Guayaquil Ecuador Temple Wiki

Description

History

Latter-day Saint Missionaries first entered Ecuador in 1965. Within a month, those first missionaries baptized nine people. The Ecuador Mission was officially organized in 1970, and there were already 1,000 members at that time. Only five years later, there were over 3,000 members in the country. Today, there are over 220,000. Many of these members have stories of great faith.

Before the temple in Ecuador was constructed, church members in Ecuador would travel three days by bus to attend the temple in Lima, Peru

Latter-day Saints in Ecuador have struggled economically, yet they often sacrificed to go to the temple in other lands before they had a temple in their own country. The León family overcame many financial challenges in order to attend the Lima Peru Temple. One member of the family stated, “Just seeing the temple from outside made me happy. But to be able to go inside and participate in the ordinances there — that was a real blessing.”^[1]Don L. Searle, “Ecuador,” Ensign, June 1992.

In Otavalo, Ecuador, is a stake (which is similar to a Catholic diocese) of Otavalo Indians (Otavaleños). This stake was organized in 1981 and was one of the first Mormon stakes in South America composed almost entirely of indigenous people. It was also the only stake in Latin America whose people spoke Quichua rather than Spanish.

Rafael Tabango was one of the first Otavalo Indians baptized. With money he earned laboring in a textile mill and harvesting crops, he faithfully paid his small amount of tithing (an amount of 10 percent of one’s income donated to the Lord and His work around the world). The Tabangos sacrificed much to go to the São Paulo Brazil Temple, where their family was sealed, or united, for eternity.

Another Otavaleño family, the Muñoz family, saved half of their $10 monthly income for more than a year to attend the Lima Peru Temple. Still, they had to sell some of their belongings and borrow $20. The Muñoz family knew that for Latter-day Saints to fully understand the blessings God has in store for them, temple attendance is important. “That’s why we are looking forward so much to having a temple in Ecuador,”^[2]Don L. Searle, “Ecuador,” Ensign, June 1992. the family said a few years before the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple was built.

Announced

In 1982, Spencer W. Kimball, then president of the LDS Church, announced that there would be an LDS temple built in Ecuador. It took fourteen years to secure the necessary government authorizations and the temple was not completed and dedicated until 1999.

Temple Site

The selection of the temple site was miraculous. Church leaders, including Gordon B. Hinckley, who was then a member of the First Presidency of the Church, had examined several possible sites with no luck. However, President Hinckley felt they should go back to the first site they had looked at. When they did, he had the feeling they needed to look beyond the trees and swampland that bordered the potential site. Beyond the swamp was a dirt road winding its way to a beautiful piece of property that provided views of the whole city. The groups’ eyes flowed with tears. They knew without a doubt this was the right site.^[3]”Guayaquil Ecuador Temple,” mormontemples.org, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 April 2015

Groundbreaking

On August 10, 1996, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles broke ground to commenc construction of the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple. He highlighted the significance and purpose of temples and explained the difference between temples and the meetinghouses members attend each week. He stated, “[Temples] are literally Houses of the Lord, places where the Only Begotten Son of the Father can come and dwell, and where are performed sacred ordinances, done only in the temple by the authorization of Heavenly Father.” He added that in temples “couples are united for eternity, not just for their earthly lives.” He then explained that the wonderful ordinances of the temple can be performed vicariously “for our ancestors who were not able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel during their sojourn on earth.”^[4]“Amid Tears, Ecuador Temple Ground Broken,” Church News, Aug. 17, 1996.

Open House

Prior to the dedication, an open house was held from 23 June – 17 July 1999. The Open House was free to all in the community, including government officials. Over one hundred thousand members and non-members participated in the open house.

Dedication

Theough the Guayaquil Temple was announced on March 31, 1982, it was not dedicated until August 1, 1999 — 17 years later.

The day before the temple’s dedication, at a gathering for Church members in the area, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley stated: “Prayers will be offered which cannot be offered under any other circumstance. Covenants will be made which cannot be made under any other circumstances. Blessings will be received which cannot be received under any other circumstances.”^[5]“Temple Dedicated in Guayaquil, Ecuador,” Ensign, Oct. 1999.

On August 1, 1999, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple in eight sessions. He commented to those in attendance, “This is a day of history. This is a day to be remembered by [Members] for many years to come, when for the first time in all of Ecuadorian history a temple will be dedicated to carry forward His eternal purposes. We are blessed, so richly blessed.” ^[6]Church News, October 1999, p. 74

In the dedicatory prayer, he declared, “With the completion of this house Thou hast given to the Saints of Ecuador every blessing of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”^[7]Guayaquil Ecuador Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Aug. 7, 1999.

Dedication Order

Closure

In 2020, the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[3]

Presidents

Lynn Shawcroft of Arizona was the first president to oversee the operations of the temple, serving from July 1999 to November 2002.

Details

The temple was built with Brazilian granite at a cost of US$14,456,000

Location

Amidst vibrant green hills in a suburb of Guayaquil rises the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple, the 58th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints in Ecuador attend this temple to worship God and find peace as they strive to draw closer to Him. On the 6.25-acre site, a fountain bubbles and tropical trees thrive.

The temple resides on a hill in Urdesa, a peaceful suburb of northern Guayaquil, Ecuador’s main port and most populous city.

Exterior

The exterior of the temple is clad in panels made from Asa Branca granite.

Interior

The Guayaquil Ecuador Temple has a total of 70,884 square feet (6,585.3 m2). Within it’s walls are four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms, a single baptistry and a Celestial Room