During the week of Aug. 23-29, the iconic San Diego California Temple was rededicated by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After recent wildfires in Spokane, Washington, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder Neil L. Andersen ministered to local Church members. Elder Gary E. Stevenson ministered to members in western Colombia after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently strengthened interfaith relationships in New York City, and Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with the vice president of Sierra Leone.
The Church News reported on the groundbreakings of three temples: the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple, Victoria British Columbia Temple and Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple.
In other temple news, open houses began for the Cody Wyoming Temple and Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. Dedication and open house dates were announced for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple, and a groundbreaking date was set for the Vienna Austria Temple.
On the week’s episode of the Church News podcast, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson talked alongside leaders of global humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations about blessing women and children.
Bishop Sean Douglas, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, testified at the Provo Missionary Training Center that “Jesus Christ will always be your strength.”
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. President Christofferson rededicates San Diego temple — a ‘visible, tangible testimony’ of the Redeemer
President Christofferson rededicated the San Diego California Temple on Sunday, Aug. 23, after three years of extensive renovations. He testified that the temple is “a tangible testimony” of Jesus Christ.
“If He was not resurrected, none of this makes sense — there’s no purpose in it. But if He is resurrected, this is a very critical and essential work.”
Read more about the San Diego temple’s dedication here.
Read President Christofferson’s rededicatory prayer here.
Watch a video about what this temple means to President Christofferson and local members.
2. President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen minister in Spokane after devastating wildfires
Weeks after three wildfires tore through north Spokane, Washington, President Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Andersen, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, traveled to the city to minister to members and help them feel the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on Sunday, Aug. 23.
President Uchtdorf said: “We’re all friends in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’re all brothers and sisters. When we heard about your suffering, your losses, your pain, your uncertainties, our hearts reached out to you.”
Read more about President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen in Spokane here.
Read how Spokane Latter-day Saints find faith and blessings in wildfire ashes.
3. After 7.4 earthquake, Elder Stevenson ministers in western Colombia and meets with mayor of Cali
Two weeks after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in western Colombia, Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with the mayor of Cali, Colombia, and ministered to local members of the Church on Aug. 24.
“The members in Cali are laboring in intense situations because of this natural disaster disrupting their lives but not dimming their faith,” Elder Stevenson wrote in an Aug. 26 social media post.
Read more about Elder Stevenson in western Colombia here.
4. ‘We do this because we love God,’ Elder Soares says while strengthening interfaith relationships in New York City
Elder Soares spent Friday, Aug. 21, meeting with local Christian and Jewish leaders in New York City to strengthen interfaith relationships.
“It was beautiful to see the relationship established between different communities and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Elder Soares said. “The most important thing to me was to recognize the connection we have with them.”
Read more about Elder Soares in New York City here.
Watch a video about this visit with interfaith leaders.
5. Elder Gilbert meets with vice president in first apostolic visit to Sierra Leone
Elder Gilbert, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, made his first visit to Sierra Leone, meeting with Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh in Freetown on Wednesday, Aug. 26. “We expect God to bless this country, and we will do our best to help in that,” said the Apostle.
The leaders discussed ways the Church and the Sierra Leonean government can work together to strengthen education in the country.
Read more about Elder Gilbert’s visit to Sierra Leone here.
6. Temple groundbreakings in Oklahoma, British Columbia and Idaho
Elder Pedro X. Larreal, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the Aug. 22 groundbreaking of the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple. “I know this temple is going to help this community,” he said.
That same day, Elder James E. Evanson, also a General Authority Seventy, presided over the groundbreaking of the Victoria British Columbia Temple. He said the structure will be a “beacon of peace.”
And on Saturday, Aug. 29, Elder Hutch U. Fale, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the groundbreaking of the Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple. Once built, he said, it will be “a symbol and source of peace” that Jesus Christ offers.
Read more about Tulsa Oklahoma Temple’s groundbreaking here.
Read more about Victoria British Columbia Temple’s groundbreaking here.
Read more about Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple’s groundbreaking here.
7. Temple news: Open houses begin in Wyoming and Guatemala, dedication planned in American Samoa, groundbreaking planned in Austria
The Cody Wyoming Temple’s public open house and the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple’s public open house both run Aug. 27 to Sept. 12.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple on Sunday, Dec. 13.
An Oct. 17 groundbreaking date was announced for the Vienna Austria Temple, to be presided over by Elder Michael Cziesla, a General Authority Seventy.
Read more about the Cody Wyoming Temple’s open house here.
Read more about the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple’s open house here.
Read more about the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple here.
Read more about Vienna Austria Temple here.
8. Church News podcast Episode 309: 3 years of miracles and cooperation that blessed 52 million women and children
On the Aug. 25 episode of the Church News podcast, President Johnson and other leaders of the Church’s Caring for Women and Children Initiative Consortium gave examples of the successes seen three years into this initiative.
President Johnson said, “We’re happy to have the opportunity to collaborate together to make miracles happen in the lives of women and children.”
Listen to the podcast episode here.
9. What a tired hummingbird taught Bishop Douglas about missionaries seeking Christ
Using a story of a hummingbird, in an Aug. 25 devotional in Provo, Utah, Bishop Douglas testified of what Jesus Christ offers. “In your exhaustion, you can land on Him, and He will always keep you safe,” he said.
He explained to the Provo MTC’s training missionaries how they can seek the Savior and share His light despite their imperfections.
