APIA, Samoa — Construction crews placed the angel Moroni statue, salvaged after fire destroyed the Apia Samoa Temple in 2003, atop the reconstructed temple Jan. 25.
The first Apia Samoa Temple was dedicated in 1983 by President Gordon B. Hinckley and functioned until being closed in 2003 for renovation to expand the baptistry and other areas. The renovation was well under way and preparations were being made for rededication when it was destroyed by fire on July 9, 2003.
After the fire, local members saw the statue — which shown forth gold, not smoke-blackened at morning's first light — as a symbol of hope that a new temple would once again grace their Pacific island nation.
Rebuilding of the temple began on Oct. 19, 2003, and is expected to be completed in 2005.
