Segment from World Report, April 2009 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints marks the past six months with a surge in temple dedications and new temple announcements made by President Monson during General Conference last October. Nestled along the foothills of the Wasatch Front, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, the Draper, Utah Temple was dedicated in March of this year. After a winter of significant snowfall in the Mountain West, the weekend emerged bright and sunny for three days of dedicatory services, which began with the cornerstone ceremony on Friday, March 20th. Church members, invited guests, and members of the media arrived early in the morning to witness the event. Just before the first dedication session, President Monson led the ceremony outside the temple, and, in a gesture that has become part of the tradition of this event, he invited some of the children to take part.
Construction began on the Draper Utah Temple in the summer of 2006. It is the 129th operating temple of the Church. From Utah, we head south to Mexico City, where the Temple that has stood for the past 25 years has undergone a major renovation.
Restorative work on the Mexico City Temple began in March of 2007 and drew to a close 19 months later in the fall of 2008. In mid November, Latter-day Saints in Mexico City staged a colorful cultural event inside Aztec Stadium the site of the recently held World Cup Soccer Championships. Eight thousand Latter-day Saint youth danced and helped tell the story of their national and religious history in Mexico before an audience of nearly 90-thousand people.
President Thomas S. Monson and First Counselor in the First Presidency Henry B. Eyring attended the huge cultural event. During his remarks, President Monson encouraged all those who participated, to write in their journals and never forget such an experience.
The following day, The Mexico City Temple was formally re-dedicated on November 16th, with President Monson officiating. There are more than a million Latter-day Saints living in Mexico, and the Mexico City Temple will serve about one-fourth of these members, in areas like Baja California Sur, Guerrero, Morelos and more.
Moving from Mexico City to the mid-western United States, a temple will be constructed in Missouri in the northeast section of Kansas City. Its location is just west of the Liberty Jail Historic Site where the Prophet Joseph Smith was held during one of the most trying periods for the early Church in the 1830s.
To the northeast, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Church will build a temple in the heart of the city. Much of early American history and government began in Philadelphia and currently, its the largest U.S. city without a temple.
To the northwest in Canada, a temple is planned for the city of Calgary in the province of Alberta. The Calgary temple will become the 8th in Canada and the second in Alberta. Across the Atlantic and to the European continent, the Church will build a Temple in Rome, Italy. Located in the northeast section of Rome, it will be the first in the Mediterranean region, and the 12th Temple in Europe. The Rome Italy Temple will also serve members living in neighboring countries.
To the western hemisphere and south to Argentina, the country will have its second temple constructed in Cordoba. Since 1986, many Latter-day Saints have been traveling up to 400 miles to attend the temple in Buenos Aires. Further north to Peru, a second temple for the country will be built in the city of Trujillo. This will mark 17 temples in South America that are operating, under construction, or in the planning phases.
Finally to the American south west, and to The Gila Valley in Arizona nearly 10 months after President Monsons announcement, the groundbreaking for the Gila Valley Temple in eastern Arizona took place on the morning of Febuary14th. Thousands gathered at the site or attended the live broadcast of the event presided over by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Presidency of the Seventy. The 15,000 square foot temple will serve 32,000 members in 7 stakes and will be the 3rd completed in Arizona, followed by 2 additional temples that have been announced in Gilbert and Phoenix.
