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“We are privileged this day to be present in this beautiful land, to dedicate into Thy Most Holy Name, a temple of the Living God…O God, accept of the gratitude and thanksgiving of our hearts, for the very wonderful and splendid labors performed in the land of Hawaii by Thy servants President George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith. We thank Thee for their devotion to the gospel and to the people of this land.”
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“We thank Thee for raising up Thy servant Elder J. H. Napela, that devoted Hawaiian, who assisted Thy servant President Cannon in the translation of the Book of Mormon, which is the sacred history of the Nephites, the Lamanites, and the Jaredites.”
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“We thank Thee, that thousands and tens of thousands of the descendants of Lehi, in this favored land, have come to a knowledge of the gospel, many of whom have endured faithfully to the end of their lives. We thank Thee, our Father and our God, that those who are living and who have embraced the gospel are now to have the privilege of entering into this holy house, and laboring for the salvation of the souls of their ancestors.”
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“We thank Thee for all of the temples that have been erected in this last dispensation, and we pray Thy choice blessings to be and abide with all those who minister therein. We pray that that same sweet spirit which is present in all of the temples, may abide with those who shall labor in this holy house.” This would be the fifth temple to be dedicated (after the loss of Kirtland and Nauvoo).
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“We thank Thee, O God, that Thy faithful and diligent servant, President Joseph F. Smith, was moved upon, while in this land, on the birthday of Thy servant President Brigham Young, in the year 1915, to dedicate this spot of ground for the erection of a temple to the Most High God.”
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“We pray Thee, O Father, to bless the son of Thy beloved servant President Joseph F. Smith, E. Wesley Smith, who now presides over the Hawaiian mission. May the missionary spirit be and abide with him. May he have that same splendid love for the people of this land which his dear departed father possessed.” Joseph F. Smith had passed away one year and eight days previous to the dedication.
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“May Thy peace ever abide in this holy building, that all who come here may partake of the spirit of peace, and of the sweet and heavenly influence that Thy Saints have experienced in other temples…May all who come upon the grounds which surround this temple, in the years to come, whether members of the Church of Christ or not, feel the sweet and peaceful influence of this blessed and hallowed spot.”
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“We acknowledge Thy hand, O God, our Heavenly Father, that one of the benefits of the great and terrible world war, through which the nations of the earth have recently passed, will be the opportunity for the Jews to return to the land of their fathers.” The Treaty of Versailles, which marked the end of the Great War, had been signed just five months before the dedication.
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“We thank Thee, our Father in Heaven, for the victory which came to the armies of the Allies, and we beseech Thee that that victory may lead to increased liberty and peace throughout all the nations of the earth.”
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“We thank Thee that Thou didst inspire the noble men who wrote the Constitution of our beloved country, and we beseech Thee that the principles of that inspired document may ever be maintained.”
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“We beseech Thee, O God in heaven, that the people of the United States of America may ever seek to Thee for guidance and direction, that Thy declaration and promise that this is a land choice above all other lands, and shall be protected against all foes, provided the people serve Thee, may be realized and fulfilled, and that the people may grow in power and strength and dominion, and, above all, in love of Thy truth.” Hawaii would become the 50th State almost 40 years after the dedication.
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“We especially pray Thee, O Father in Heaven, to bless the youth of Thy people in Zion and in all the world. Shield and preserve and protect them from the adversary and from wicked and designing men. Keep the youth of Thy people, O Father, in the straight and narrow path that leads to Thee; preserve them from all pitfalls and snares that are laid for their feet.”
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In the 1978 rededication, President Kimball prayed: “And we are duly grateful, our Heavenly Father, that as stated in the Book of Mormon ‘that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers and that they might know the promises of the Lord…’ We are deeply grateful, our Heavenly Father, that some half a million or more of the descendants of Lehi now are respected and loved members of this, Thy kingdom.”
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President Kimball continued: “We thank Thee, our Holy Father, for all of the temples that have been erected in this last dispensation, and as of this date, we have 22 temples either constructed or on the drawing board, and we ask Thee to bless us in our development of those programs and the completion of those buildings.”
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“We are conscious of the fact that Thy prophet did promise that there would be many hundreds of temples on the earth, and we look forward to that day and thank Thee for the promise.”
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He continued: “We pray Thee, our Heavenly Father, that Thy blessings may be upon the kings and the nobles and the rulers of all nations, that their hearts may be inclined toward Thee and that them may open the doors of their nations to us, permitting us to enter therein and preach the gospel and carry to their people the saving truths of Thy holy gospel.”
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President Kimball prayed “Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee again for this land of liberty in which we dwell and that this is the land choice above all other lands. We pray for all of the presidents of this nation, from George Washington to the present time. Bless their efforts all to the good of Thy people.”
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He pleaded: “We beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thou wilt stay the hand of the destroyer among the natives of this land and give unto them increasing virility and more abundant health, that they may long live upon this land, to further Thy cause.” There are nearly 75,000 members of the Church in Hawaii now, about 5% of the state’s population.
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Again, like President Grant, President Kimball prayed for the youth: “We especially pray to Thee, O Father in Heaven, to bless the youth of Thy people in Zion and in all the world. Shield and preserve and protect them from the adversary and from wicked and designing men.”
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President Monson rededicated the temple 32 years later: “This beautiful temple has been a haven of peace. It has been the House of the Lord to all who have entered and have felt of its spirit and partaken of the blessings found here. We thank Thee for it and for the accomplishment of Thy divine purposes through it. It has served well.”
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“Showing the effects of such service, it became necessary to improve it, both inside and out. Now the entire structure has been renovated and renewed in an undertaking that makes it more efficient, more attractive and more convenient than ever before.”
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President Monson continued: “As we do work in this temple for those who have gone beyond, we are reminded of the inspired counsel of President Joseph F. Smith, who declared: ‘Through our efforts in their behalf, their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them, and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice.'”
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“Father, we seek to be like Thee. We seek to pattern our lives after the life of Thy Son. We desire righteousness for ourselves and our children and our children’s children. We plead with Thee to make us worthy to inherit the fulness of those blessings found only in Thy holy temples.”
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President Monson also pled for the youth: “Our Father, strengthen the youth who walk in a world saturated with the sophistries of Satan. Give them the courage to stand firm for truth. Bless them with a lengthened view of their eternal possibilities.”
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“We humbly pray that Thou wilt accept this edifice and let Thy blessings be and abide upon it. Let Thy Spirit attend and guide all who officiate herein, that holiness will prevail in every room. May all who enter have clean hands and pure hearts. May they be built up in their faith and depart with a feeling of peace.”
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“Father, as we rededicate this sacred edifice, we rededicate our very lives to Thee and to Thy work. May we leave Thy house this day with a renewal of faith and with an added spirit of dedication to Thy work and that of Thy Son.”
Renee RodriguezNovember 17, 2016
My husband and I served as Temple Missionaries in the Laie Hawaii Temple. We first served under Pres. and Sis. Ursenbach and then Pres. and Sis. Workman. We loved serving there and also loved the wonderful Polynesian people.