Difference between revisions of "Template:Featured Temple"

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[[Image:Durban-South-Africa-Temple-2020-2.jpg|250px|thumb|<div align="left"><span style="color:#0000FF">Durban South Africa Temple</span></div>|right]]
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[[Image:Port-Au-Prince-Haiti-Temple-2021.jpg|250px|thumb|<div align="left"><span style="color:#0000FF">Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple</span></div>|right]]
  
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On 1 October 2011, during the opening session of the 181st semiannual [[General Conference|general conference]] of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], [[Thomas S. Monson]], then-President of the Church, announced the construction of a temple in Durban, South Africa. The Durban South Africa Temple will be the fifth Latter-day Saint temple built in Africa and the second in South Africa. The [[Johannesburg South Africa Temple]], which was dedicated in 1985, was the first Latter-day Saint temple built in South Africa.  
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During the Sunday Morning Session of the 135th annual [[General Conference|general conference]] of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], on 5 April 2015, President [[Thomas S. Monson]] announced the Church's intention to build a temple in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Soon Latter-day Saints who live in one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest nations with a poverty rate approaching 60 percent, will be able to partake of the richest blessings of their faith through temple ordinances.  
  
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The nation of South Africa has 12 [[Stake|stakes]], 4 [[District|districts]], and 1 operating temple in the city of Johannesburg, over 350 miles (570 kilometres) northwest of Durban. The city of Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. With a metropolitan population of almost 4.5 million people, it is the country's third-largest city, behind Johannesburg and Cape Town.  
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Haiti is home to more than 22,000 Latter-day Saints (out of an overall population of nearly 11 million), 46 Latter-day Saint congregations, and one [[Mission|mission]]. The [[Temple district|temple district]] comprises more than 17,000 Latter-day Saints located in four Haiti [[Stake|stakes]] (similar to a diocese) and three [[District|districts]] (smaller than a stake).  
  
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The design for the Durban South Africa Temple was inspired by the buildings of downtown Durban. The corners of the building and tower employ simple and elegant detail, while fluted stone panels accent the window openings. In the center of the fluting, simple geometric carvings highlight the African roots of the region. Similar to the houses in the surrounding neighborhood, the temple has a pitched red clay tile roof.  
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At a [[Stake Conference|stake conference]] held on Sunday, 12 March 2017, at the Centrale Chapel in Port-au-Prince, Elder [[Neil L. Andersen]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] announced that the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple would be built on land immediately behind the chapel on Route de Frères.  
  
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The indigenous landscaping brings color and life to the temple grounds. The entire site is 14.49 acres. More than 800 trees dot the grounds, including symbolic king palms and flowering trees such as the coral tree, with its vibrant red flowers. Among the 2,800 square meters of lawn are thousands of shrubs, vines, and flowers, including South African aloes that flower in winter and the striking strelitzia juncea, well known in the region. In addition, decorative motifs of the king protea, the national flower of South Africa, have been used around the temple on the entry gates, stone benches, and art glass.
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The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will be the first built in the country and the second built in the Caribbean, where [[Missionary Work|missionary work]] officially began in 1980. Church members in Haiti currently attend temple services in the [[Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple]], requiring nearly a day's journey. The Church is growing steadily in this island nation where its third and fourth stakes were recently organized in 2012—all four stakes being headquartered in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, which boasts well over two million residents.  
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==A Few Facts about the Church in Haiti==
  
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The Durban South Africa Temple features more than 50 exquisite art pieces, including many scenes from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and several pieces depicting African landscapes. The temple walls are adorned with scenes of sunsets, rivers, waterfalls, African wildlife, and indigenous flora and fauna.  
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Latter-day Saint membership in Haiti has steadily grown since 1977 when Alexandre Mourra, a prominent Haitian businessman of Jewish-Arabic descent, was visiting his cousin’s business and noticed his cousin’s wife reading the [[Book of Mormon]]. Interested in the book, he wrote to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, to get his own copy. When he received the book, he read it in one sitting. Touched by this experience and his newfound [[Testimony|testimony]], Alexandre flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was [[Baptism|baptized]] in July of 1977, making him the first official Latter-day Saint in Haiti.  
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==Early Church History in South Africa==
 
  
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[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] has a long-standing history in South Africa. In August 1853, only 23 years after the Church was officially organized, the first congregation in South Africa was formed four miles from Cape Town. The growth of the Church was amazing. In just two years' time, one congregation became three, and South African Latter-day Saints in the area totaled almost 130. Government restrictions and challenges in speaking Afrikaans led to a period from 1865 to 1903 in which no Latter-day Saint [[Missionary|missionaries]] were sent to South Africa. Just a few years after [[Missionary Work|missionary work]] resumed there, the first Latter-day Saint church building was constructed in Mowbray in 1917.  
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On 13 August 1980, the Haitian government gave official recognition to [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. Two months later, the first [[Branch|branch]] of the Church was established in Port-au-Prince with Alexandre Mourra serving as the [[Branch President|branch president]].
  
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The growth of the Church moved steadily onward. By October 1978, there were 7,200 church members in South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and southwest Africa (Namibia), 3,450 of whom attended the area’s first conference. Fourteen years later, 4,200 church members attended a conference in Johannesburg, and four years after that, a regional conference celebrated the attendance of 5,000 church members.  
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Haitian Saints love to sing, even though many of the early Saints had to learn hymns by ear. [http://www.ldsliving.com/Church-Announces-Groundbreaking-for-First-Temple-in-Haiti/s/85887 Haitian-born Marc-Aurel] reveals, "The saints in Haiti really love to sing. They sing loud. I would say most of them don’t know how to read music. But they like the words, they like the tune, and they sing as if they really mean it." His mother learned the hymns by hearing others sing early in the Church's history in Haiti when hymnals and other church resources were not widely available.  
  
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As of 2014, South Africa had over 59,000 Church members of all races, worshiping in unity and working together to overcome some of South Africa’s cultural challenges. Throughout South Africa, there are 154 congregations, and 61 [[Family History Library|family history centers]], where members and others can learn how to do [[Genealogy|genealogical research]].  
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Today, there are more than 23,000 members of the Church in Haiti, five [[Stake|stakes]] (a group of congregations), 26 congregations, 20 [[Branch|branches]] (smaller congregations), and one [[Mission|mission]] - the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission.  
 
   
 
   
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==Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Durban South Africa Temple==
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==Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple==
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The ground was broken for the Durban South Africa Temple on Saturday, 9 April 2016, as hundreds of Latter-day Saints and other community members gathered to celebrate the event.
 
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Elder [[Carl B. Cook]] of the [[Seventy]] and President of the Church’s Africa Southeast Area presided at the groundbreaking. He was joined by his wife Lynette. Elder [[Stanley G. Ellis]] and Elder [[Kevin S. Hamilton]], also of the area presidency, and their wives Kathryn and Claudia, respectively, attended along with dignitaries and community leaders.
 
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[http://www.ldsdaily.com/church-lds/ground-broken-durban-south-africa-temple/ Elder Cook commented], "Today the ceremonial shovels will turn the soil, and the construction of the temple will begin. We can likewise begin building. We can build our personal lives in preparation for the temple. Today we can increase our faith, we can increase our obedience to God, and serve Him more fully."
 
  
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Today there are more than 61,000 Latter-day Saints in South Africa. The first temple in the country was completed in 1985 in [[Johannesburg South Africa Temple|Johannesburg]].  
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The ground was broken for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple on Saturday, 28 October 2017, as Latter-day Saints and community leaders gathered to participate in the event. Elder [[Walter F. González]], a member of the [[Seventy]], president of the Caribbean Area for [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and a Uruguayan native presided at the groundbreaking ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer. Elder [[Claudio D. Zivic]] and Elder [[Jose L. Alonso]], counselors in the Area Presidency, also participated. They hosted Dominique Saint-Roc, mayor of the community of Pétion-Ville, the location of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple.  
  
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The Church has three operating temples in Africa ([[Aba Nigeria Temple|Aba, Nigeria]]; [[Accra Ghana Temple|Accra, Ghana]]; and [[Johannesburg South Africa Temple|Johannesburg, South Africa]]), and two more announced ([[Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire Temple|Abidjan, Ivory Coast]]; and Harare).  
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Responding to questions from the local media, [https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865691942/Groundbreaking-for-Port-au-Prince-Haiti-Temple.html Elder González said], "The temple groundbreaking ceremony was a wonderful spiritual experience. I can only think about everlasting joy and gratitude for all what the temple means in our lives. It is hard to express with words. This was a day of joy and gratitude when we start to build a portal to heaven as we come to better understand the importance of the covenants made in the temple and how they impact our daily lives, both in this time and eternity." A choir comprised of local Mormons in Haiti provided music for the sacred occasion.
  
 
==Public Open House and Youth Devotional==
 
==Public Open House and Youth Devotional==
  
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A public open house was held for the Durban South Africa Temple from Wednesday, 22 January 2020 through Saturday, 1 February 2020. An open house was not held on Sunday, 26 January 2020. The open house afforded peoples of all faiths to step inside the temple and see the beauty of the sacred edifice, as well as provided them with information about why the Church builds temples.  
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The public open house officially began on Thursday, 8 August 2019 - although a few visitors had already toured the new edifice. The public open house continued through Saturday, 17 August 2019 — except for Sunday, 11 August 2019. The hours for the open house were from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hours on Saturdays were 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  
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The Durban South Africa Temple is located about 12 miles north of the Durban city center, in the new and developing Izinga neighborhood at 2 Izinga Drive, Izinga Ridge 4021 Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal.  
 
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A youth devotional was held on the evening of Saturday, 15 February 2020, in a meetinghouse close to the temple, and was broadcast to meetinghouses in the [[Temple district|temple district]]. Church leaders spoke to the youth during the devotional.  
 
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==The Durban South Africa Temple is Dedicated==
 
  
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One day before he was to dedicate the Durban South Africa Temple, Elder [[Ronald A. Rasband]] conducted the temple's final public tour, leading the contingent of the Zulu nation’s royal family headed by His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, king of the Zulu nation; Her Majesty, Queen Mchiza; Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the king’s uncle; and other members of the royal family. Joined by Elder [[S. Mark Palmer]], a [[General Authority]] [[Seventy]] and president of the Africa Southeast Area, Elder Rasband directed the group through the temple similar to the tours given to other guests during the recent open house, explaining the purpose and blessings of temple ordinances and covenants.  
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Among the first visitors to the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was a delegation from the U.S. Embassy. They were hosted by Caribbean Area President Elder [[Jose L. Alonso|José Alonso]], a [[General Authority]] [[Seventy]], and Elder Bien Aimé Huberman, an [[Area Seventy]] and chairman of the temple’s organizing committee.  
  
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The Durban South Africa Temple, the second temple of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] in South Africa, was dedicated on Sunday, 16 February 2020, by Elder Ronald A. Rasaband of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]. The temple was dedicated in three sessions, 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. [https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-16/elder-rasband-dedicates-durban-south-africa-temple-people-jesus-christ-174570 ''Church News''] covered the events of the dedication. Accompanying Elder Rasband was Elder [[Carl B. Cook]] of the [[Presidency of the Seventy]]. Elder Cook lived in South Africa when he served in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency and presided at the groundbreaking of the Durban temple in 2016. He commented:
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A youth devotional was held on Saturday, 31 August 2019
  
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:There was a feeling of awe as we sat on that empty hillside. We looked out over the valley and out to the ocean and realized that in a few short years, a temple would rise up on that ground. To have the sacred privilege of returning for the dedication of the Durban temple that has been built up to the Lord is very humbling. I am filled with joy.
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==The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is Dedicated==
  
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All dedicatory sessions were broadcast to select meetinghouses in the [[Temple district|temple district]], so Latter-day Saints across the temple district (consisting of the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa and the countries of Lesotho and Mozambique) could participate in the services.  
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The Haiti Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was dedicated on Sunday, 1 September 2019, by Elder [[David A. Bednar]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].  
  
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Prior to the dedication, Elder Rasband had been in South Africa for 10 days meeting with members, [[Missionary|missionaries]], and [https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-15/durban-south-africa-temple-elder-rasband-zulu-royal-family-174530 local kings and queens]. [https://www.ldsliving.com/Worshiping-the-King-of-Kings-The-Durban-South-Africa-Temple-Becomes-the-168th-Operating-Temple/s/92385 Elder Rasband remarked], "And even though I’ve been with two kings, today I had the strong impression that we were here to worship and honor the King of Kings."  
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The dedication of the new temple drew such interest that 23 members of the press came from far and near. Before the first of three dedicatory sessions, [https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2019-09-01/haiti-temple-dedication-elder-david-a-bednar-158710 Elder Bednar said], "It’s amazing how the temple is a source of light, not only spiritually, but temporally." [https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2019-09-01/haiti-temple-dedication-elder-david-a-bednar-158710 He also said], "On this day of dedication, I think not only of today, but also of the future, and what this temple will cause to happen in this country." [https://ksltv.com/420812/the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-haiti-temple-dedication/ And he said], "It is a place of supernal peace, which prepares you to go back into the world more stronger, and perhaps more purposeful than you were before."  
  
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The Durban South Africa Temple is the 168th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will serve members in South Africa, Lesotho, and Mozambique. The membership is diverse, but Elder Rasband said the Church has a great way of minimizing the differences and creating a gospel culture.  
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Elder Bednar was joined Sunday at the temple by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, along with Elder [[Kevin R. Duncan]], a [[General Authority]] [[Seventy]] and executive director of the Temple Department, and the Caribbean Area Presidency — Elder [[Jose L. Alonso]], Elder [[Eduardo Gavarret]], and Elder [[Jorge M. Alvarado]]. The wives of the area presidency — Sister Rebecca Alonso, Sister Norma Gavarret and Sister Cari Lu Alvarado — also attended.  
  
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According to ''Church News'', Elder Rasband said, "What you saw outside was how the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ unite us, and I felt very at one as a people today. Regardless of how they look, regardless of how they dressed, we were one people today—the people of the Church of Jesus Christ."
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Richard Bird and Ben Penrod, from Mapleton and Salem, Utah, respectively were two of the former church [[Missionaries|missionaries]] who served in Haiti who came back for the dedication. They served from 1998-2000. Because of dangerous conditions and political unrest in the last few years, only Haitians now serve missions in Haiti. Penrod said, "I think the progress you see in the members from the time we were here to now, is huge. The Temple will bind those families together, and it will be impactful for them and for future generations." Bird said, "One of the most amazing things, is that missionaries have been pulled in and out, and Haitians have stepped up and gotten stronger. For us to come back and see how much the Church has grown, is really heartwarming."

Revision as of 12:56, 4 January 2021

File:Port-Au-Prince-Haiti-Temple-2021.jpg
Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

During the Sunday Morning Session of the 135th annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on 5 April 2015, President Thomas S. Monson announced the Church's intention to build a temple in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Soon Latter-day Saints who live in one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest nations with a poverty rate approaching 60 percent, will be able to partake of the richest blessings of their faith through temple ordinances.

Haiti is home to more than 22,000 Latter-day Saints (out of an overall population of nearly 11 million), 46 Latter-day Saint congregations, and one mission. The temple district comprises more than 17,000 Latter-day Saints located in four Haiti stakes (similar to a diocese) and three districts (smaller than a stake).

At a stake conference held on Sunday, 12 March 2017, at the Centrale Chapel in Port-au-Prince, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles announced that the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple would be built on land immediately behind the chapel on Route de Frères.

The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will be the first built in the country and the second built in the Caribbean, where missionary work officially began in 1980. Church members in Haiti currently attend temple services in the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple, requiring nearly a day's journey. The Church is growing steadily in this island nation where its third and fourth stakes were recently organized in 2012—all four stakes being headquartered in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, which boasts well over two million residents.

A Few Facts about the Church in Haiti

Latter-day Saint membership in Haiti has steadily grown since 1977 when Alexandre Mourra, a prominent Haitian businessman of Jewish-Arabic descent, was visiting his cousin’s business and noticed his cousin’s wife reading the Book of Mormon. Interested in the book, he wrote to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, to get his own copy. When he received the book, he read it in one sitting. Touched by this experience and his newfound testimony, Alexandre flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was baptized in July of 1977, making him the first official Latter-day Saint in Haiti.

On 13 August 1980, the Haitian government gave official recognition to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two months later, the first branch of the Church was established in Port-au-Prince with Alexandre Mourra serving as the branch president.

Haitian Saints love to sing, even though many of the early Saints had to learn hymns by ear. Haitian-born Marc-Aurel reveals, "The saints in Haiti really love to sing. They sing loud. I would say most of them don’t know how to read music. But they like the words, they like the tune, and they sing as if they really mean it." His mother learned the hymns by hearing others sing early in the Church's history in Haiti when hymnals and other church resources were not widely available.

Today, there are more than 23,000 members of the Church in Haiti, five stakes (a group of congregations), 26 congregations, 20 branches (smaller congregations), and one mission - the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

The ground was broken for the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple on Saturday, 28 October 2017, as Latter-day Saints and community leaders gathered to participate in the event. Elder Walter F. González, a member of the Seventy, president of the Caribbean Area for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a Uruguayan native presided at the groundbreaking ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer. Elder Claudio D. Zivic and Elder Jose L. Alonso, counselors in the Area Presidency, also participated. They hosted Dominique Saint-Roc, mayor of the community of Pétion-Ville, the location of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple.

Responding to questions from the local media, Elder González said, "The temple groundbreaking ceremony was a wonderful spiritual experience. I can only think about everlasting joy and gratitude for all what the temple means in our lives. It is hard to express with words. This was a day of joy and gratitude when we start to build a portal to heaven as we come to better understand the importance of the covenants made in the temple and how they impact our daily lives, both in this time and eternity." A choir comprised of local Mormons in Haiti provided music for the sacred occasion.

Public Open House and Youth Devotional

The public open house officially began on Thursday, 8 August 2019 - although a few visitors had already toured the new edifice. The public open house continued through Saturday, 17 August 2019 — except for Sunday, 11 August 2019. The hours for the open house were from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hours on Saturdays were 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Among the first visitors to the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was a delegation from the U.S. Embassy. They were hosted by Caribbean Area President Elder José Alonso, a General Authority Seventy, and Elder Bien Aimé Huberman, an Area Seventy and chairman of the temple’s organizing committee.

A youth devotional was held on Saturday, 31 August 2019

The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple is Dedicated

The Haiti Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was dedicated on Sunday, 1 September 2019, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The dedication of the new temple drew such interest that 23 members of the press came from far and near. Before the first of three dedicatory sessions, Elder Bednar said, "It’s amazing how the temple is a source of light, not only spiritually, but temporally." He also said, "On this day of dedication, I think not only of today, but also of the future, and what this temple will cause to happen in this country." And he said, "It is a place of supernal peace, which prepares you to go back into the world more stronger, and perhaps more purposeful than you were before."

Elder Bednar was joined Sunday at the temple by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, along with Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and the Caribbean Area Presidency — Elder Jose L. Alonso, Elder Eduardo Gavarret, and Elder Jorge M. Alvarado. The wives of the area presidency — Sister Rebecca Alonso, Sister Norma Gavarret and Sister Cari Lu Alvarado — also attended.

Richard Bird and Ben Penrod, from Mapleton and Salem, Utah, respectively were two of the former church missionaries who served in Haiti who came back for the dedication. They served from 1998-2000. Because of dangerous conditions and political unrest in the last few years, only Haitians now serve missions in Haiti. Penrod said, "I think the progress you see in the members from the time we were here to now, is huge. The Temple will bind those families together, and it will be impactful for them and for future generations." Bird said, "One of the most amazing things, is that missionaries have been pulled in and out, and Haitians have stepped up and gotten stronger. For us to come back and see how much the Church has grown, is really heartwarming."

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