Following are excerpts from the dedicatory prayer for the Reno Nevada Temple given by President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, on April 23, 2000. The full text of the prayer can be found on the Church News Web site:

www.ldschurchnews.com"May Thy watch care be over it. May it stand against the storms of nature. May no unholy hand defile it in any way. We pray that the divine presence of this house in this community may be felt by all who pass by, that it may be looked upon with respect and appreciation.

"Bless all who enter the portals of this structure that they may be worthy to come here as Thy Saints. May they do so with reverence and with a desire to promote Thy work in behalf of Thy children of all generations. May the youth who come to be baptized in behalf of those who have passed beyond the veil of death feel of Thy Holy Spirit and never forget the importance of the sacred work which they perform. May it have a beneficent effect upon their lives. . . .

"Dear Father, bless all who have made possible this beautiful structure. May they gain satisfaction from the knowledge that they have had a part in creating this sacred edifice. May they recognize that it is no longer simply a building, but rather a house consecrated unto Thee and Thy Beloved Son, a place of holiness, a sanctuary of faith.

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We pray for the nations of the earth that there may be peace among them. We pray for this nation of which we are a part that it may remain a bastion of freedom and that the great purposes of the founding fathers may be realized in blessings upon the heads of its citizens. . . ."

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