Washington DC Temple Festival of Lights

The LDS Temple in Kensington, Maryland, which stands near the I-495 Capitol Beltway Freeway, is known for its gorgeous grounds and the annual Festival of Lights, a free event open to the general public. The event features a presentation of hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights and numerous international nativity scenes on display.

Between December 3 and January 1, the lights are on from dusk until 10pm. Also, fantastic musical presentations (by local groups and performers, both LDS and not) are held nightly at no cost to the general public. For more information, see the official website: http://dctemplelights.lds.org/

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lai'e Hawaii LDS Temple Rededicated

The Laie temple was the first finished Mormon temple outside of Utah. The building has stood as a community landmark on Oahu's north shore for many decades. The temple has been closed since late 2008 for remodeling (second time since the temple's construction) and was rededicated by President Monson on November 21, 2010.

For more information about the Laie temple, please visit: http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/laie/

CNN reports on new LDS temple in Vancouver, British Columbia

CNN featured a video report about the new Mormon temple in Vancouver. Watch the video here below:

How does this report compare to other media reports on LDS temples? Please share your thoughts and comments.

Washington DC Festival of Lights

The LDS temple in the Washington DC area is hosting its annual Festival of Lights celebration. During the Christmas season, the temple grounds hosts a variety of arts and musical groups for free entertainment for the local community. There are several international exhibits as well.

Please visit this website for more information.

ABC News take a look inside the new LDS Temple in Draper, Utah

Christmas Lights at Washington DC LDS Temple

If you're in the Washington DC area, please visit the LDS Temple during evening hours. The Temple's grounds are beautifully decorated with thousands of Christmas lights.  This year's lighting ceremony was conducted by Neil Andersen of the Church and the Honorable Ronen Sen, Ambassador of India to the United States.

The temple is located just outside of Washington at: 9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, Maryland 20895.  It is a quick drive through the woods from the I-495 freeway.  Open through the beginning of January!

Mormon Temple to be constructed in Trujillo, Peru

The LDS Church has announced that a new temple is planned to be constructed in the city of Trujillo, Peru.  This will be the second LDS temple to built in Peru, where the Church has had phenomenal growth.  This article contains more information.

LDS Temple to be constructed in Rome, Italy

President Thomas Monson announced yesterday that the Church has plans to construct a new temple in the area of Rome, Italy.

There are over 22,000 members of the LDS Church in Italy, who will be served by the newly built temple. Also included in the temple district will be other regions of southern and eastern Europe.

Other Mormon temples are located in Copenhagen, Bern, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Stockholm, and the Hague, among other European capitals and cities.

First Edition 1830 Book of Mormon on display in Oakland, California

This weekend we went up to the San Francisco Bay Area, and enjoyed a small exhibit at the Oakland LDS Temple's Visitors Center.  There they have on display an original first edition Book of Mormon from 1830.  Really cool to see it.  I took these pictures on Friday afternoon.  The display is open to the public.

 The address is: 

4770 Lincoln Avenue
Oakland, California 94602

From the Temple one can see across the Bay to the City of San Francisco, etc.  The Temple is so ideally located on the hills of Oakland that the ships and boats in the SF Bay use it and its lights as a landmark to navigate through fog, storms, darkness, etc.

Also, we in Los Angeles are looking forward to the day when our new LDS Temple Visitors' Center will be open to the public.  They have torn down the old one and are constructing another in its place on Santa Monica Boulevard in West L.A.

:)

Street named after President James E. Faust in Brazil

The street leading to the temple in the city of Campinas has been renamed "James Esdras Faust Street".  In Curitiba, there is also a square named "Joseph Smith Plaza".

Puertas Abiertas al Templo de Panamá

The Panama City Temple will be open to the public between 11 July and 26 July, 2008.

La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias, Panamá

Open House of Curitiba Brazil Temple

THE CURITIBA TEMPLE will be open to the public from May 10 to May 24, 2008.  This gorgeous temple will be open to all in the general public for two weeks before the temple is dedicated and closed to the public.  

O templo de Curitiba Brasil será aberto ao público entre o dia 10 ao 24 de Maio, 2008.  Por favor, venham conhecer a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Ultimos Dias.

Remembering the São Paulo Temple Rededication & Celebration

I was going through some old photos and decided to share some on this blog.  Click here for photos to the album.  The pictures are some shots from the massive LDS celebration held by the Church in 2004 in São Paulo, Brazil.  It was attended by over 60,000 people, and thousands participated as singers, dancers, producers, etc.  I was there to assist with all the props and floats. Great experience!  The football stadium Pacaembu was filled to capacity for the exciting event, even despite the heavy rainfall that lasted nearly all afternoon and evening!

African American culture on display at Mormon Visitors' Center in Washington, DC

If you are in Washington, DC, or will  be visiting soon, please do NOT miss this great exhibit!  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Washington DC Temple Visitors' Center has opened an exhibit on African-American culture, history, and art.  The exhibit is open through March 2008.  Don't wait!  For more information, visit this site.

The Temple and the Visitors' Center are located just outside Washington in the town of Kensington, Maryland.  The area surrounding the Temple is beautiful, and the Temple grounds/gardens are fantastic.  Click here for a map and driving directions.

Curitiba Brazil Temple/Templo de Curitiba Brasil

This photo was shot this morning in Curitiba.  The scaffolding has come down . . . it's moving along very well. How exciting! Another temple for Brazil.  The Church in Brazil began in Santa Catarina, very close to Curitiba... so this is major news since this is such a historic part of Brazilian Mormon history.

I was on the phone this evening with a friend in Curitiba, and he told me that the Cultural Celebration is scheduled for June 1, 2008.  The dedication of the temple will immediately follow that (June 2?).

Great news!

Vancouver Temple coming along

The new LDS Temple in Vancouver, British Columbia, is being built.  This recent picture shows that the building's footings are laid.  Yet another sign of big growth for the Church in Canada.

Temple in Rexburg

The Church's newest temple has been constructed in Idaho, near the campus of Brigham Young University - Idaho in the town of Rexburg.

The Open House received about 200,000 visitors from all over who came to see the inside of the LDS Temple before its dedication. The Open House period has already ended, and the dedication ceremony is scheduled for February 10.

The dedication was postponed due to the death and funeral of President Gordon B. Hinckley. This piece from a local tv station in Idaho is informative.

Regarding the Church's temples and their Open House events, the official website declares:

During the open house, information will be provided to explain the different functions and ceremonies performed in the temple and answer questions. After the open house, the temple will be dedicated to the Lord and open only to worthy Church members.

Temple in the Amazon

The Amazon is a remarkable place, and now the LDS Church has concrete plans to construct and dedicate a large Temple in the Amazonic Basin's main city of Manaus. Already, the Church has temples in the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Recife. Church members from the Manaus region have to travel up to two days by bus to attend the Temple, so this will be a great blessing to many of those Amazonians.

I took this picture when we were in the Amazon a little over a year ago. Later, I will provide pictures of the temple and the construction site, as they become more readily available.

World Map of LDS Temples

Latter-day Saint temples have been built, announced, and opened in many countries and across the United States. Please see this map (in pdf format) to see where temples are located!

LDS Temple in the Ukraine

Although it was announced back in 1998, the groundbreaking for this temple didn't happen until mid-2007. It is no under way and this is an artist's rendition of what the Church architects expect the building to look like.

The LDS Church has witnessed steady growth throughout Eastern Europe and Eurasia, but in particular in the Ukraine.

Missionaries have been in Ukraine since 1990, following the opening of the country to religious liberty.

This temple site occupies about 4 hectares in the Ukraine's capital region of Kiev.