Senior leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated new temples in Idaho and Nicaragua on Sunday.
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President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency dedicated the Montpelier Idaho Temple, the church’s 225th, and Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Managua Nicaragua Temple, the church’s 226th.
Montpelier temple
When President Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the temple in Montpelier, he did so with a hope and a promise to those who would serve in it and any other house of the Lord.
“I promise all who will serve in this temple, in any capacity, that they will have an increasing feeling of the Lord’s love and a growth in love for him,” President Eyring said on Sunday morning.
President Eyring talked about the peace that individuals feel as they worship in any temple.
“You will feel peace that will extend into your home and family,” he said.
Long-awaited blessing
When the Montpelier temple opened for public tours in September, Robyn Alleman called that day “a happy day, a day waited for, for a long, long time.”
Alleman said her husband, Robert Alleman, had a grandfather and great-grandfather immigrate from Switzerland to Montpelier. Shortly after arriving, they helped build the Montpelier Stake Tabernacle that was dedicated 106 years ago. That tabernacle is located directly across the street from the newly dedicated temple.
While the tabernacle has historic importance to the Alleman family, Robyn Alleman said the temple is different because of its spiritual significance for everyone who serves in it.
“We make promises in the temple to bind us to God and to our families for eternity,” she said. “This is his home, a source of strength, a refuge, a place that can heal.”
President Eyring said that he hopes those who come to the temple “may feel, in this house of God, Heavenly Father’s love for his children and of his desire to bring us back into his presence.”
Robyn Alleman said she hopes that those who live near the new temple will reflect on the blessing they have that their ancestors did not have of being so close to a temple and having the opportunity to serve in it.
“It is our privilege to do saving ordinances for those who came before,” she said.
Pioneer history and legacy
When pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, President Brigham Young did not limit the settlement to the Wasatch Front. He sent families in every direction to settle additional locations around what became Salt Lake City.
Sixteen years after that arrival, Brigham Young sent individuals north to the Bear Lake Valley. The lake and valley straddle the current state lines of Utah to the south and Idaho to the north. The valley is marked by the Preuss Range on the east and the Bear River Mountains on the west. Fur traders had passed through the area prior to this time, but no permanent pioneer settlements had been established.
The United States’ Homestead Act of 1862 helped push families to areas where they could lay claim to 160 acres of public land. Thousands of people had passed through the Bear Lake Valley due either to the fur trades in the decades prior or to the fervor to settle on the western coast of North America in what is now Oregon. Thus, Montpelier sits on the Oregon Trail.
Brigham Young called Charles C. Rich to lead an exploring party into the Bear Lake Valley in August 1863. Rich and others established Paris, Idaho, before stretching out to form other towns, including Montpelier. In 1864, Brigham Young named the town after Montpelier, Vermont — the capital of his home state. Previous to that time, many travelers referred to the town and its area as Clover Creek.
President Eyring taught that temples are more than beautiful buildings in which to worship. He said they are symbols of faith.
“Behind every temple are the sacrifices of faithful disciples who gave their time, talents and means to build a house for the Lord,” he said. “Their faith helps create an atmosphere where the Spirit can testify that this truly is his house.”
Managua Nicaragua Temple
The dedication of the Managua Nicaragua Temple brings the Central American country its first Latter-day Saint temple.
Elder Rasband described the joy he and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, felt while meeting with church leaders and all the missionaries serving in Nicaragua before the dedication.
“It’s been my experience over my ministry to know that when a temple is dedicated in a country, it has an eternal impact on its people, not only the members but also our nonmember friends,” he said.
Assigned by President Dallin H. Oaks to dedicate the Managua temple, Elder Rasband said he had studied the church’s history in Nicaragua, including visits by prophets and apostles. He reflected on President Russell M. Nelson’s announcement of the Managua temple and the love and care both President Nelson and President Oaks have shown for Nicaraguan Latter-day Saints.
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“I’m grateful to be part of that history of prophets and apostles who have cared for the wonderful people of Nicaragua,” he said.
Elder Rasband expressed gratitude for the opportunity to return to Nicaragua, where the new temple will serve members in 12 stakes and four districts.
“I have felt a huge impression of the Lord of how happy the heavens are that they are going to have a temple here in Nicaragua for these many wonderful Latter-day Saints,” he said.
Sister Rasband shared her husband’s joy.
“It’s just been wonderful and great to be here in this wonderful land, knowing that they finally will have a temple,” she said. “We are just thrilled with joy for all of them.”
Invitation to rising generation
Elder Rasband extended an invitation to Central American youth, members and new converts to prepare for temple ordinances and consider missionary service as part of their plans.
“I testify to all of you that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and they have a plan for you,” he said.
Acknowledging school, family commitments and other opportunities, he encouraged young men and young women to prepare to receive their own temple endowment at an appropriate time. He reminded young men of the prophets’ call to serve missions and invited young women to prayerfully consider missionary service. He extended the invitation to senior couples and new converts who are eligible to serve.
“We have much to do in the gathering of Israel throughout the earth. We need every one of you who can to serve the Lord as missionaries,” he said. “We love you, and we need you.”
‘Por fin’: A temple of their own
For years, faithful Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua traveled to Guatemala, Honduras and even as far as Arizona and Utah to worship in a temple. Through challenges and a long wait for a temple of their own, they remained “faithful and true,” said Elder Ryan K. Olsen, a General Authority Seventy and member of the church’s Central America Area presidency.
Now, those journeys will take hours instead of days — “a tremendous blessing for the Saints of Nicaragua,” he said.
Their joy is captured in a Spanish expression Elder Olsen has heard repeatedly: “Por fin” — “finally” — “we have our own temple.”
That sense of pride extends beyond church members. During the open house, Elder Olsen was struck by how visitors — including media representatives, government officials and educators — embraced the temple as their own.
“They took pride in this beautiful building,” he said, describing how visitors who were not members of the church regarded the temple as a religious monument and a blessing for Nicaragua.
Latter-day Saint temples
When President Oaks was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984, the Church had 25 operating temples. With the dedication of the Montpelier Idaho Temple, President Oaks has served to see 200 temples dedicated during his apostolic tenure.
This means that 25 temples were dedicated in the first 154 years of the church. The next 201 temples were dedicated within a 42-year span that now sees the church surpassing 18 million members and 90,000 missionaries around the world.
Six more temples are expected to be dedicated before the end of 2026. The Cody Wyoming Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, Oct. 25, by Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On Nov. 1, temples will be dedicated in Wichita, Kansas, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico, by Elder Patrick Kearon and Elder Dale G. Renlund, respectively. Both are members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On Nov. 22, the Modesto California Temple will be dedicated by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Torreón Mexico Temple will be dedicated by Elder Gary E. Stevenson, also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The final temple to be dedicated this year will be the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple on Dec. 13, also by Elder Cook.
That will bring the total number of temples in the world to 232 by the end of 2026.
Montpelier Idaho Temple
Address: 534 Washington Street, Montpelier, Idaho 83254
Announced: April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: June 17, 2023, presided over by Elder Ryan K. Olsen, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: Sept. 10-26, 2026, excluding Sundays
Dedicated: Oct. 18, 2026, by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency
Property size: 2.6 acres
Building size: 34,370 square feet
Managua Nicaragua Temple
Address: Km 9, 3 Carretera Masaya, Managua, Nicaragua
Temple announced: April 1, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: Nov. 26, 2022, presided over by Elder Taylor G. Godoy, a General Authority Seventy and then first counselor in the Central America Area presidency
Public open house: Sept. 10 to Sept. 26, 2026, excluding Sundays
Dedication: Oct. 18, 2026, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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Property Size: 8.9 acres
Building Size: 24,500 square feet (2,276 square meters)
Building Height: 99.4 feet (30.3 meters) including the spire