The first Fiji Temple Dedicatory Prayer - Published on June 24, 2000

 

President Gordon B. Hinckley with his wife, Marjorie Hinckley, at a meeting in Fiji

Following is the full text of the dedicatory prayer for the Suva Fiji Temple given by President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 18, 2000.

Almighty Father, Thou great Elohim, Thou who presides in the heavens and is the Father of all mankind, we Thy thankful children bow in reverence before Thee.

We are grateful for this day of dedication, that Thou hast favored us with a temple in this island nation. No longer will we have to travel far across the seas to do that work which Thou hast established as sacred and necessary for Thy Saints in this latter-day dispensation. Thou hast heard our prayers and hearkened to our entreaties that this blessing might come to us. How beautiful is Thy house, O Lord. How wonderful is the great plan of happiness for Thy children.

In the authority of the holy priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, we dedicate this the Suva Fiji Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unto Thee and unto Him. We consecrate unto Thee the grounds on which this temple stands. We consecrate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We consecrate the beautiful baptistry, the ordinance rooms, the beautiful celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, and every other space and facility of Thy house. Protect it from intrusion by those who would defile it in any way. May it be a house of peace, a house of holiness, a house of God, sacred to all who look upon it.

Please, dear Father, accept it as the gift of our hands and our hearts. It is made possible through the faithful consecrations of Thy people throughout the world, and to each of them we express our gratitude. May our offerings help to establish other temples wherever they may be needed, that Thy people may partake of the ordinances of these holy houses, ordinances which are sacred, which are divine in their nature, and which are everlasting in their consequences.

Bless Thy faithful Saints everywhere. O Lord, deliver thy people from strife and contention. Prosper them in their affairs. Protect them from harm and evil.

Endow with power those who go forth from this house as Thine authorized servants to carry the message of the eternal gospel to the people of the world. Let Thy inspiration rest upon them. May the Holy Ghost be their companion. May they speak words of truth with great power. May they be protected from harm and evil.

Bless those who will serve in this house, receiving the eternal ordinances which will be administered here. May families here be sealed together for all eternity and may a knowledge of Thy divine purposes rest upon them and guide them in their labors. May they in very deed become saviors on Mount Zion.

We pray for those who direct the work here, the temple presidency and the matron and her assistants. May they not weary in the great responsibility that is theirs, but be granted strength and vitality to carry forward the work here to be performed. Bless all who labor with them as workers that each may be granted a spirit of service and consecration as they assist Thee in Thy great work of bringing immortality and eternal life unto Thy children of all generations.

We pray dear Father that these beautiful islands may be blessed with peace, that there shall be no abridgement of the great freedom of worship afforded by the government of this land. May Thy Saints be recognized as good citizens and may Thy work grow and flourish in this favored part of Thy vineyard.

Forgive our shortcomings of the past, and help us to rise above them as men and women of the covenant.

Almighty God, we acknowledge Thee as the giver of every good gift. We thank Thee. We pledge to Thee our love and service. We love Thee, our Eternal Father. We love Thy Divine Son, who gave His life for each of us. May we go forward as those who have taken upon ourselves His holy name with a pledge to keep His commandments, we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

'Fortress of faith' prompts brotherhood and tears - Published on June 24, 2000

SUVA, Fiji —

In spite of major political uncertainty, the Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sunday, June 18.

To protect Church members from potential danger, the First Presidency elected to conduct a small dedicatory service attended by members of the local temple committee and their families.

Members in Fiji gather for the temple open house. Despite internal political troubles, members of all ethnicities were unified in joy.

Among the guests in the dedicatory service, which was held in the celestial room of the temple, were 60 Latter-day Saints, both young and old. These included presidencies of the four stakes in Fiji and the newly called temple presidency and their wives. Another 20 Church members, from local Suva stakes, performed three choir selections which, because of their vocal excellence and spiritual power, brought many in the congregation to tears.

Following the dedication, President Hinckley described the great feeling of brotherhood that he felt in meeting with the members in Fiji.

"There was a great outpouring of the Spirit, matched by the feeling of good fellowship among those in attendance," he said.

Many present commented on the fact that indigenous Fijian Church members were mingling in love and unity with Indian members, despite the political unrest in the country.

During the visit, President Hinckley and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve set apart the temple president, Sitiveni Bale, his counselors and the matron and her assistants.

The Suva Fiji Temple is situated in prominent hills a few-minutes' drive above the Suva city center. The site of the temple, formerly owned by the Australian government, is near ambassadorial residences in the suburb of Samabula and has a commanding view of the city and the Pacific Ocean on three sides.

Pacific Islands Area President, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Seventy, said the hand of the Lord has been evident in the selection of the site from the beginning.

"President Hinckley first identified [the Samabula property] as the site for the temple in October of 1997," he said. "At that time the owners of the property seemed willing to sell it. Subsequently, they took it off the market. Though many efforts were made to acquire it, it was not available. Three other sites were identified and were about to be taken to the Brethren for approval when the original owner called and said that the property would be sold to the Church and at a very reasonable price."

Elder Cook quoted from the area history prepared by former Pacific Islands Executive Secretary, Elder Allen Christensen. The history records that, while preparing the site for construction, several large underground concrete bunkers were discovered. "They had been erected during World War II for the defense of Suva," wrote Elder Christensen. "Where once stood structures erected to resist [invasion] will now stand a fortress of faith, a House of the Lord . . . where the blessings of eternity can be given to the faithful."

Despite little publicity, thousands of Fijians, including many community leaders, participated in temple open house.

The Church was introduced to Fiji when Latter-day Saint families from Tonga and Samoa began to hold Church meetings in Suva. The first missionaries, Elders Boyd L. Harris and Sheldon L. Abbott, organized the Suva Branch on Sept. 5, 1954. Work proceeded slowly because of the multiple languages spoken in Fiji and the availability of only two missionary visas at one time.

In January 1955, President David O. McKay had an aircraft layover in Suva. While meeting with the small group of Church members and missionaries, he urged the building of a meetinghouse. Anticipating great future growth, the meetinghouse that was later built was nearly the size of a stake center. Three hundred attended dedicatory services for the new meetinghouse in 1958. About that time, the number of missionaries serving here was increased by six.

Church growth was fostered when a Church school was established in 1969. In 1975, the LDS Fiji Technical College was opened.

Elder Holland, who was then Church Commissioner of Education, dedicated the college. He described his feelings at being in Fiji on two significant occasions in the history of the Church in this island nation.

"I feel most honored to have participated in the dedication of both the school and now the temple," he said.

The Suva Fiji Stake was organized on June 12, 1983. At year-end 1983, membership in Fiji was 2,722. Today, there are more than 14,000 members in four stakes and two districts. The size of the Suva Fiji Temple district is much larger at 23,117 because the temple also serves members in the nearby island nations of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu.

The First Presidency made the decision to proceed with a low-key dedication just a few days before the event. This followed a public open house which, in spite of little publicity, and a deliberately unobtrusive approach, attracted 16,423 members of the general public, 300 community leaders and 304 neighbors and contractors.

Elder Cook, accompanied by Blake Rosenvall of the Temple Department and Alan Wakely of the Pacific Public Affairs Department, conducted the spoken tours for community leaders and neighbors. "We had the privilege of taking a large number of visitors through the temple," said Elder Cook.

"As they entered the temple they initially showed the evidence of the political crisis that exists in Suva. But, as we took them through the temple, we saw the cares of the world melt away and, by the time they reached the Celestial Room, you could tell that they were experiencing something very special.

"One person, an Indian woman who had been a member of parliament, stood against the wall and as she looked around the Celestial Room she closed her eyes, obviously in prayer, and great big tears ran down her cheeks."

According to Sister Lolene Adams, a Church Educational System missionary, who, with her husband, Elder Ron Adams, helped to organize the special-guest tour program, these feelings were echoed in the comments of many others who visited during the six-day open house period.

"Three high-ranking military men came through and were very quiet and reserved when they viewed the introductory video," she said. "I spoke with the second-in-command and asked how he felt when he looked in the reflections in the mirrors in the celestial room. He said he had studied eternal life for many years and had never understood it but when he looked in the mirrors it all came clear to him and he was excited."

Sister Adams said the senior officer asked if they could bring the full military council back if it were possible. "Because of the strife in Fiji, he felt that the temple was a place they could come and close out the outside world . . . and find peace."

Changing public attitudes toward the Church is often one of the major results of a temple open house. On Saturday, June 10, three busloads of members and people of other faiths came from the village of Toga to go through the temple. Sister Alanieta Logavatu, who is a member of the Toga Branch of the Nausori Fiji Stake, described a remarkable change in one lady who had previously held strong views against the Church.

"As she got off the bus, she said she had this wonderful feeling," said Sister Logavatu. "The feeling became stronger as she made her way towards the temple and then went through the video presentation. She remembered all those unkind things she had said about the LDS Church and started to pray earnestly for forgiveness before entering the temple."

As she was relating this account to Sister Logavatu, after having gone through the temple, she could not hold back the tears. "Before she left she told me, 'Today I know this is the Lord's true Church. Please send the missionaries.' What a wonderful blessing the temple open house has been," said Sister Logavatu.

Temple committee coordinator Paul Whippy said that there was a wonderful feeling of unity, peace and love associated with the preparations for the temple open house and dedication. "We could have had a great many problems," said Brother Whippy, who is also president of the Suva Fiji Stake. "The military authorities could have told us to stop our efforts. However, the Spirit of the Lord has been with us in our planning and implementation."

President Whippy said that while "we felt worried about the surrounding events, we just felt confident that it would go well, no matter what was happening in the community." 

'Warm spirit' prevails - Published on May 22, 1999

SUVA, Fiji — 

Elder Earl M. Monson of the Seventy and second counselor in the Pacific Island Area presidency broke ground May 8 to symbolically commence the construction of the Suva Fiji Temple — the most significant event for the Church in the island nation since it began operations here in the 1950s.

The temple, announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley during the 1998 April general conference, will serve the members in Fiji and nearby island nations, including Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu.

In turning the first spade of earth at the site, which is in a picturesque location not far from the downtown area of Fiji's capital city, Suva, Elder Monson told an audience of more than 500 Church members and local dignitaries, "It will be a privilege for many of you to watch as the temple grows from where we are today to a beautiful structure on this scenic hillside."

Elder Monson said the temple will stand as a reminder of the intention God has for families to be eternal. "It will be wonderful for mothers and fathers to be able to point to this temple and say that this is where we were sealed for eternity and their families will have a sense of peace and assurance that will help them through difficult times," he said.

Referring to the great era of temple building initiated by President Hinckley, Elder Monson continued: "In many ways we are preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior to the earth, but equally important is that we are preparing family members to meet Him. It is wonderful to know the steps to be taken on the strait and narrow path, defined by the Savior, that lead to eternal life, and to know how families and the temple are interlocked with them."

Formerly owned by the Australian government, the site was identified by President Hinckley in October 1997 as the preferred location for the temple. With views of the Pacific Ocean from three sides of the property, the land is located at one of the highest points in Suva.

After almost a week of rain, some were concerned the weather and site conditions were not conducive for the groundbreaking ceremony. However, for the one hour of the ceremony there were nothing more than a few sprinkles of rain. Gathered around a temporary shelter, the members and their guests stood on wide swathes of protective material to stop their feet from sinking into the ground as they listened to two Suva stake presidents, Paul Whippy and Josefa Sokia, and Elder Monson describe why the building was of such significance to both members of the Church and the people of Fiji.

In spite of cloudy skies and wet grounds, reported Elder Monson, "a warm and wonderful spirit prevailed and all felt a deep sense of gratitude for the wonderful opportunity of having a new temple."

After Elder Monson's remarks and his site dedicatory prayer, Church leaders and members walked a few yards up an incline on the property to break the ground at the exact point the 10,000-square-foot temple will be located. Assisting Elder Monson were local priesthood leaders. Children and other local members also participated in breaking the soil.

There are 11,000 members of the Church in Fiji. Members from the four stakes located on the main island of Viti Levu and the two districts located on the nearby island of Vanua Levu, presently travel to temples in Tonga, Samoa or New Zealand to participate in temple ordinances.

In addition to the temple, Suva city officials gave permission for the construction of a stake center on the new site when such a facility is deemed necessary.

Eighteen chapels and two Church-operated schools are located in Fiji.

Temple moments: Strengthened families strengthen Church - Published on Jan 31, 2004

PORT VILA, Vanuatu —

In June 2000, on the 10th anniversary of their marriage, Katimal and Mariella Kaun, and their daughters, Raizza and Leizan, were sealed in the Fiji Suva Temple.

Tony Mahid, who with his wife, Marian, and their children, was among first ni-Vanuatu members to attend the Fiji temple.

The Kauns are examples of the many families in this archipelago nation who have been strengthened by the Church, and now strengthen the Church. Once known as New Hebrides, Vanuatu, with about 2,000 members, dots the west South Pacific about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Australia.

The Kauns' joyous sealing event contrasted sharply to a marriage that only a few years earlier, before they joined the Church, was all but over. Brother and Sister Kaun, anchors for the Church in Port Vila, said gospel principles saved their marriage. At that time, the prospect of their daughters being reared by both loving parents was remote.

"My concern was for the two little girls we had," explained Katimal Kaun, a college-educated administrator for UNICEF.

He said that after four years of marriage, "Love was not there any more. We were faithful, but we had no more feelings for each other. I prayed to Heavenly Father to find a way that these little girls could be taken care of. But I did not expect we would come together again."

He experienced a sense of peace through prayer, and knew there must be a way, somewhere. Two months later, his younger brother who had joined the Church brought in missionaries "to help us understand marriage, eternal marriage."

As the missionaries taught, she sat alone on one side of the room, he alone on the other side. After the lesson, the missionaries "spent three hours answering questions."

Couple missionaries met with them to help resolve their differences, and they were given a manual, "Achieving a Celestial Marriage."

"I just knew there would be a marvelous change take place," he said. "After the fourth or fifth lesson, we were sitting together again."

They were baptized on the same day, March 7, 1997, and "we both began to strive to keep the covenants we made during baptism," he said. Within a few months, he was serving in the branch presidency, then as branch president, then as district president's counselor. He is now president of the Port Vila 1st Branch. Sister Kaun, a business owner, is director of public affairs for the Church in Vanuatu.

The Kauns, said President Paul G. Hilliman of the Port Vila Vanuatu District, are among a select group of about a fourth of the 2,000 members in the district who have gone to the temple.

Ro Teimumu Kepa says Fiji LDS Temple is Beautiful

Leader of Fiji's Opposition Party and Paramount Chief of the Burebasaga after visiting Suva Fiji Temple

16 FEBRUARY 2016 — POSTED BY NEWSROOM STAFF

One of the approximately 22,000 dignitaries and members of the public who have recently toured the Suva Fiji Temple is the leader of Fiji’s Opposition Party and Paramount Chief of the Burebasaga Confederacy, Ro Teimumu Kepa.

After her visit, Ro Teimumu said, “It’s beautiful inside!”

She added, “I wish you all the best in your ventures here in Fiji. We have many souls that are out there, waiting to be saved. I hope you will be able to get out there. They don’t know that they are waiting to be saved. I hope that you will able to do something for them."

This Saturday (20 February) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host a cultural celbration at Suva's ANZ Stadium featuring around 1,500 young performers.

The following day (Sunday 21 February) the Suva Fiji Temple will be re-dedicated. It was orginally dedicated in 2000 but has been closed for major renovations for over a year.

View photographs of the exterior and interior of the temple at Mormon Newsroom.

Watch a video about temples:

Church and Government Representatives Discuss Ways to Increase Self-Reliance in Fiji

12 FEBRUARY 2016 — POSTED BY NEWSROOM STAFF

Maria Senikuraciri is one of several individuals benefiting from the services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Self Reliance Centre in Suva, Fiji.

This week Maria met Fiji's Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon Laisenia Bale Tuitubou, when he and other government officials hosted Church representatives at a meeting to dicuss self-reliance.

“Self reliance is something that all youths of Fiji should be taught,” Minister Tuitubou said.

Accompanying the Hon Minister were other Ministry officials: Mr Iowane Soko; Mr Phillip Hereniko; Ms Venina Waqa; and Mr Kolinio Saukuru.

Ned Taito, manager of the Latter-day Saints' Fiji Self-Reliance Centre, along with missionary couples who support the work in Fiji, represented the Church at the meeting.

During the meeting Maria Senikuraciri shared with the Hon Minister and others in attendance that the self-reliance resources she has been exposed are helping her achieve her education and career goals.

Watch a Mormon Channel video about self-reliance:

History of the LDS Church in Fiji

Located in western South Pacific, the republic of Fiji has a population that speaks English, Hindustani, and Fijian. The archipelago has 322 islands, of which 106 are inhabited. Between 1874 and 1970 Fiji was a British colony. It gained independence on 10 October 1970.

The first known Latter-day Saint in Fiji was Mele Vea Ashley and her family, who joined the Church in Tonga and moved to Fiji in 1924. There are no records of missionary activity in Fiji prior to the 1950s. Fiji was officially assigned to the New Zealand Mission in 1953, but no missionaries were ever sent. In the 1950s, the Ashley family was joined by the Cecil B. Smith family. Together they held Church meetings in Suva.

On 21 May 1954 the area was reassigned to the Samoan Mission. Mission president Howard B. Stone sent Boyd L. Harris and Sheldon L. Abbott to begin working in Suva. They arrived on 3 September 1954. Missionaries were limited by the multiple languages spoken in Fiji and by a limit of two missionary visas.

Between 22-24 January 1955 President David O. McKay had a layover in Suva during a tour of the South Pacific. On this segment of his trip he was accompanied by President Stone. He met with the missionaries, and attended Sunday services. Twenty-eight people attended that day. The Suva Branch was organized on 7 October 1956 with John A. Bigelow as president. The Fiji District was created in 1957 with missionary Cornell A. Grover as president. Fiji was placed in the Tonga Mission on 15 January 1958. The Tongan mission president regularly passed through Fiji in his travels and new missionaries assigned to Tonga always passed through Fiji. When President McKay dedicated the Suva Branch meetinghouse on 4 May 1958, over 300 were in attendance. Afterwards, the quota of missionaries was increased by six and missionary work began in Lomaloma in the Lau Island group on 18 February 1959 and in Lautoka, Fiji's second largest town, on 9 October 1959.

Gideon Dolo was the first Fijian to serve a mission. He began his service in February 1959 and served locally. Missionary work was begun in other villages during the 1960s and membership gradually increased. Educational efforts were also strengthened. In 1969, a Church primary school was begun with classes held in the Suva Branch meetinghouse. In 1973, it had more than 100 students.

The Fiji Mission (later renamed the Fiji Suva Mission) was created on 23 July 1971, with Sherman A. Lindholm as president. The Fiji District was divided on 8 October 1972 to form the Suva and Vualiku districts.

President Spencer W. Kimball presided over the Fiji Area conference held in the Suva Civic Center on 23 February 1976. Later that year, the Church's Fiji Technical College began holding classes on 10 July 1976. The first copies of the Book of Mormon in Fijian arrived on 29 October 1980. The two districts in Suva were combined into one on 14 March 1982 and the Suva Fiji Stake was organized on 12 June 1983. A milestone was reached on 15 June 1997 when the 100th stake in the Pacific, the Suva Fiji North Stake, was organized.

On 15 October 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Fiji and spoke to 10,000 people in the National Stadium in Suva. In May 2000, because of political unrest, all missionaries serving in or near the city were transferred to the west side of the island. Later, because of continuing civil unrest, missionaries and mission leaders who were not Fijian citizens were temporarily relocated to New Zealand, leaving missionaries native to Fiji to continue the work. Only a small service was held when the Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated on 18 June 2000. On 21 May 2001, President Hinckley, while returning home from Australia, made a return visit to Fiji. With only 12 hours' notice, 900 Latter-day Saints throughout the island packed a stake center for a 40- minute meeting.

On 21 October 2001, the prime minister of Fiji, Laisania Qarase and his wife, Lemba, attended the Suva Fiji Stake Conference, and expressed appreciation for the good work the Church is doing for the people of Fiji. With a grant from Church Humanitarian Services, members in the Nausori Fiji Stake built a greenhouse where seedlings could grow without being destroyed by rains or the sun. By July 2002, members were enjoying nutritious food and selling the extra.

In 2002, membership reached 13,228 among four stakes; and 13,563 in 2003.

Members observed the Church's golden jubilee with a three-day celebration of culture, service and spirituality 10-12 December 2004 in a festive atmosphere that penetrated the islands and villages for several months. Bearing signs designating the five decades of missisonary work in Fiji, returned missionaries and those serving at the time in the Suva Jiji Mission marched onto the field at the Fiji National Outdoor Stadium carrying a mission flag and a national flag, creating an emotional scene for many.

Sources: R. Lanier Britsch, Unto the Isles of the Sea, 1986; Fiji Suva Mission, Annual history and historical reports, Church Archives; Sarah J. Weaver, "Pacific Area Reaches Milestone with 100th Stake," Church News, 19 July 1997; Richard Hunter and Alan Wakely, "Fortress of Faith Prompts Brotherhood and Tears," Church News, 24 June 2000; Alan Wakely and Richard Hunter, "Gospel Shines in Faces of Members in Fiji," Church News, 26 May 2001; Neil K. Newell, "Church Farm in Fiji Offers Hope," Church News, 8 February 2003; "50 years in Fiji," Church News, 18 December 2004.

Gospel shines in faces of members in Fiji - Published on May 26, 2001

Throwback to the First Temple Dedication

 NADI, FIJI — 

"Make the Church shine in Fiji," President Gordon B. Hinckley told some 900 members in a packed stake center here May 21. His visit was especially meaningful because members were not invited to the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple last June because of civil unrest.

Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley greets members in Fiji. To their delight, the Church president visited while returning from Perth Australia Temple dedication.

"The gospel shines through your faces. It makes you look so attractive, wonderful. Stay that way. Stay with the Church. Let everything that you do bring credit and honor to the Church of which you are a member and the Lord will bless you, magnify you.

"Let there be no animosity among you, but only love, regardless of race, regardless of circumstances. Let us love one another as the Lord would have us do."

"God bless you, my beloved associates in this great work," the Church president said. "May He smile with favor upon you. May you know that the Lord loves you and may each of us seek to live according to the pattern which He has established. It is such a wonderful thing to realize that in this island, out in the middle of the Pacific, there lives a body of Latter-day Saints, men and women of great faith and testimony."

President Hinckley stopped in Fiji for the member meeting while returning from Australia following the Sunday, May 20, dedication of the new Perth Australia Temple. With only about 12 hours notice, Latter-day Saints gathered from throughout the island for the 40-minute meeting, during which many were moved to tears at seeing the prophet.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who accompanied President Hinckley, delivered a brief message. He rejoiced with the local saints in the fact that this is the dispensation of the fullness of times. All the people of God since the beginning of time have looked forward to this dispensation, said Elder Holland, noting that this is the dispensation when all the truths and ordinances of the gospel have been restored. He also bore his testimony of the prophetic calling of President Hinckley.

Speaking of political unrest that plagued the island country in June 2000, President Hinckley said, "I hope that after the trouble of the coup that there is a more settled feeling here, and that peace will reign in this land, and that the Lord will smile with favor upon you and increase your blessings."

Take advantage of the beautiful Suva Fiji Temple, he admonished. "I hope that somehow the boys and girls 12 years of age and older are able to go to that House of the Lord and there be baptized for the dead. They will never forget that experience if they do it.

"And you fathers, you men who hold the priesthood, I hope there is not a father here who does not resolve within his heart to take his wife to that temple, there to be sealed for time and all eternity. There is nothing else like it. No other Church in all the world has anything approaching this. It is unique with this Church. And what a glorious and marvelous opportunity that is."

President Hinckley urged fathers and mothers to treasure their children. "They are the most precious gift you have. Love them. Take care of them. Help them. Encourage them and lead them. Let them grow up in righteousness and faith before the Lord. Fathers, treat your wives with great respect and love."

Wives, be kind to your husbands, he added. "They need a little help and you can give it. You are the only one who can give it.

"We have this beautiful chapel here. It is a great honor to the Church to have this beautiful building here. It is clean. It is bright. It is what a chapel in the Church ought to be, and I congratulate you, so take care of it. I congratulate the stake presidency and the bishoprics, with all you have to do with the leadership of the Church here. Do a great work. Walk in faith before the Lord.

"I hope you are paying your tithes and offerings. The Lord cannot bless you unless you are obedient to His commandments. I hope, therefore, that you pay your tithes and offerings. Be they large or small, be honest with the Lord, and He will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings upon you that there will not be room enough to receive them."

Expressing love to the members, President Hinckley continued: "We know that you pray for us, and I want to tell you that we pray for you that the the Lord will bless you, comfort you, strengthen you and sustain you, my beloved brethren and sisters. May the blessings of heaven be with you. May there be peace, love and harmony in your homes, and may you find the great blessings of your lives coming here to your chapels to worship the Lord according to the testimonies which you carry in your heart.

"You know that this gospel is true just as surely as I know that."

Fiji Temple Open House Attracts 12,000 Visitors the First Week, Ends on Saturday

Samabula, Suva -

With only four days left for the public to tour the Suva Fiji Temple, individuals and families are flocking to see the beautifully refurbished building set on the hill.

Over 12,000 people have taken advantage of this unique opportunity, for anyone who would like, to go inside a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Many government, faith, and community leaders have toured the temple and some have returned bringing their families and friends

The open house is free and does not require advance reservations or tickets. All ages are welcome. The temple will be open to the public through Saturday, 6 February.

On Saturday, 20 February the public and members of the media are invited to attend a cultural celebration at 3:00 p.m. at the ANZ Stadium. The program features music and dance by Latter-day Saint youths and friends of other faiths from around Fiji.

The temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday, 21 February by Church leaders.