Curitiba, Brazil Temple

(Photo from church website)

In 2002 the church announced a temple to be built in Curitiba, Brazil. Jason was so excited since this is where he served his mission from 1990-1992. Years passed and the construction of the temple was slow-going but we kept up with the progress and planned to go. Last summer when President Faust died I was struck by something President Hinckley said at his funeral. He spoke of President Faust's love for Brazil where he too had served as a missionary (one of the first in 1938). President Hinckley spoke of how President Faust had looked forward to attending the dedication with President Hinckley and now that would not happen. As I heard those words I realized that visiting Brazil would be a once in a lifetime experience. In the few days we were in Curitiba we visited the temple several times. I was disappointed that the temple open house had ended by the time we arrived but we were still able to give ourselves a self-guided tour since the doors were open as workers completed all the last minute work prior to the dedication. The interior blew me away. The lighting and artwork were particularly stunning.

My favorite view was from the back of the temple. These trees are all over Curitiba and are native to this part of the world. They are protected by law and cannot be removed. The location of the temple had to be adjusted to adapt to the location of this tree. I think it is absolutely stunning.

This detail work was everywhere throughout the temple--on the reception desk, the end of each row in the ordinance rooms, etc. I loved it.I couldn't get enough of the gorgeous Angel Moroni. It looked huge and was so brilliant. I also couldn't get enough of the trees. This is how the temple looked just days before the dedication. There were so many people at work. A whole team of church employees arrived from SLC on the same day we did to do all the finishing touches.

I never cease to be amazed at the miracle and beauty of our temples. Truly the house of the Lord. It was so exciting to watch the church members in Curitiba and see how grateful they were to have the blessing of a temple in their lives. Their closest temple is about 6 hours away so this is a huge blessing to them. I can still remember when our own temple was announced 9 years ago and how excited we were. As we walked through our self-guided tour I saw women from the area cleaning the temple. I was instantly transported back to my own temple, remembering how I too had carefully wiped down the gold leafing in the celestial room and marveled at the beauty of the chandeliers and the windows. Over 40,000 people visited the open house and over 2000 requested more information on the church. What a great time to be a missionary in Curitiba.