A visitor, trying to capture her experience after attending the Vancouver British Columbia Temple open house, simply said: "There are no words to describe this temple."

After a successful open house, the Vancouver British Columbia Temple prepares for dedication May 2. — The Vancouver British Columbia Temple | Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Being in the temple and feeling of the great work that happens there "had a great impact on me," said the visitor.

She was one of more than 40,000 people who toured the newly completed temple — the Church's 131st temple and the seventh in Canada — between April 7 and April 24.

Located in Langley, the temple will serve about 22,000 Church members from 91 congregations in British Columbia and northern Washington state.

Elder Paul D.M. Christensen, an Area Seventy and chairman of the local temple committee, said the open house exceeded expectations.

"This has been tremendous," he said.

One indication of that was the comment cards filled out by temple visitors, he added.

"This is exactly what I needed to turn my life around," said one visitor.

Another visitor wrote, "We started to cry as soon as we saw the temple when we were driving up."

Other visitors said touring the temple helped them understand Latter-day Saint doctrine better. Another group wrote about the construction and beauty of the temple. A less active family said it made them want to recommit to the gospel.

"The Celestial Room is so beautiful and I will never forget how much I could feel the Spirit and how close heaven felt," said one visitor.

Church members first arrived in British Columbia in 1875. Church growth in the area was slow at first but has steadily increased. Today, nearly 180,000 Latter-day Saints live in Canada.

sarah@desnews.com