The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
More than 600 smiling Latter-day Saints gathered on a freshly plowed plot of ground as President Russell M. Nelson presided at the Saturday, Oct. 8, groundbreaking ceremony of the Heber Valley Utah Temple.
The glowing reds, oranges and yellows of the aspen trees’ leaves that surrounded the site suggested it is time to hunker down for the coming winter. But for President Nelson and many of the members present, this was a moment of excitement for something new to grow and take shape.
Before offering a prayer to dedicate the ground for the building of the temple, President Nelson shared a few remarks about the history of the area and the land where the temple will be built.
George and Clara Holmes purchased the property in 1946 after George returned home from serving in World War II.
President Nelson said the new temple will fulfill the Holmes’ “fondest dream.”
“[George] dreamt of building a forever home with his beloved Clara,” President Nelson said. “In a very real way, his dream will be realized here.”
He also shared a history of the settling of Heber City and the growth of the Church in the valley.
Brigham Young first called Saints to make a road from Provo to the Heber Valley in 1858. Many of its first English settlers converted to the Church thanks to the missionary work of Heber C. Kimball in the 1940s. Those converts helped build the road, settle the valley and participate in the first ward to be created in Heber in 1860.
The Heber Valley Coordinating Council now includes eight stakes that reach as far away as the southwest corner of Wyoming. It also encompasses Utah’s communities of Charleston, Wallsburg, Kamas, Oakley, Peoa, Park City and Coalville.
“More will come,” President Nelson said. “This valley will continue to be a fruitful seedbed for devoted and dedicated members of the Church.”
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
