoor ceremony at the temple site. Thousands of others viewed the event, via satellite, in meetinghouses across the country. Also in attendance were local government, police, and business leaders.

In the course of his remarks, Elder Uceda said that it is no coincidence that a temple is being built in Barranquilla on the 50th anniversary of the Church in Colombia as the hand of the Lord is at work. He challenged members across Colombia to make temple attendance a sacred, well-established family tradition. He told the members to attend the temple frequently, and "then return and share your experiences with your children and grandchildren so they know that the temple is an integral part of your life.” He added that attending the temple is a beloved tradition in the Uceda family.

According to the 21 February 2016 edition of the Church News:

[Elder Uceda] encouraged the members to make their own family temple traditions even as they prepare for the future Barranquilla Temple. Attend the Bogota Temple (which was dedicated 24 April 1999) as often as possible, he encouraged them, and he counseled them to hang pictures of the temple throughout their homes and engage in family history research and begin preparing names for work in the Barranquilla Temple.
Latter-day Saints in the future temple district can also acquire and maintain a temple recommend. Then keep your temple recommend in your pocket every day of your life, even if you live far from the temple.

In his prayer of dedication on the temple construction site, Elder Uceda invoked the Lord’s blessings for all who would help build the temple—and for the members and government leaders in Colombia.

Following the dedicatory prayer, Elder and Sister Uceda joined the civic leaders and other special visitors for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

A Look Inside the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

The pictures in this gallery were obtained from LDS Daily.com.

  • The Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • The Angel Moroni atop the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • The baptistry in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • The Celestial Room in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Santidad Al Señor - La Casa Del Señor

  • Instruction Room in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Lighting in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Design in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Recommend desk in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Sealing room in the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • Waiting Area in Barranquilla Colombia Temple

  • The Barranquilla Colombia Temple

Open House and Youth Devotional

An open house was held for public tours of the newly completed Barranquilla Colombia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Saturday, 3 November 2018, through Saturday, 24 November 2018. The open house was not conducted on Sunday, 4, 11, and 18 November.

Tours consisted of a 10-minute video presentation followed by a 40-minute walking tour through the various rooms of the temple.

A Special Devotional for the Youth

On Saturday, 8 December 2018, prior to the dedication, President Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greeted and spoke to Latter-day Saint youth in a special devotional.

President Oaks encouraged young people to study the Book of Mormon. He said, "Reading should be first on your list of what you do each day to learn the gospel and keep the commandments. The importance of the Book of Mormon is related to the testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.”

During his remarks, Elder Soares told youth, "Whatever you do, keep your eyes on the temple. We invite you to go to the temple and do the vicarious work for your relatives and others. We are all transformed when we go to the temple."

The Barranquilla Colombia Temple Dedication

The Barranquilla Colombia Temple was formally dedicated Sunday, 9 December 2018, in three sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., by President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to congregations of the Church in Colombia within the temple district.

Before the first dedicatory session, President Oaks, Elder Soares, and members of the local Church leadership participated in the cornerstone ceremony. President Oaks explained that placing mortar around the cornerstone block is symbolic that the temple is complete.

He invited Church leaders, as well as, a young boy and a young girl, to fill the cornerstone with mortar. President Oaks said, "These children represent the rising generation, the future leaders of the Church in Colombia."

The Barranquilla Temple is the Church's 161st temple worldwide and will serve approximately 35,000 Latter-day Saints in Colombia’s northern regions.

External Links

Videos of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple

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