Map temples announced October 2023
Locations of new temples announced during the October 2023 general conference: Savai’i, Samoa; Kahului, Hawaii; Fairbanks, Alaska; Vancouver, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Roanoke, Virginia; Cancún, Mexico; Piura, Peru; Huancayo, Peru; Viña del Mar, Chile; Goiânia, Brazil; João Pessoa, Brazil; Cape Coast, Ghana; Calabar, Nigeria; Luanda, Angola; Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Laoag, Philippines; Osaka, Japan; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Graphic courtesy of Church News.Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Trent Toone, Church News
The incoming messages began lighting up Mitch Taylor’s phone moments after President Russell M. Nelson announced a new temple for Vancouver, Washington.
“My text messages just blew up,” said Taylor, a member of the Battle Ground 1st Ward in the Ridgefield Washington State. “One sister in the ward said, ‘So excited! I am dancing in excitement!!’ Another said, ‘WOW!! Conference. Temple! Oh, the joy!!’”
A third message read, “‘What even is happening?’”
Taylor said the Portland Oregon Temple is close enough for a member to participate as a temple worker and patron, but a temple in Vancouver means the ability to attend more frequently.
“Truly a blessing,” he said. “This will help me become a temple worker again.”
Inside the Conference Center, Michael Law, a Latter-day Saint from Colorado Springs, Colorado, said members in that area have longed for a temple closer to home for a long time.
“Colorado Springs is such a wonderful place to live,” he said. “We have the beautiful mountains, and to have a temple there is just such a great blessing to the Saints, especially at this time. People have been waiting — as everyone does — for years and years. We are so grateful to hear that today and to know that the Savior is so mindful of the Saints everywhere around the world. Someday the Lord will bless all of us across the world to have that blessing close to us. We are so grateful, so grateful.”
Still recovering from the wildfires in Maui, Arnold Wunder of the Kahului Hawaii Stake expressed his tender feelings this way: “This is an answer to the prayers of many faithful Saints on both sides of the veil. We are humbly overwhelmed.”
President Nadmid B. Namgur of the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission wrote that words cannot adequately describe how Mongolian Latter-day Saints feel at the moment. “Our hearts are filled with pure joy and love, said Presidnet Namgur, the first Mongolian to serve as a mission president. “How grateful we are for the President Nelson’s announcement of a temple in Mongolia at close of this general conference! This historic announcement came as the Mongolian pioneering saints celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Church in Mongolia this year. We feel the Lord’s love for His people.”
He offered heartfelt thanks to “all amazing missionaries and mission leaders who have served and are serving so faithfully in Mongolia” and to the Church’s members, leaders and friends for their faith and prayers.
“The long wait is over and now our focus is on preparing our hearts and minds to enter worthily the ‘House of the Lord’ in Mongolia.”
The joyful and tender feelings were among many expressed following President Nelson’s announcement of 20 new temples during his prerecorded remarks in the final session of the 193rd semiannual general conference on Sunday, October 1.
“Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial,” said the prophet, who has announced 153 new temples since 2018. “The Lord is directing us to build these temples to help us think celestial.”
Following are more reactions from members who live near or have ties to some of the locations of these future houses of the Lord.
Savai’i, Samoa
Asi Farani also posted: “My faithful people of Savai’i, Samoa, is getting a new temple. How marvelous this gospel is growing through the isles of the sea.”
Kahului, Hawaii
Lory Aiwohi, who serves as the stake Relief Society president in the Kahului Hawaii Stake, felt God’s love for her people in the temple announcement.
“We are deeply humbled and filled with gratitude for this wonderful news of a temple on Maui! Talk about ‘beauty for ashes’ (Isaiah 61:3)!” she wrote in a text message. “Personally, I feel Heavenly Father’s love and awareness for us, the Saints on Maui, and our needs, especially at this time. For many years, the Maui Saints have shown unwavering faith by sacrificing and traveling to Oahu and Kona to attend the temple with their families. So grateful for a prophet who receives divine inspiration. We are all rejoicing on both sides of the veil as this long-awaited day and announcement has finally arrived.”
Kahului Hawaii West Stake President Benjamin J. Hanks wrote in an email that “We will never forget this special day and this announcement from a prophet of God.”
He said, “To say our hearts are full would be a major understatement. We rejoice with those who have gone before us for this long-prayed-for blessing of a house of the Lord on Maui. During this season of great difficulty on the island, we have felt a great deal of love for our Savior, and unity with one another. I believe this announcement is a reminder of the importance of putting Him first and loving one another as He loves us. The scripture comes to mind, ‘... weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,’ (Psalm 30:5).”
Fairbanks, Alaska
Sarah Buma posted on social media that she burst into “tears of joy” when a temple was announced for Fairbanks.
“My mind has landed somewhere between the waters of Bethesda and the great rivers of interior Alaska,” she wrote. “My emotions are as ‘the rushing of great waters’; giving thanks for Living Water, a living prophet, a testimony of the Living Christ that keeps ME vital and deep gratitude that continually stirs, restores and heals me.”
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Sarah Skelton, who lives in the area, said, “Having a temple in Colorado springs makes us feel so enthusiastic and blessed to have the house of the Lord coming closer to where we live.”
The temple announcement caught her and her family by surprise.
“We jumped for joy over the temple coming here.”
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Catherine Hickman of Tulsa, Oklahoma, said of a house of the Lord being built in her city, “I’m in shock. We work in the Oklahoma City Temple. I’m excited to work in Tulsa where I live!”
Roanoke, Virginia
When the announcement was made, “A lot of tears came,” said Sybil Adams of the Buena Vista 1st Ward in the Buena Vista Virginia Stake. “It’s just such a wonderful thing to have a house of the Lord so close.”
Adams and her husband have been temple workers in the Richmond Virginia Temple, a two-hour drive from their home. Before that, they drove even further to the Washington D.C. Temple. The one-hour trip to Roanoke will be easier for her mother, Adams said, and for the youth.
Adams said her family has watched the Church grow from a small branch to now having a large presence in the area and now a temple.
“We know the blessings that come from the temple,” she said. “We see it every day in our lives and we are just so incredibly grateful that Heavenly Father has inspired our prophet President Nelson to give us that direction and tell us that we are going to have a temple in Roanoke.”
Cancún, Mexico
News of this new temple was posted on the La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días en México Facebook page and more than 230 responded as of Monday morning.
“Que bendición (what a blessing),” many commented.
“Congratulations, Cancún, your faithfulness has been seen,” wrote Uriel Flores.
Oscar Pech — a Saint from Mexico City, Mexico, who was living in Cancún about eight years ago — told the Church News, “The influence of the world is very strong in Cancún. For that reason, I believe that it’s fundamental that the members have a temple.”
This new house of the Lord, said Pech, can be a refuge for the Saints, who currently travel around three and a half hours to visit the Mérida Mexico Temple.
“In Doctrine and Covenants,” Pech said, “in the most critical moments of the Church is when the Lord says, ‘OK, you need blessings. ... I’m going to ask that you make one effort that will bless you.’” For early Saints, he said, this effort was to build a temple in Kirtland and later in Nauvoo. “I believe that for the members in Cancún, having a temple will be an enormous blessing.”
Piura, Peru
Walter Peña, a 25-year-old born and currently living in Piura, said Latter-day Saints in the city are very active with family history, but they currently have to travel up to eight hours away to the Trujillo Peru Temple for temple work.
“My ward always has many names to do ordinances for, but it’s difficult with study and work to travel to the temple in Trujillo. So, sometimes when we go, we’re not able to do the ordinances for everyone.” Peña said.
Having a local temple, however, will allow many more cherished names to be brought to a house of the Lord.
“We are very happy when we go to the temple,” said Peña. “With the temple, we are going to feel closer to our Heavenly Father ... and quickly perform ordinances for our ancestors, and that will accelerate the work in Piura.”
Huancayo, Peru
Mckay Ririe from Salt Lake City served a full-time mission in Huancayo, Peru, from 2017 to 2019. In his service, Ririe got to know some of the most spiritual and faithful people he had ever met.
“Thanks to my mission in Huancayo, I’ll have friends and family from there for eternity,” said Ririe. “This temple will bless them by bringing whole families together without the hassle of worrying about expenses or commute. I’m so happy for them.”
Latter-day Saints in Huancayo, said Ririe, currently ride a bus over a day’s time to the Lima Peru Temple.
“For so many years, they have been faithful in tithing and fasted for a miracle. They were a true example of living by faith and not by sight,” Ririe said. “Now, hearing a temple is going to be built there, I cannot even fathom how enthusiastic my beloved Peruvians are. Their faith is finally paying off.”
Viña del Mar, Chile
Viña del Mar is the fourth-largest city in Chile, with around 300,000 residents. The Viña del Mar Chile Temple will be the first in the region of Valparaíso, a metropolitan area on the central coast of Chile.
Shera Crossley returned home from her mission there just in time to hear the announcement, she wrote on Facebook.
“I feel so blessed and words cannot express the joy I felt and continue to feel,” Crossley wrote.
João Pessoa, Brazil
The João Pessoa Brazil Temple will be the 22nd temple in Brazil.
Ruy Ramalho Rodrigues, of João Pessoa, Brazil, said his family previously traveled four days to be sealed in the São Paulo temple. They later attended the temple in Recife.
“For our family, having a temple here in João Pessoa is certainly a great blessing,” he said. “Now, the announcement of the temple in our city, where we could see the Church’s growth, is indescribable. Our family and others will be incredibly blessed. Our children will become closer to the Lord and we will have a growing desire to be together forever.”
Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Alfonsine Jilbert and Julienne Mwenge are originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and now live in Twin Falls, Idaho. They attended the Sunday afternoon session of general conference in the Conference Center with their friends, who are members of the Twin Falls 20th Branch (Swahili).
Speaking through an interpreter, the two women said they were excited to hear of a new temple for their home country, and look forward to seeing it when they are able to go back and visit.
Laoag, Philippines
“Manila is a bit far from our home and we can only travel once or twice a year. Now that Urdaneta is nearing completion it will be a little bit nearer but the travel time will still be a challenge for some,” Laoag 1st Ward Bishop Jachin Morales said. He and his family and friends are grateful and excited for the temple.
When he heard the announcement, Bishop Morales said, “I couldn’t hold back my tears, this is a historic event and made all of our hearts full of gratefulness and joy. Truly, the Lord is mindful of the prayers of the faithful and are blessed.”
Now, they need to be ready for the temple.
“We are excited and looking forward to the future. Focusing our sights on the temple can help us become closer to God and Jesus Christ every day,” Bishop Morales said.
Laoag Philippines Stake President Dennis L. Catubay said he was thrilled and excited when he heard President Nelson announce a temple for Laoag, Philippines.
“The challenge for us now is to guide, inspire and prepare ourselves to be worthy of having a temple in our midst,” he wrote in an email to the Church News. There is “much work ahead, but it will all be worth it. I am excited for the many wonderful blessings that will come to our members as they continue to be worthy in the sight of the Lord.”
Osaka, Japan
Osaka Japan Stake President Daisuke Miyazak said that sees the announcement as an invitation “to join His battalion to help gather the Israel in the land.”
He’s grateful for dedication, service and example of the pioneering members in the area and those are serving now.
“I am grateful to have received the baton of zeal and faith from those who came before us and to have this announcement,” he said.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Uurtsaikh Nyamdeleg — a 28-year-old born in western Mongolia and raised in Ulaanbaatar — said members in Mongolia currently travel thousands of miles to faraway temples in Hong Kong or Korea to perform temple work.
“There’s so many members ... that are willing to give up everything to just serve and do all the ordinances in the temple.” And with the new house of the Lord, she said, “now we don’t have to worry about the financing. We can just go there; it’s right there, in our own country.”
Nyamdeleg, who was converted with her family to the Church in 2003, said that the temple in Ulaanbaatar will bless the entire country, not just Latter-day Saints. The country’s first will also bless Saints in neighboring countries, like Russia and China.
While she and other members wait for further news on temple construction, spiritual preparation will also take place. “During this announcement, I was like, ‘What should I do now? How can I prepare myself for when the temple is ready?’”
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