For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Haiti, Sunday, September 1, 2019 was very different from others as thousands gathered in three different sessions to participate in an event that marks a milestone in the history of the Church in this Caribbean country: the dedication of the Port-au-Prince Temple.
Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over the dedication of the temple. He performed the cornerstone ceremony which symbolizes the completion of the construction of the temple. The temple is now prepared for its intended sacred purpose. Elder Bednar was accompanied by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, members of the Caribbean Area Presidency and their respective wives.
The Port-au-Prince Temple is number 166 of dedicated temples worldwide and the second in operations throughout the Caribbean region. This will be the first time where many Latter-day Saints of this beautiful nation will come to make sacred covenants with God. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ provides the hope of living together in love and joy for the eternities.
Among the attendees were pioneers of the Church in Haiti, who expressed their emotional impressions by having a temple in their nation, which will greatly facilitate attendance to it. The closest temple to them is the Santo Domingo Temple, which is approximately seven hours away from them.
Temples are the most sacred places of worship for members of the Church, where they make solemn commitments to God. Members believe temples are literally the 'House of the Lord.' They are sanctuaries of peace that facilitate meditation and personal revelation, whose primary purpose is to unite families for eternities through eternal marriage.
The beauty, cleanliness and tranquility of the temple is an appropriate reflection to define what is done inside these buildings that the Church of Jesus Christ builds throughout the world. One of the fundamental beliefs is that families can live forever, by making and staying true to sacred commitments made in these holy places.
“The House of the Lord is the place where the members receive the highest, the most important of those ordinances and covenants, and that changes individuals. You change communities, you change nations by beginning with the individuals. In those ordinances the power of Godliness is made manifest. It strengthens the people, it gives them a vision for who they are and why they’re here. It gives them hope. And that’s the reason that in all the earth the Lord reveals that temples should be constructed”, said Elder Bednar.
Among the attendees were pioneers of the Church in Haiti, who expressed their emotional impressions by having a temple in their nation, which will greatly facilitate attendance to it, since the closest to them is the Temple of Santo Domingo, about 7 hours average on land transportion.
Temples are the most sacred places of worship where members of the Church make solemn commitments to God. For them, temples are literally the 'House of the Lord.' They are sanctuaries of peace that facilitates meditation and personal revelation, whose primary purpose is to unite families for eternities through eternal marriage.
The beauty, cleanliness and tranquility of the place is an appropriate reflection to define what is done inside these buildings that the Church of Jesus Christ builds throughout the world. One of the fundamental beliefs is that families can live forever, by making and staying true to sacred commitments made in these holy places.
