Recife, Brazil - Mormon Temple
The Recife Brazil temple sits on 5.59 acres, shaded by mango trees and towering royal palms, and surrounded by a beautiful garden. The temple exterior is finished with Asa branca granite from Brazil and features a single spire topped with a gold statue of the angel Moroni. The Mormon temple is larger than many being built with a total of 37,200 square feet, to accommodate the 137,500 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northern Brazil. Many of them have not had a chance to go the temple because they could not afford the 72-hour trip to the temple in São Paulo. Now they will be able to enjoy the blessings of the LDS (Mormon) temple in their own lives and an opportunity to bless the lives of their ancestors as well.
President Hinckley during a visit to members and Mormon missionaries in Brazil presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on 11 November 1996. During the ceremony he said, "The gospel is not complete without the ordinances of the house of the Lord. In order to complete our acceptance of Church membership, it is important that we have this holy house. We hope you will live worthy of it. We hope you will come frequently… Now we have at least two years in which to get ready. Let every man and woman in this congregation, let every boy and girl over 12 years of age, resolve that you will come to the House of the Lord. The boys and girls to do baptisms for the dead, the men and women to receive their endowments, to be sealed in the Lord’s holy house, and then to come back again and again and again. "1
Within Mormon temples members perform special and sacred eternal ordinances that are needed to return to live with God as an eternal family. Ordinances are also performed in behalf of those who died who were not able to receive the blessings of the temple while living on the earth. A great emphasis is placed upon members searching out their ancestors and doing their temple work, thus creating a great eternal family chain.
Because of the sacred nature of temples only members are allowed to enter a Mormon temple after it is dedicated. They are required to receive a temple recommend before entering. A member who is worthy to enter the temple must be keeping the commandments, attending their Church meetings, support local and general church leaders, live the Word of Wisdom, and pay their tithing (10% of income) to the Church.
During the open house held prior to the dedication 78,386 visitors toured the Mormon temple. "We believe that the Church here is going to become stronger, given the number of nonmember families who asked to learn more about the Church and the number of less-active members who expressed their desire to return to activity after the open house," 2 said Cleto Oliveira, a local public affairs representative.
President Gordon Hinckley and President Faust each conducted two dedicatory sessions for the Recife Brazil temple on 15 December 2000, to which more than 7,000 people attended. During the dedicatory prayer a blessing was pronounced upon Brazil, "Smile with favor upon this great nation of Brazil, where Thy work has grown in a remarkable and wonderful way. Prosper its economy. May peace prevail throughout the land. May Thy messengers, the missionaries, be welcomed here; and may their labors be exceedingly fruitful."3
For more information about Mormon temples visit the sites below:
Mormon Temple: Information From Answers.com
Mormanity: Mormon Temples and "Secrecy"
(1) “News of the Church,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 73
(2) “News of the Church,” Ensign, Mar. 2001, 73
(3) "’May peace prevail throughout the land,’" Church News 23 Dec. 2000: 6.