LDS Temples Worldwide

Facts About LDS Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Temple Firsts

1. Through the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple, all temples had been built in the same state (or territory) as Church Headquarters: Ohio, Illinois, and Utah. The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple "brought to the people."

2. The Cardston Alberta Temple was the first temple constructed outside of the United States (its states and territories).

3. The Bern Switzerland Temple was the first temple constructed in Europe.

4. The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was the first temple constructed in the Southern Hemisphere.

5. The São Paulo Brazil Temple was the first temple constructed in South America.

6. The Tokyo Japan Temple was the first temple constructed in Asia.

7. The Johannesburg South Africa Temple was the first temple constructed in Africa.

8. The first temple to be built in a nation under Communist rule was the Freiberg Germany Temple.

9. The Ogden Utah Temple was the first temple dedicated in the state of Utah. (Utah gained statehood on January 4, 1896. Four temples—including the Salt Lake Temple—had already been dedicated in Utah Territory.)

10. The Mesa Arizona Temple was the first temple to present ordinances in a language other than English. The ordinances were administered in Spanish in 1945.

11. The Bern Switzerland Temple was the first temple to not have English as its predominant language.

12. Endowments for the dead were performed for the first time in the St. George Utah Temple.

13. The first temple constructed with the idea of using a film rather than live acting to present the endowment was the Bern Switzerland Temple.

14. The first completed "smaller-and-remote-area" temple of the Church as conceived by President Gordon B. Hinckley was the Monticello Utah Temple.

15. The Vernal Utah Temple was the first temple to be converted from an existing building.

16. The Cardston Alberta Temple was the first for which the First Presidency invited architects to submit their original designs. (All previous designs had been received by direct revelation.)

17. Elder Boyd K. Packer dedicated the Regina Saskatchewan Temple—the first 20th century temple to be dedicated by an apostle who was not a member of the First Presidency.

18. The St. Paul Minnesota Temple was the first temple dedicated in the year 2000.

19. On November 14, 1999, the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple and Regina Saskatchewan Temple became the first two temples dedicated on the same day.

20. The Logan Utah Temple was the first temple built with a progressive room scheme for presentation of the endowment.

St Patrick Wishes

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.

May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.

May you have:
A world of wishes at your command
God and his angels close at hand
Friends and family their love impart,
And Irish blessings in you heart.

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all to few
And Heaven is overflowing.

No More Noble Work

No more sacred word exists in secular or holy writ than that of mother. There is no more noble work than that of a good and God-fearing mother.

The nurture of children is a monumental responsibility and a glorious one. President Ezra Taft Benson reminded us, "Motherly teaching takes time—lots of time.” Good mothering involves body, mind, and spirit. And because it does, each of us must choose how to spend our time in fulfilling this eternal responsibility. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are warned, "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength.”

Sisters, focus on what you can do as a mother in the time that you have. Mothering does take lots of time, but you can't do everything. So, prayerfully consider your family's needs and personalities. Prioritize your tasks according to your circumstances. Then, attend to those needs as best you can in the time you have. Value your family time because it is priceless. Do the best you can. If you've honestly done your best, then don't feel guilty. Just thank Heavenly Father for your family and your opportunity to serve, nurture, enjoy, and teach them.

You may have to let go of some tasks in order to spend your time on what matters most. Here are a couple of pieces of homespun advice from anonymous sources. You may have heard them before.

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow;
So quiet down cobwebs; dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby—and babies don't keep.

And this:

Cleaning the house
While the children are growing
Is like shoveling snow
While it's still snowing

Not every woman will marry. Not every woman will bear children. It is my sincere and heartfelt desire that those who are among that number are not hurt by all these comments about mothering and families. First, remember that all belong to a family. Second, mothering also can and must be done by aunts, sisters, cousins, and so on. We can strengthen families without being the mother.

Motherhood, a Noble Work

"Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.”

"Motherhood consists of three principal attributes or qualities: namely, (1) the power to bear, (2) the ability to rear, (3) the gift to love .... "This ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness, yes, longing to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, . . . deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.”

~~ David O. McKay ~~

The Plan of Salvation

The Father is the author of the Plan of Salvation; Jesus Christ is its chief advocate; the Holy Spirit helps carry it out, communicating God's will to men and helping them live properly.

Latter-day Saints believe that eons ago, God, in his infinite wisdom and never-ending mercy, formulated a plan whereby his children could experience a physical existence, including mortality, and then return to live in his presence in eternal felicity and glory. This plan, alternately called "the Plan of Salvation" (Jarom 1:2; Alma 42:5; Moses 6:62), "the plan of redemption" (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:25; 42:11), and the "great plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8), provided both the way and the means for everyone to receive salvation and gain eternal life. Eternal life is God's greatest gift to his children (D&C 6:13), and the Plan of Salvation is his way of making it available to them. Although the term "Plan of Salvation" is used repeatedly in latter-day scripture, it does not occur in the Bible, though the doctrines pertaining to it are discoverable in its pages.