On a weekend that included both hot, searing sunshine and intense rainstorms, nothing could deter the happiness of the people to see the dedication of the Davao Philippines Temple by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“I have found the faithful Filipino Saints resilient, cheerful, exemplary. If I could spend eternity with people like the faithful Saints in the Davao temple district, I would count myself eternally blessed,” Elder Renlund said.
A series of milestones marked the Sunday, May 3, dedication. This is the 215th house of the Lord for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the fifth in the Philippines and the first on the country’s southernmost island of Mindanao.
And at the end of this month, a sixth temple will be dedicated in the Philippines, with nine more in various stages of planning in a country of more than 905,000 Latter-day Saints, the fourth-largest in the worldwide Church.
More than these numbers are the blessings that will come to the individual lives of Latter-day Saints through the covenants they make inside the house of the Lord, Elder Renlund said.
With a temple in Davao, he said, the Latter-day Saints can attend and worship more often, but not to cloister themselves from the world. “What we do in the temple gives us strength outside the temple.”
Visit the Church News to read more about the Davao Temple dedication.
More articles for you:
▶ How 3 moms used imperfect situations to point their children to Christ
▶ 4 empowering quotes for a Mother’s Day tribute
▶ What Elder Stevenson says to do when you’ve reached the ‘deep end’ of your faith
