Lima, Peru - Mormon Temple
To Mormons, a temple is a building dedicated to be a house of God. The Mormon Temples differ from a church meetinghouse, in that the church is used for weekly worship services, and the temples are used for special forms of worship. The importance of Temples is emphasized in the Mormon Church and strongly encourages its members to become worthy to attend the temple often.
Worthy members participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with God. Like baptism, these ordinances and covenants are necessary for the salvation of man and they must be performed in the temple. The temple is a learning center where those that enter gain a better understanding of our purpose in life and our relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Only in the Mormon Temple can a family be sealed together forever. Marriage in the Temple joins a man and woman as husband and wife eternally if they honor their covenants. When a man and woman are married in the Temple, their children also become part of their eternal family.1
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church or Mormons, is by far the most prolific builder of temples. At this writing there are 122 operating temples across the world and 9 that have been announced or are under construction.
Peru, nestled at the top of the Pacific Coast “spine” of South America, is only a medium-size American country, but it covers a continent’s-worth of extremes.
Structures devoted to religious purposes are not new to Peruvians. They have, after all, the world-renowned Incan ruins and impressive cathedrals, particularly in Lima, where the influence of Spanish colonialism is still easily seen; this, along with the tropical jungles to the towering Andes as well as numerous cathedrals dot the lands of Peru.2
Because of the tremendous growth in the Church, Mormon leaders announced that a Temple would be built in the beautiful city of Lima. The Mormon Temple was constructed in an undeveloped area on 5 acres with six spires that reach toward the heavens.
The Temple has influenced many of the Peruvians since it’s dedication on January 10, 1986. A member of the Lima Peru Mormon Temple presidency said, that "building a new Temple is like throwing a stone into a lake; the resulting ripples radiate out and lift everything they touch.
So, it has been with the Mormon Temple in this area, which serves more than one hundred thousand Peruvian Saints.
Despite serious economic and political problems in Peru, it has not hindered the temple attendance of the Mormon Saints. Temple attendance tripled during the years 1988 to 1990. For some members of the Church, it can be quite difficult and costly to attend, and the sacrifice of some, can mean three months’ worth of a worker’s salary, making transportation for large families extremely expensive. However, the sacrifice is one Peruvian Church members are willing to make in order to partake of the blessings of the Mormon Temple.3
For more information about Mormon Temples, please see the following links:
LDS Temples – Mormon Temples – Salt Lake TempleTeachings About Mormon Temples