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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to make progress on its temples, both nationally and internationally.
Tijuana Mexico Temple
Sunday, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, dedicated the Tijuana Mexico Temple, according to the LDS Church.
Church leaders and local Latter-day Saints helped President Uchtdorf place mortar around the cornerstone of the temple.
"We love you," President Uchtdorf said. "We bring you the love and greetings of President Monson. His heart is here. He will participate by Internet, by television. He will see it. He will hear you. He will feel your spirit. So, blessings to you from him. Blessings to you from us."
President Uchtdorf informed the LDS Church members that this is their temple.
"It's the Lord's house and it's a connection between heaven and earth. So, remember that when you come here that you feel that the ways between heaven and earth intersect, an intersection of the spiritual and our life here on earth."
There are 45,000 Latter-day Saints who live in the boundaries of the temple. The Tijuana Temple is the 13th temple in Mexico and the 149th in the world.
Hartford Connecticut TempleThe Hartford Connecticut Temple is currently under construction, and the angel Moroni was placed on the temple's spire Friday.
Several construction workers got a little teary-eyed as they witnessed the statue being extracted from its shipping crate.
The angel Moroni statue is not a figure of worship, the LDS Church said, but a figure of respect for his role in the restoration of the gospel. Moroni was a prophet in the Book of Mormon who told Joseph Smith where the golden plates — by which the Book of Mormon was translated — were located.
The angel Moroni statue represents the preaching of the gospel to the world. The statue stands at just over 13 feet and weighs about 1,000 pounds.
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple and Barranquilla Colombia TempleCome February 2016, ground will be broken for both the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo and Barranquilla Colombia temples.
The temples were announced during the October 2011 general conference. Attendees will be invited to witness the groundbreaking, but the general public can view the ceremonies live from local church buildings.
Ground will be broken for the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple Feb. 12, 2016. There are currently three temples operating in Africa.
The Barranquilla Colombia Temple will take place Feb. 20, 2016. It will be the second temple in Columbia.
Lisbon Portugal TempleLDS Church leaders and community and civic officials broke the ground for the first temple in Portugal Dec. 5.
Elder Patrick Kearon, president of the church's Europe area, presided over the ceremonies and said the temple is a place of instruction, revelation and covenants.
"It is a privilege to take part in this joyful moment," Elder Kearon said. "The temple will be a bright symbol of our faith, our gratitude to our loving Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ. We pray for those who will be involved in building this sacred place, and know that it will be a blessing to the people of Portugal."
Artwork inspired by Portugal's landscape will be inside the temple. The temple was announced in October 2010.
The temple will serve all of the Latter-day Saints living in continental Portugal and in the islands of the Azores and Madeira.
