The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
The dedication of the Moses Lake Washington Temple on Sunday, September 17, by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the third dedication of the day, brings the number of operating temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to 182.
The dedication came two hours after a similar ceremony in Bentonville, Arkansas, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Twelve. About two hours prior to that, Elder Neil L. Andersen, also of the Twelve, dedicated the Brasília Brazil Temple. Having triple dedications in a single day is a first for the Church.
Moses Lake Washington Temple
“The temple is a blessing and a gift and prepares us to rejoice in what the Savior has done for us,” Elder Cook said in Moses Lake, Washington, where he dedicated the Moses Lake Washington Temple.
While previously a General Authority Seventy, Elder Cook served as president of the Church’s North America Northwest Area, which included Washington state. In addition to visiting many stakes in that area, he also participated with then-President Gordon B. Hinckley at the dedication of the Columbia River Washington Temple, in Richland, on November 18, 2001, and also during the open house prior to the dedication.
Elder Cook noted that the Moses Lake Washington Temple open house had an impact on visitors.
“There was a powerful, spiritual feeling that touched your neighbors and community leaders from all five stakes in this temple district,” he said.
Elder Cook reiterated Church President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation and promise from the October 2018 general conference to increase time spent in the temple.
“Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater,” President Nelson said. “I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord — to be in His holy house — then keep that appointment with exactness and joy.
“I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracle He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples. …
“Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will,” President Nelson promised.
Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Mark A. Bragg, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s North America West Area, and his wife, Sister Yvonne Bragg; and Elder Shayne M. Bowen, also a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Lynette Bowen.
Bentonville Arkansas Temple
Elder Bednar tied Sunday’s three dedications with the Church’s total number of temples — and looked back to his youth to put the increase in numbers in perspective.
“As a 12-year-old boy in 1964, I attended with my mother the dedication of the Oakland California Temple — the 13th operating house of the Lord. Today, just 59 years later, 315 temples are functioning, announced, in design, under construction or being renovated,” he said.
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