The Yigo Guam Temple — soon to become the 171st operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — has begun its open house period prior to its May 22 dedication.
In conjunction with the public opening, the Church has released the first photographs from the temple’s interior.
And because of COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions that have closed most of the borders to other Micronesia and Northern Mariana islands, the open house is being taken to Latter-day Saints there in a what is being called by the ChurchofJesusChrist.org’s Guam/Micronesia site as an “Island Open House.”
Following the initial media tours that started Monday, May 2, the temple opens its doors to the general public on Wednesday, May 4. The open house continues through Saturday, May 14, with no tours on Sunday, May 8.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the May 22 dedication, with three dedicatory sessions set for 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. A Saturday, May 21, youth devotional will precede the dedication.
The new temple is in northeastern Guam, a U.S. territory located in the western Pacific Ocean. Until now, Latter-day Saints on Guam have been part of the Manila Philippines Temple district, a temple that is about 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) away.
‘Island Open House’
Latter-day Saints in what will be the Yigo Guam Temple district who are restricted by closed borders and unable to participate in an in-person tour during the open house are experiencing the new temple in a different way.
Display boards — one for each island — will include samples of different construction materials, with interior and exterior photos of the temples to add to the visual experience.
“The boards will be sent from Guam to be experienced during the virtual tour, giving those attending in the outer islands a feeling of connection to the temple,” the report said.
The islands of Palau, Saipan, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae will have their virtual open house events scheduled for either Friday, May 6, or Saturday, May 7, according to the respective island.
The temple dedication and youth devotional will be broadcast to the other islands.
Temple details
President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Guam during the October 2018 general conference.
The temple is located at the corner of Marine Corp Drive and Melalak Drive in Yigo, on a six-acre site on the northeastern area of the island of Guam, adjacent to Andersen Air Force Base. The grounds include lush tropical trees and more than 100 flowering trees and hundreds of decorative shrubs.
Nearly 6,900 square feet in size, the one-story temple features an end tower over an east-facing entry, with the exterior featuring a highlighted blend of natural Portuguese limestone called Moleanos along with the predominant beige stucco.
The temple houses a single instruction room and single sealing room, along with the baptistry and celestial room.
Located in the Church’s Asia North Area, Guam is home to about 2,500 Church members, five congregations and one mission, the Micronesia Guam Mission. Another 6,300 Latter-day Saints reside throughout Micronesia.
Ground was broken for the temple in Yigo on May 4, 2019 — the same day as groundbreakings for temples in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Praia, Cabo Verde. Elder Yoo Hwan Choi, a General Authority Seventy who at the time was president of the Asia North Area, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony in Yigo and dedicated the temple site.
The Yigo temple dedication will be the Church’s second in 2022, with the Rio de Janeiro Temple set for a May 8 dedication.
The Rio de Janeiro and Yigo temples will be the Church’s 171st and 172nd operating temples. The Church has 282 temples operating, under construction or announced.
Note: The “Island Open House” was originally called “a traveling open house” by reports on the Guam/Micronesia site of ChurchofJesusChrist.org. This article has been updated to reflect that change.
