By DANIEL HODSON
Daniel@newsroom.byu.edu
The new Kona Hawaii Temple is making it more convenient for approximately 11,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to attend the temple.
Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai and Lanai members were previously attending the temple in Laie, which was dedicated by President Heber J. Grant, Nov. 27, 1919 and was the first temple outside Utah since the Nauvoo Temple.
'It's about time that we got a temple on the big island,' said Catherine Sakamaki. 'It costs about $100 to go the Laie temple, and when I was a teen-ager, we could only go once a year.'
The two principal stakes on Hawaii Island are the Kona and Hilo stakes. Those not from the island of Hawaii will still have to fly or take a boat, but at a cheaper cost.
Some BYU students not from Hawaii have friends or relatives who will benefit from the new temple.
Senior football player Donny Atuaia said, 'I've got relatives in Maui, and it'll be a lot easier and convenient for them to go now.'