‘A Sweet, Sweet Gift’: Latter-day Saints React to Announcement of 17 New Houses of the Lord

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By Trent Toone, Joel Randall, Church News

More than an hour after President Russell M. Nelson announced locations for 17 new temples at the end of October 2024 general conference on October 6, 2024, including one in Summit, New Jersey, Lynette Jensen was still stunned and somewhat speechless.

“This is a sweet, sweet gift to the Saints in New Jersey,” said Jensen, who has lived in the Garden State for 37 years.

When the Manhattan New York Temple closed for renovations in March, temple attendance became complicated for Latter-day Saints in the New York City area and the northern part of New Jersey. Some workers travel two or more hours or more to serve in the house of the Lord, said Jensen, a member of the Freehold Ward in the East Brunswick New Jersey Stake who serves in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple.

“So to have one in my state of New Jersey is just humbling,” she said. “We’re stunned and delighted with the work of the Lord progressing so fast we can’t keep up with it.”

She thought the Church was doing good to have temples in Hartford, Connecticut; Manhattan; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. — “never thinking one would be in New Jersey,” she added.

“We have an opportunity to share the gospel in a way it’s not ever been shared in New Jersey, and I think it’s going to open some big doors,” Jensen said. “This gives us hope that the Lord knows we’re still here. We have a lot of work to do, and we need a temple to do it.”

The locations of the 17 new temples are:

• Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
• Santa Ana, El Salvador
• Medellín, Colombia
• Santiago, Dominican Republic
• Puerto Montt, Chile
• Dublin, Ireland
• Milan, Italy
• Abuja, Nigeria
• Kampala, Uganda
• Maputo, Mozambique
• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Queen Creek, Arizona
• El Paso, Texas
• Huntsville, Alabama
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Summit, New Jersey
• Price, Utah

Jensen was among many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who expressed tender feelings of joy and happiness in reaction to the temple news following general conference.

Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico

Juchitán lies on the southeast coast of Oaxaca, a state on the Pacific side of southern Mexico. The Juchitán Mexico Temple will be the 26th house of the Lord in the country, and the second in Oaxaca, with the Oaxaca Mexico Temple 276 kilometers away, a drive of about five hours.

Dedicated and operating temples in Mexico are located in Ciudad Juárez, Colonia Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz and Villahermosa. Temples are under construction in Torreón, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí.

Eight other temples have been announced and are in planning for Mexico City Benemérito, Toluca, Cuernavaca, Culiacán, Pachuca, Tula, Cancún and Chihuahua.

Mexico has more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in nearly 1,900 congregations. Missionary work began in Mexico in 1875.

Santa Ana, El Salvador

Sister Daniela Munguia, who lives about 30 miles from Santa Ana, attended the Sunday afternoon session of conference in person.

“I started crying because I was so happy,” said Sister Munguia. “This will allow people to be able to access those blessings that God has for them without having to wait months and years so they can save money to go.”

Her excitement of this announcement reminded Sister Munguia — currently a missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission — of the blessing of having a house of the Lord nearby.

“I feel more motivated to keep going to the temple pretty often, because I know the happiness that I feel for the new one. I can always feel it when I go to the other ones that are already open.”

The Santa Ana El Salvador Temple will be the second house of the Lord in El Salvador, with the San Salvador El Salvador Temple — about 60 kilometers away, a drive about an hour — having been dedicated in August 2011. The second-largest city in country, Santa Ana, is situated in the northwestern area of El Salvador. El Salvador is home to nearly 130,000 Latter-day Saints in 155 congregations.

Medellín, Colombia

Colombia resident Jimmy Cabas, raised in Medellín, was among those attending conference in the Conference Center. When he heard a temple would be built in the city he was raised in — and the city he learned about the gospel and was baptized in — his heart was filled with joy.

“It’s a sign that the gospel of Jesus Christ has grown in all parts of the world,” he said. “The city requires it, and the people have strengthened their faith in Jesus Christ.”

His wife, Sandra Cabas — from Bucaramanga, Colombia — said the new house of the Lord will be of much benefit to the country and to Medellín, a city with a lot of tourism.

“We are very happy because the people are very loving and friendly. I know everyone who comes to Medellín to see the temple is going to have a very good experience.”

Monica Maria Barrera of the Dosquebradas Ward in the Pereira Colombia Stake said that upon hearing the wonderful news, she leaned over to her daughter next to her and asked if what she had just heard was really true.

“I was filled with great joy,” she said. “I felt that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know our desires and that Heavenly Father has responded to our prayers. … This temple will provide a way to have more peace in our souls in times of distress. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and feel blessed to have a temple so close in the coming days where I can worship and serve.”

The temple in Medellín — the second-largest city in Colombia — will be the fourth in the country, with dedicated houses of the Lord in Bogotá and Barranquilla and an announced temple for Cali. Missionaries first arrived in Colombia in 1966; today more than 215,000 Latter-day Saints comprise nearly 260 congregations in Colombia.

Santiago, Dominican Republic

There were reports of weeping, jumping and rejoicing among members in Santiago, Dominican Republic, in response to the temple announcement.

One member, Sister Yokasta Estrella, said the announcement was the fulfillment of an Apostolic promise. She was at a regional conference with President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, who said the Church in the Dominican Republic would grow and need to build another temple.

“I waited so long for this day, and just yesterday one of my children made a drawing and told me it was the Santiago temple,” she said. “I am grateful for this announcement; my heart overflows with joy, and I feel a renewed desire to serve the Lord more and better. Jesus Christ lives, and this is His Church.”

For years, Sister Merlyn Perez Rodriguez from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — currently a missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission — has seen the need for a second temple in her home country.

“I remember every single time we would go to the [Santo Domingo] temple, we would see so many people traveling and taking very long trips to be able to make it to the only one that we had, in the capital.”

She attended general conference in person for the Sunday afternoon session, and after hearing a house of the Lord announced for Santiago, she was almost in tears. She said this new temple shows the strength of efforts to gather Israel in the country.

”Seeing that they’re going to have a temple even closer just made me so happy because I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic has a lot of faithful members, and they truly love and enjoy going to the temple and making those covenants with their Heavenly Father.”

The temple in Santiago — the second-largest city in the Caribbean nation — will be the Dominican Republic’s second house of the Lord, following the dedication in 2000 of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. Nearly 150,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 200 congregations reside in the Dominican Republic.

Puerto Montt, Chile

Jonathan Decker spent six months of his life as a missionary in Puerto Montt, Chile. He shared his reaction to the news in a social media post.

“I’m so thrilled for my friends there who now won’t need to take an eight- to 12-hour bus ride anymore to worship in the temple,” Decker wrote. ”Good people whose finances or life situations made it hard now have it in their backyard.”

Puerto Montt is a port city in southern Chile, and it will be the country’s sixth and southern-most temple, some 651 kilometers south of the Concepción Chile Temple, which was dedicated in 2018. The Santiago Chile Temple was the country’s first dedicated house of the Lord as well as the first in a Spanish-speaking South American nation. The Antofagasta Chile and Santiago West Chile temples are under construction, and a fifth was announced last year for Viña del Mar.

With the Church’s first missionaries to Chile arriving in 1851, the county today is home to more than 607,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 570 congregations.

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Ireland Stake President Mark A. Coffey said that the members are “absolutely thrilled” about a temple for Ireland.

“While it was announced for Dublin, this will be the first Irish temple and will be a huge blessing to the members all over Ireland,” he wrote in an email to the Church News. There are challenges with going to temples in Preston, England, or London, England, due to visa restrictions or the cost of travel, particularly for young adults and new members.

“Having a temple in Dublin will be an incredible blessing, allowing them to attend more frequently and strengthen family bonds on both sides of the veil,” President Coffey said. “While we understand that this announcement is the beginning, our members are eager to contribute and help bring the Church into greater prominence in this land of saints and scholars.”

The Dublin Ireland Temple will be the first house of the Lord in the Republic of Ireland, located in the capital city. Missionaries baptized the first Irish convert in 1840; today, more than 4,000 Latter-day Saints in 13 congregations reside in Ireland, with the closest houses of the Lord for them located in neighboring England.

Milan, Italy

The Milan Italy Temple will be the second house of the Lord in the country, following the Rome Italy Temple, dedicated in 2019 by President Nelson. The entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles participated in multiple dedicatory sessions of the historic house of the Lord there. Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — later the fifth President of the Church — was among the first missionaries to serve in Italy in 1850. Today, Italy is home to more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 100 congregations.

Abuja, Nigeria

In response to the announcement, President Victor C. Eze of the Abuja Nigeria Wuse Stake, wrote to the Church News: “The announcement of a temple for Abuja by our dear President Nelson is a double confirmation that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has completely anchored in and around Abuja. A temple in the capital of Nigeria holds a lot of blessings for the Saints here in particular, and the entire country. What a privilege it is to have the house of the Lord come, with its attendant blessings, to this city in my lifetime. Reaping in joy, seeds we sowed in tears.”

The Abuja Nigeria Temple will be the sixth temple built in the West African country, with the first — Aba Nigeria Temple — dedicated in 2005. Four additional houses of the Lord in planning — in Benin, Lagos, Eket and Calabar. More than 232,000 Latter-day Saints in 810 congregations reside in Nigeria, with Abuja being the nation’s capital.

Kampala, Uganda

Upon hearing the news of the first temple in his country, President Fredrick Kyambadde of the Kampala Uganda North Stake expressed gratitude for a prophet of God and answered prayers.

“We have been praying for this day,” he said in an email to the Church News. “We have seen so many of our members travel so many miles to go to the temple in other countries around us.”

The Kampala stake has asked members of focus on five goals to demonstrate their desire for a house of the Lord:

1. Every adult member should possess and carry a current temple recommend.
2. Pay an honest tithe.
3. Submit a temple name.
4. Come to Church and partake of the sacrament worthily.
5. Make and keep sacred covenants.

“We have sung this song to all leaders this year and we have great blessings of the Lord upon us in our land of Uganda. We have been showered with eternal love and blessings,” the stake president said. “We will prepare every needful thing for us to accomplish this work. We will give our best sacrifice for the eternal purposes of our living God and His son, Jesus Christ. What a joy to see the Lord’s house in Uganda.”

The Kampala Uganda Temple will be the first temple in the east-central African country, where more than 22,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 40 congregations reside. Kampala is the capital and largest city in Uganda and is on the East African Plateau. While expatriate Latter-day Saints lived in and held meetings in Uganda as early as the 1960s, the first official congregation was established in the early 1990s.

Maputo, Mozambique

The Maputo Mozambique Temple will be the second house of the Lord in the country, after the April 2021 announcement of the Beira Mozambique Temple, which remains in planning and design. Nearly 25,000 Latter-day Saints in about 70 congregations reside in the southern Africa nation of Mozambique, with the capital city of Maputo boasting a population of more than 1 million. Missionary work formally began in the country in 1999.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Richard and Julienne Dance, members of the Hayden Lake Idaho Stake who live near Coeur d’Alene, said people in the north Idaho area have been praying about a temple for several years. The nearest temple has been in Spokane, Washington, a drive of two or three hours.

“It was a surprise when the Coeur d’Alene temple announcement was made, though we had been hoping for a temple nearby. It is indeed an answer to prayer,” the couple wrote in an email to the Church News.

The couple has received many texts from local leaders and members expressing gratitude.

“We can hardly believe it. We recorded President Nelson’s announcement on our phones so that we could have it at our fingertips,” they wrote. “We feel that it will change our lives and be a positive influence in our community.”

Carl Eaton, a JustServe specialist who lives in the Coeur d’ Alene Idaho Stake, said he was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy at the announcement of a temple.

“At last our valley will receive a house of the Lord,” he wrote in an email to the Church News. And then he began thinking of things to do to prepare for the house of the Lord. “It’s time to go to work with a renewed vigor.”

Coeur d’Alene is a northern Idaho city with 50,000 and about 30 miles east of the Spokane Washington Temple. More than 476,000 members in nearly 1,230 congregations reside in Idaho, where early Church pioneers settled in the present-day state in 1855.

The Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple will be the state’s 10th temple. Idaho’s six dedicated temples are located in Boise, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg and Twin Falls, with three temples under construction in Burley, Montpelier and north Rexburg.

Coeur d’Alene Idaho Stake President Tyler S. Morton said he felt overwhelmed with feelings of love, joy and gratitude. He and others in the area have been preparing and praying for this moment for years, President Morton wrote in an email to the Church News.

“This will be a huge blessing to our area,” President Morton said. He noted that that it will bless more than Church members in the area. “The influence of the Lords house will bless the lives of all of God’s children and just makes people better. We are beyond excited and will continue to prepare for this great edifice to come to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.”

Queen Creek, Arizona

Rebecca Haynes, a member of the Brenner Pass Ward of the Queen Creek Arizona South Stake, was grateful but not completely surprised by the announcement.

“There has been so much growth in the wards and stakes throughout the years,” she said. “I am just so grateful that my family and my children get to benefit from having a house of the Lord so close by.”

In a social media post, James Hundley wrote that he and his wife, Katie, “immediately burst into tears of joy” after hearing a temple would be built in Queen Creek, Arizona.

“Our family is so grateful for the blessings of Christ’s temple, and we always love to see temples wherever we travel,” he wrote. “This will be so close to home. We are so happy.”

Melia Rios-Lazo from the Queen Creek Arizona South Stake said when she heard the temple announcement, “I jumped up and threw my hands in the air and then started to cry. I felt overwhelmingly humbled and grateful.”

Then a phrase from Doctrine and Covenants 82:3 came to mind: “Unto whom much is given much is required.” As a member of her stake Relief Society presidency who works with temple and family history efforts, Rios-Lazo feels the responsibility to engage Saints in temple work now more than ever.

”I feel even more of an urgency to get our stake prepared to attend more and to find their ancestors as well as to share the gospel with their neighbors,” she said. “I know this will be a huge blessing for the people in this area and around as well as the ancestors of those that need the gospel here on this side of the veil.”

The Queen Creek Arizona Temple will be the eighth temple in Arizona, with Queen Creek located in the southeast area of metropolitan Phoenix. The first Church members arrived in Arizona in winter 1846, with the state now home to nearly 443,000 Latter-day Saints in around 925 congregations. Dedicated temples are located in Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Snowflake, Central and Tucson, with a temple announced for Yuma.

El Paso, Texas

Adam McDavitt and his family have lived in El Paso, Texas, for nearly a decade, and he has served as bishop of the Upper Valley Ward in the El Paso Texas Mount Franklin Stake for three years. They absorbed the exciting news at home Sunday afternoon and can’t wait to discuss it with a son who is serving a mission in North Carolina.

Latter-day Saints in El Paso are part of the Ciudad Juarez Mexico Temple district, which means having a temple recommend and a passport to cross the United States-Mexican border, which can be time consuming and complicated. Having a temple in El Paso will be a “huge blessing for all members,” especially those serving at Fort Bliss, a local U.S. Army base.

“It’s so exciting. We’ve been told by Church leaders over the years that eventually there would be a temple in El Paso, and that we have to do our part and show the Lord that we are ready,” he said. “We are ready to grow the Church in this part of the vineyard, and we have been praying for it.”

The bishop said Primary children have been praying for a temple each time they pray in sacrament meeting.

“They always pray for a temple,” Bishop McDavitt said. “It’s exciting for them, and it will be interesting to see how those prayers change going forward.”

Sebastian Aguilera of El Paso, who attended the Sunday afternoon session of conference in person, said he’s been waiting for a temple in his city for a long time. With the closest house of the Lord being across the border, announcement of an El Paso temple “brought joy and peace to my soul.”

He noted President Nelson’s conference invitation to make discipleship the highest priority. “Having a temple in El Paso, I think, is a way that we could focus on that — focus on our discipleship with Jesus Christ.”

The El Paso Texas Temple will be the state’s 10th temple. Dedicated temples are located in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen and San Antonio, with two under construction in Fort Worth and Austin and two announced and in planning for McKinney and south Houston.

Huntsville, Alabama

President Jeffrey Cazier of the Huntsville Alabama Stake, who has lived in the area for nearly 20 years, said some members in his stake used to attend the Washington D.C. Temple, then the Atlanta Georgia Temple and, more recently, the Birmingham Alabama Temple. His home was filled with a feeling of “pure joy” following the temple announcement Sunday.

“It’s such an incredible blessing,” he said. “It’s a testimony that the Lord loves His children and wants to make the blessings of the temple more easily accessible for everyone. I’m so excited that it will be so close. There is a power that comes with the temple, and I’m glad for the city of Huntsville and northern Alabama to be blessed by it.”

Huntsville, in northern Alabama, is the state’s most populous city. Alabama is home to more than 40,000 Latter-day Saints in 75 congregations. The Huntsville Alabama Temple will be the state’s second temple, following the dedication of the Birmingham Alabama Temple in 2000.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Carolyn Noltemeyer, a member of the Madison 4th Ward in the Madison Wisconsin Stake, and her family have lived in Madison for 37 years. With emotion in her voice, she reverently described her reaction to the temple announcement as “very exciting,” adding that it provides a greater opportunity for family history work.

For many years Church members have made the two-hour drive to attend the Chicago Illinois Temple. They have hoped and prayed for a temple for many years.

“The waiting is over,” she said. “There will be a temple in Wisconsin.”

The Milwaukee Wisconsin Temple will be the first house of the Lord in the state, which is home to more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 70 congregations. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin.

Summit, New Jersey

The Summit New Jersey Temple will be the first in the state, where more than 35,000 Latter-day Saints in over 60 congregations reside. Latter-day Saint missionaries first preached in New Jersey in 1832. Currently, the closest temples to Church members in New Jersey are the Manhattan New York and Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

Price, Utah

President Daniel Hinckley of the Price Utah Stake said “it was hard to describe the feeling, but their hearts are full of gratitude” to know there is a temple planned for Price, Utah.

“We have been praying for this,” he said. “I’m speechless other than to say how grateful we are. The Lord has heard our prayers. We are just so blessed.”

The stake president added that members of a young single adult stake, including students at Utah State University–Eastern, have been fasting and praying for a temple.

“This is an answer to so many prayers,” President Hinckley said. “Our members need to go to the temple more, and that is why we are getting one. We need this holy house to grow up in the Lord and be closer to Him.”

The Price Utah Temple will be the first house of the Lord in Utah’s Carbon County and the 31st in the state. Utah is home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints as well as the Church’s world headquarters. Located in eastern Utah, Price, is the county seat of Carbon County.

Dedicated temples are in operation in American Fork (Mount Timpanogos), Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Layton, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Ogden, Orem, Payson, Provo (Provo City Center), Saratoga Springs, South Jordan (Jordan River and Oquirrh Mountain temples), St. George (Red Cliffs and St. George temples), Taylorsville and Vernal.

Two dedicated temples are under renovation: the Provo Utah Rock Canyon and Salt Lake temples. Houses of the Lord under construction in Utah are in Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lindon, Smithfield and Syracuse, with the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele set to be dedicated next month. Temples for Lehi and West Jordan were announced in April 2024 general conference.

— Scott Taylor, Vanessa Fitzgibbon, Mary Richards, Nadia Gavarret, Leah Haynes and Christine Rappleye contributed to this article.

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