Below is the text to the prayer offered by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate the Mendoza Argentina Temple on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.
O God, our Eternal Father, the great Elohim, we come before Thee this Sabbath Day with gratitude and reverence for Thee and Thy temple, what will be the fourth operating temple in Argentina. We are honored to be in Thy holy house; to be disciples of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ; to be members of His restored Church; and to be blessed with knowledge and testimony of Thy eternal plan.
We thank Thee, Father, for our Savior and His ministry, His revelations, example and teachings and His love. We will be forever grateful for His infinite Atonement that opened the gates of salvation for all Thy children and for His glorious Resurrection. His words, “come, follow me,” give meaning and purpose to our lives.
We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith, for his courage and commitment, for the gospel and the ordinances of the temple restored through him. We thank Thee for the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, translated by the Prophet Joseph by the power of God, and for the keys of the priesthood restored to him by ancient prophets.
By divine design, President Russell M. Nelson, our living Prophet, holds and exercises those priesthood keys. We rejoice in this dedication of a long-awaited house of the Lord, the fourth in this nation and the 197th temple in operation in the world.
Now, at the direction of President Nelson and by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and my office in the holy apostleship, we dedicate to Thee and Thy Beloved Son the Mendoza Argentina Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We dedicate the land where this temple stands near the foothills of the Andes Mountains. We pray Thou wilt protect the structure and its grounds from harm by natural disasters or those with evil intent. We dedicate the interior, including the baptistry, initiatory and endowment rooms, celestial room, sacred sealing rooms and the holy altars. We also dedicate the stake center and ancillary buildings.
We dedicate ourselves to Thee. May all who enter, recommended to the Lord, worship in the temple with “holiness of heart” and “holiness to the Lord.” May this temple be a sanctuary from the world and its ways. May Thy peace and hope of life eternal lift those with heavy hearts, soften the hardships they carry, and may Thy youth who enter herein feel encircled in the arms of Thy love.
We pray the people in the Mendoza temple district will be drawn to the gospel as the Spirit of the Lord attends the temple and settles over this land. May we, as we make and keep sacred covenants, be found gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. With increased spiritual strength received in the temple may we be missionary-minded, sharing the gospel with neighbors and friends. We pray that those who attend the Mendoza Argentina house of the Lord will be lifted through their promises and covenants higher than the beautiful Andes Mountains.
We offer a special blessing upon the youth in the temple district, the rising generation, from Primary age to young adult, that they will be protected from the evil designs of the adversary, and be drawn to the light and truth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We pray to hold in remembrance the blessed Spirit we felt this day. We rejoice, Father, in the dedication of this temple, cradled in the arms of Thy prophets, and now dedicated to Thee.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
