The First Presidency extended an invitation to the public to tour the recently renovated Suva Fiji Temple. The open house will be held from Monday, Jan. 25, through Saturday, February 6, excluding Sunday, Jan. 31.
Tours, consisting of a 10-minute video presentation followed by a 30-minute walking tour through the temple, will begin at the adjacent Fiji Service Centre. The temple is located at 2-20 Lakeba Street, Samabula, Suva.
The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported that Prime Minister Rear Admiral J. V. Bainimarama toured the temple Jan. 20. He was given a copy of his genealogy as a gift from the Church. Photos from his tour were posted on the Fijian Government Facebook page.
“We welcome everyone to come and see our temple,” said Vito Qaqa, a local Church leader who is overseeing the open house. “We look forward to sharing with visitors why Latter-day Saints consider temples our most sacred places of worship.”
Following the public open house, the temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday, Feb. 21. The rededication will be preceded by a cultural celebration featuring music and dance by LDS youth from around Fiji. They will be joined by their friends from other faiths. The event will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at ANZ Stadium. The media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The Suva Fiji Temple was originally dedicated in June 2000 and was closed in October 2014 for renovation. The temple serves more than 35,000 Latter-day Saints in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
The exterior of the 1,185-square-metre temple features granite from Italy. The building stands 65-feet high and is crowned with a gilded statue of the angel Moroni.
The colors and design motifs of the temple were inspired by the flowers, beaches and tropical forests of Fiji. The interior of the temple features original art glass and a hand-painted mural depicting the landscape and flora of the islands.