BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Nearly three years to the day since floor was damaged in what is named Brasília’s North Wing, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles devoted the brand new Brasília Brazil Temple as the most recent home of the Lord of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With the temple’s dedication Sunday, Sept. 17, Elder Andersen invited worthy members of the Church to come back to the temple in any of life’s circumstances as a result of “the Lord’s Spirit will be here and the beauties of the eternities will be yours.”
He, and all who spoke within the dedicatory periods, spoke in Portuguese with out the help of reside interpretation.
Elder Andersen was joined by his spouse, Sister Kathy Andersen; Elder Mark D. Eddy, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor within the Brazil Area presidency, and his spouse, Sister Annette Eddy; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and government director of the Temple Department, and his spouse, Sister Nancy Duncan; and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy and assistant government director of the Temple Department, and his spouse, Sister Elaine Parrella.
Sister Elaine Parrella and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, General Authority Seventy; Elder Mark D. Eddy, General Authority Seventy and his spouse, Sister Annette Eddy; Sister Kathy Andersen and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy, and his spouse, Sister Nancy Duncan, stand in entrance of the Brasília Brazil Temple.
Bruno Lima, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Dedicating the temple in Brasília is way from the primary time Elder Andersen has been concerned with temples in Brazil. Reflecting on earlier assignments and alternatives within the nation, he mentioned he has been concerned in several methods with the temples in Campinas, São Paulo and Curitiba.
The Andersens’ first Church project in Brazil got here by way of the late President James E. Faust, a counselor within the First Presidency. Elder Andersen mentioned President Faust “promised us that we would come to know a most extraordinary people, and that we would create friendships and associations that would be treasured both in this life and in the next.” Elder Andersen mentioned he felt that promise had been fulfilled and that he liked everybody who was on the dedication on Sunday.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his spouse, Sister Kathy Andersen stand in entrance of the Brasília Brazil Temple on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Brasília temple is exclusive due to its location in Brazil’s capital metropolis “shining its beacon of light and spiritual strength” on each members of the Church and those that function elected officers, Elder Andersen mentioned. “The influence of the temple will touch the entire nation.”
In distinction to the small variety of people who participated within the groundbreaking ceremony within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 23, 2020, the recent open home drew 1000’s of people from across the nation to its capital metropolis to walk by way of the Church’s tenth temple.
While many occasions a temple often is the latest of the Church for months or maybe a 12 months, this temple was the most recent for a few hours previous to the dedication of the Bentonville Arkansas Temple. And that one was additionally solely the most recent for 2 hours earlier than the Moses Lake Washington Temple was additionally devoted on Sept. 17. This marked the primary time within the historical past of the restored Church that three temples have been devoted on the identical day.
Recognizing the importance of the day in Church historical past, Elder Andersen smiled and mentioned, “It is a glorious day.”
No matter the place a temple is situated, its goal and the sensation inside are the identical, Sister Andersen mentioned.
“In the temple we feel a peace not available anywhere else in the world,” she mentioned.
Elder Andersen underscored the sacredness of every temple.
“This is the house of the Lord. It is a sacred place — unlike anywhere else. It is nestled between heaven and earth,” he mentioned.
Dedication invitation to strengthen discipleship
As Elder Andersen spoke with members of the Church from the temple district and others who attended the dedication, he taught how the temple opens the door to elevated blessings and learnings in regards to the Savior Jesus Christ.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greets members after the dedication of the Brasília Brazil Temple on Sept. 17, 2023.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“As we bring our ancestors beyond the veil the holy ordinances they desire, and as the holy endowment is presented to us each time we are here, the eyes of our understanding are opened,” he mentioned. “We better see the purposes of our being on earth.”
While private covenants are made solely as soon as throughout every particular person’s mortal life, Elder Andersen mentioned, serving private ancestors and others who’ve handed on from this life supplies a chance to “better see the purposes of our being on earth.”
He additionally mentioned worshipping within the temple helps improve understanding of covenants with Heavenly Father, the cleaning energy of forgiveness supplied by way of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, and the energy to beat trials that’s gained by having religion within the Savior.
“As we enter the temple, we enter a new world,” Elder Andersen mentioned.
With that understanding, attending the temple with a need to higher perceive God and His plan requires humility to study within the temple, not simply be current within the temple.
“In the temple, we are enrolled in an immersion tutorial of the language of the Spirit,” he mentioned.
Like faculty or different studying environments, not everybody learns on the similar tempo, and never everybody learns the identical factor whereas listening to the identical phrases. Because of this, Elder Andersen inspired endurance when attending the temple and studying about God there.
“We should not be surprised that our experiences in the temple do not come exactly the same to each of us,” he mentioned. But to grasp what’s taught within the temple requires endurance and a continued need to imagine.
“Come when you have decisions to make. … Come with faith,” he mentioned. And the Lord will give solutions by way of the Holy Ghost.
“How great is the kindness of our God,” Elder Andersen concluded.
Hopes for continued development and private dedication
Elder Eddy started serving in his function as second counselor within the Brazil Area presidency in August. He participated within the open home in Brasília and was given the project to return for the dedication.
“Brazil will never be the same after the dedication of this temple,” he mentioned on Sunday. “And we should not be the same, either.”
Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy and assistant government director of the Temple Department; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and government director of the Temple Department; Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Elder Mark D. Eddy, a General Authority Seventy and counselor within the Brazil Area presidency, stand in entrance of the Brasília Brazil Temple on Sept. 17, 2023.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Duncan mentioned he was completely happy to see so many households on the temple grounds for the dedication and spoke about everlasting households as a motive to rejoice in Jesus Christ’s Atonement that makes it potential for households to be collectively eternally.
“It is impossible to adequately thank our Savior enough,” he mentioned.
Suzana Ekert de Melo from the Jardim Satelite Ward within the São José dos Campos Brazil South Stake in São Paulo served her mission in Brasília in 1977. She was sealed within the temple, and her daughters have been sealed in temples, as nicely.
“I believe that the most important thing we can know is the plan of salvation. The temple is directly linked to the plan of salvation,” she mentioned. “… And to know that my family can be eternal and that all the people I love, who passed on from this life, and who I thought I had lost but are not? That is what the plan of salvation taught me.”
Francisco Márcio’s Planalto Ward within the Brasília Brazil Stake meets within the chapel throughout the sidewalk from the brand new temple.
“One of the biggest things to me that Elder Andersen said today is that God is interested in our dedication to Him. And everything else is small in comparison to what He wants from us and what He promises us,” Márcio mentioned.
Speaking about each particular person and collective efforts to comply with Heavenly Father and provides Him all the eye and love potential, Elder Andersen mentioned, “Nothing is too good for the Lord.”
Márcio mentioned that message from Elder Andersen left him with ideas that he mentioned will take effort and time to reconcile.
“Those thoughts, those feelings are too big to explain right now,” he mentioned, pointing to his coronary heart.
Brazil capital metropolis historical past
The first capital metropolis of Brazil was Salvador, the place the federal government was housed for practically 200 years between 1549 and 1763. Then the capital was moved south to Rio de Janeiro, the place it stayed for practically one other 200 years. But in 1960, Brazil created a brand new metropolis of Brasília, designed to appear like an airplane when checked out from above.
The Church devoted a temple in Rio de Janeiro in 2022. The temple in Brasília has now been devoted in 2023. And a temple in Salvador is underneath development and could also be devoted in 2024.
In addition to the devoted temples in Rio and Brasília, the opposite eight devoted temples in Brazil are in Belem, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife and São Paulo. The 10 temples in Brazil serve the Church’s 1.5 million members within the nation who worship in 285 stakes. Ten different temples are introduced or underneath development. Brazil has the third-most members of any nation on the planet, behind the United States and Mexico.
Nearly 5 million of Brazil’s 214 million inhabitants reside in or round Brasília. While practically 80% of the nation’s inhabitants lives alongside the 4,500-mile-long japanese shoreline, the capital metropolis was deliberately constructed within the geographic heart of South America’s largest nation.
