Groundbreaking ceremony of the project under the deep blue sky, surrounded by deep blue waters Tarawa Kiribati Shrine It took place on Saturday, November 2, and signaled the beginning of the construction phase of the Lord’s new home on a remote Pacific island.

The temple will serve more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints on two island nations (the Republic of Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands), both of which consist of atolls, island chains, and islets. Church members here must currently travel to the nearest house of Lords in Fiji and Hawaii to participate in temple worship and ordinances.

Elder Jeremy R. JaggiThe seventy-year-old and second advisor to the Presidium of the General Authority Pacific Region presided over the groundbreaking ceremony in Kiribati’s capital Tarawa, reciting a prayer describing the site and the construction process.

“Today, breaking the ground is symbolic of planting a giant coconut or breadfruit seed. It will produce the greatest harvest we have ever seen or can imagine for generations to come,” said Elder Jaggi.

“Settlers came to these islands thousands of years ago. They may have come to find a more peaceful place. They may have come for more freedom. They may have arrived because rocky reefs provide greater protection against storms and tides.

“The temple to be built at this spot will provide great protection against the storms of life,” promised Elder Jaggi.

And in prayer, Elder Jaggi associated Kiribati with God’s promise. 2 Nephi 29:7: “I remember those who are in the islands of the sea, and I rule over the heavens above and the earth below; and I speak my word to the children of men, yea, even to all the nations on the earth.”

Elder Jaggi was accompanied by his wife, Sister Amy Jaggi. Elder Iotua Tune, District Seventieth in the Pacific Region, performed live-streamed services to people gathered in meetinghouses in Kiribati.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by the President of Kiribati, Her Excellency Taneti Maamau, and the First Lady, Madam Teiraeng Maamau, and the President of Kiribati made statements.

Other guests included the house’s spokesman, Mr. Willie Tokataake; Her Excellency Ms Karen Bray, Australian High Commissioner; His Excellency Mr André van der Walt, High Commissioner to New Zealand; and His Excellency Mr. Zhou Limin, Ambassador of China.

“The long-standing partnership between the government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has enabled us to nurture faith, build communities, and ensure peace and security for our people,” President Maamau said in his speech.

The president shared that during his visit with President Russell M. Nelson in 2018, he requested that a temple be considered for Kiribati because he was concerned that “our people seek the sacred blessings (and of the temple) when they marry.” normally they go to Fiji or Tonga.”

He expressed satisfaction that the church leadership allowed and approved the construction of the temple in Tarawa. “Finally God has blessed us with the authority to see the faith and spirit of the Holy God working through our people,” President Maamau said.

Other speakers included:

• Tamara Ruateiti, 10, of Temaiku Branch 1, reminded participants that they must “stay on the path of the treaty.”
• Agnes Temokua, a junior from the Buota Branch, spoke about the importance of preparing to receive the temple endowment, making sacred covenants with Heavenly Father, and remembering President Nelson’s words: “more time in the temple will bless your life like nothing else can.”
• Obeira Teauoki, a young adult also from the Buota Branch, shared what he would do to prepare to receive a temple marriage or sealing ceremony, including serving a full-time mission, following commandments, and seeking advice from his parents.

President Russell M. Nelson A temple was announced for Tarawa in Kiribati on October 4, 2020. Six places for the new houses of the Lord This is what the President of the Church identified at the end of the October 2020 general conference.

of Tarawa Temple site and external images have been published May 19, 2021 envisions a single-storey building of approximately 10,000 square meters with a central tower. The 0.80-acre site at Ambo in South Tarawa will include not only the temple but also a new meeting house and a facility to accommodate patrons. An additional ancillary facility will be located approximately a quarter mile west of the temple site.

Church in Kiribati

Kiribati right now Suva Fiji Temple area – this temple is 1,400 miles southeast of Kiribati.

The church counts more than 22,600 Latter-day Saints (or about one in every six residents) in Kiribati in two stakes, 37 congregations and one mission.

Kiribati, pronounced “KEE-ruh-bas,” is a collection of 33 Micronesian islands in the central Pacific where the equator and the international date line meet.

The church’s roots date back to local school teacher Waitea Abiuta asking if her graduates could attend Liahona High School in Tonga, a request that was approved in 1972. Abiuta and several students converted to the Latter-day Saint faith, and the students later served as Kiribati’s first disciples. Missionaries in October 1975.

The first meetinghouse built was completed in 1984, and the late Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organized the first stake in 1996.

Church in the Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands currently Laie Hawaii Temple area – this sanctuary is approximately 2,300 miles northeast of the Marshall Islands.

Approximately 7,000 Latter-day Saints live in the Marshall Islands, comprising two stakes and 13 congregations.

The Marshall Islands consist of 29 coral atolls and five islands stretching along two parallel island chains about 400 miles north of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean.

The first converts to the church joined from various islands of the republic in 1977 and 1978. Missionaries first arrived in the capital Majuro in 1977; the first convert here was Misao Lokeijak, who was baptized in early February. By the end of the year, there were 27 Latter-day Saints on the island; A branch was created the following May, with Lokeijak as branch president.