By Janene Pack
janene@newsroom.byu.edu
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the completion of the Recife Brazil Temple and the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple.
The public has been invited to tour the two newly completed temples and attend the temple dedications that are taking place in mid-December.
President Gordon B. Hinckley of the LDS Church has said he wants to make the blessings of the temple more accessible to Latter-day Saints, according to a recent news release.
Many LDS members have had to travel considerable distances in Brazil to go to the temple said Don Russell, public affairs manager for Brazil.
Some members are used to a two to three day bus ride plus a boat trip, Russell said.
It truly is a blessing that these temples have been built, he said.
The Recife Brazil Temple is a larger temple to serve the large population base, Russell said.
The coast of Brazil is heavily populated, he said. There are quite a few members in Recife, especially since it is the church headquarters in northeast Brazil.
Public tours of the Recife Brazil Temple began Nov. 11 and will continue through Saturday, Dec. 2.
'The temple committee for the Recife Brazil Temple have a goal to attract 200,000 visitors,' Russell said. 'That is an incredible goal. We really are expecting a huge turnout.'
Public tours for the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple will begin Saturday and will continue through Dec. 9. No tours will be offered on Sunday.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple is a smaller temple because there are not as many members in that area, Russell said.
Following the public open houses, the temples will be formally dedicated.
Kim Farah, public spokesperson for the LDS Church said the Recife Brazil Temple will be dedicated on Dec. 15. There will be four separate dedicatory sessions. The temple will be open for member services on Dec. 16.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple will be dedicated on Dec. 17. There will also be four separate dedicatory sessions, and the temple will be open to the public on Dec. 18, Farah said.
Russell said final plans about who is performing the dedications have not been finalized.
The Montevideo Uruguay Temple was supposed to be dedicated with the temples in Brazil, but is not finished yet due to construction delays, Russell said.
The temple will probably be dedicated sometime in the first part of the new year, he said.