TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico -- "New life in the springtime" came to the members in this city as ground was broken for the Tuxtla-Gutierrez Chiapas Temple, said Elder Richard E. Turley Sr. of the Seventy and a counselor in the Mexico South Area presidency.
This was Mexico's seventh temple groundbreaking of the eight temples in the country that have been announced. Two other temples are operating in Mexico City and Colonia Juarez.Elder Turley, accompanied by his wife, Jean, presided, spoke and offered a site dedicatory prayer at the March 20 services for the temple that was announced less than a month earlier.
Tuxtla Gutierrez is the capital of Mexico's southernmost state, Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. The city is nestled in a valley among the mountains that cover much of this part of the isthmus. It was in 1957 on Mactumatza, a mountain overlooking the city, that Elder Howard W. Hunter, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Pres. Claudius Bowman of the Mexican Mission, dedicated this area for the preaching of the gospel.
Among the 297 local Church leaders, their wives and families in attendance at the groundbreaking were many three-generation members of the Church.
A multi-stake choir under the direction of Lilia Magro de Cruz performed five numbers. Others who spoke at the ceremony included presidents of the three Tuxtla Gutierrez stakes and the Arriaga District: Pres. Moises Ulloa Solis, Pres. Mario Alberto Morales Zebadua, Pres. Octavio Enrique Toledo Galdamez, and Pres. Crisoforo Savala. Bishop Enrique Sanchez Casillas, chairman of the groundbreaking committee, also offered remarks as did Sister Evelia Genesta de De Hoyos, wife of Benjamin De Hoyos of the Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez Mission.
On the evening previous to the groundbreaking, the new stake center in this city was dedicated. The temple will be built on the eastern end of the stake center property. It is now being called the "temple grounds" stake center.
Members in this area have been faithful temple attenders. Prior to the dedication of the Mexico City Temple, members here made the very long and difficult trip to Mesa, Ariz., some 2,200 miles. When the Mexico City Temple was dedicated in 1983, members still had to travel 15 hours by bus to Mexico City. When this temple is dedicated, most members will travel less than an hour to the temple.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Elder Turley observed that "the greatest gift we have received on this earth is the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But another great gift from the Lord is to have the essential keys to do temple work, which is essential to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord, and to help us gain eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
"We have much to accomplish during the next months before the temple is dedicated. We must prepare for the temple open house, and we must be ready to serve as participants, workers and leaders. We must also help maintain the temple and its grounds so its very appearance can be a blessing to the community."
In his site dedicatory prayer, Elder Turley petitioned that the members and leaders of the temple district receive "a special strength," and that the members would prepare themselves to be worthy to enter and participate in the temple's holy ordinances." He also asked that the temple district members "develop a culture of regular temple attendance to influence as many as possible to become involved in this glorious work."
In their remarks, the stake presidents spoke of the history of the Church in the Tuxtla Gutierrez area, the pioneer members, and the importance of carrying the spirit of temple worship into their homes.