In July 1978, a small group of Latter-day Saints gathered in a home as the local mission president dedicated the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte for the preaching of the gospel.
Some 47 years later, some of those same individuals, along with many others, gathered again — this time for the groundbreaking of the state’s first temple.
“Here today begins the greatest spiritual transformation this city has ever seen,” said Antonio Carlos Bastos Ferreira, who was present at the 1978 meeting and spoke at the temple groundbreaking.
Elder Mark D. Eddy, Second Counselor in the Brazil Area Presidency. presided at the event on May 17 and gave the dedicatory prayer over the land.
This construction will eliminate the five-hour round trip drive that currently stands between Natal residents and their nearest temple. Plans call for a 19,800-square-foot building on a 5.53-acre site.
The Natal Brazil Temple is one of 24 in the country, 10 of which are in the planning or construction stages. Approximately 1.5 million of Brazil’s 221.4 million people are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They comprise 2,073 congregations.
What is the significance of Latter-day Saint temples?
To Latter-day Saints, temples are the most sacred places on Earth. In temples, they make promises with God and participate in ordinances that they believe are necessary for salvation. Temples differ from meetinghouses, where Sunday services and other activities are held throughout the week.
“Time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord,” said President Russell M. Nelson at the most recent general conference. “Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of his coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.’”