BOGOTA, Colombia — "Wonderful things" are happening here as members are taking advantage of the newly dedicated temple, and the Church has gained a higher profile from the recent temple open house.

"There are wonderful things going on here," said temple Pres. Jerry Cahill. "We are getting wonderful support from the leaders."

Members are eager for the blessings of the temple, he explained, noting that on the first day the temple was open April 27, 36 sealings were scheduled, but about 80 were performed.

"The stakes brought two or three people for every one they said they were going to bring," he said. "The people were pleading to get in. There was such a demand. I locked up the temple at 1 a.m."

He said the temple presidency is pleased with the continued response since that time, although the attendance has been interrupted occasionally by transportation strikes and the demands of work.

In the 33 years since the establishment of the Church here, membership is now more than 123,000, in 23 stakes and four missions and 21 districts. Meetinghouses have been constructed nationwide, and the Church is known from border to border. It is true that Colombia is a nation with challenges as nearly 20 percent of its workers are unemployed. Residents must live with a high rate of violent crime in the country that includes frequent armed robberies, kidnapping, assault and drug traffic.

Yet, despite these turbulences, more and more people are becoming acquainted with the Church. During the temple open house, the numbers of visitors continually increased, day to day. On the last day, more than 20,000 visitors came. These mostly non-member Colombians listened with great attention as they were told of the transcendent principles of eternal families, said their guides.

The "wonderful things" for Colombia began May 10, 1966, when Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, and Elders Randall G. Harmsen and Jerry Broome, the first two missionaries, arrived in Bogota.

The missionaries were welcomed by the expatriate families of Harold M. Rex, who was the first branch president; Lewis Satterfield; and Lewis E. Burnham. These families held Church meetings in their homes prior to the arrival of the missionaries. Clare Hodgins, whose husband was not a member, also attended with their children. Other members converted elsewhere included Pedro Qui�ones, Juan Vela and Enrique Castillo.

The next day, on May 11, Elder Kimball dedicated Colombia for the preaching of the gospel and organized the first branch. Elders Harmsen and Broome soon rented a facility for the first Church meetinghouse — a former residence of a military general, "a stately property" just west of the city's military hospital that is now a mortuary, and they set about buying furnishings, including seating. Eventually, they found a designer who made special benches without nails in honor of the Mormon pioneer builders. Elders Michael Mortensen and James Kelsey arrived June 16, and on July 24, 1966, Medardo Antonio Vela Hernandez became the first convert, baptized by Brother Satterfield.

"Some of the first contacts we had in Bogota included the Castillo family, who were referred from relatives who had seen the Church's pavilion at the New York World's Fair," recalled Brother Mortensen. "You have to bear in mind these Colombians didn't know anything about the Church, nor had they ever seen or met missionaries. But when we knocked at the Castillo's door, a window above the door opened and a head emerged. It immediately disappeared again and we heard someone yell, "They're here! They're here!"

"We baptized three of the Castillo family not long afterwards, but not before they had read all the Standard Works.

"Colombia is such a beautiful country, surpassed only by the beauty of the people," he said. "Tracting was sheer joy because we were almost always invited into the homes. Even if those who invited us in rejected the message, they did so with politeness."

Elder Julio E. Davila, who served in the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1991-96, was one of the strong pioneer leaders in Colombia who helped lay the foundation for the growth of the Church that has occurred in more recent years.

He and his wife, Mary, were baptized Aug. 4, 1968, when there were about 200 members in three branches in all of Colombia. He served as branch and district president, and when the first stake was created in Colombia in 1977, he served as its first president. He also served as president of the Colombia Cali Mission from 1981-84.

"It has been 31 years since I joined the Church," he said. "Yet, I still think of meetinghouses — the first meetinghouses that were built then. Many members were incredulous that we could have a temple. Now, the temple is the greatest thing that we can have. It is a reality."

Among the group of early converts is Hugo Alberto Rojas Rivera and his wife, Olga Maria Campos de Rojas, members of the Quiroga Ward, Bogota Colombia Tunjuelito Stake. A retired military officer, he has served as district president, counselor to three stake presidents, director of public affairs and bishop.

"We learned of the Church at family home evening at the home of a neighbor, Lucia de Ujueta," he recalled. "We attended with the missionaries, who left a special message. Later, the missionaries came to our home and we received them cordially. In my heart, I agreed with the message they left. We were baptized Nov. 17, 1968, here in the capital."

He said about 30 people then attended the Bogota Branch. "We had very good leaders, and the branch grew little by little."

Later, the Rojas family invited their neighbors to family home evenings, and several other families were baptized.

Another early member, Norma Ramos, was baptized in Brazil in the winter of 1969. The next year she, as a single mother, brought her children to Bogota where she headed a Brazilian cultural center.

As a new convert, "I didn't understand why all the people in the world didn't join the Church," she said. But few had joined, and the branch she attended had only about 20 members who came regularly. Sister Ramos taught Relief Society lessons, although she didn't know anything about the Relief Society.

During those early years, a personal trial came to her when her first child, a son, died of a brain tumor. The graveside service was a terrible experience for her.

"He was lifeless, but he was my child and I had to place him in the cold, dark earth," she said. "It was a horrible moment, but just then [as the casket was being lowered] the members began singing, 'Come, Come, Ye Saints,' and I felt peace in my heart; I know that he is well, and that he is progressing."

She remembers fund-raising efforts for the Sao Paulo Temple during that time. She donated her wedding ring for the cause, and has always felt blessed for her contribution.

Hermalinda Torres Moncada of the Alhambra Ward, Bogota Colombia Stake, was a child when she first met the missionaries in 1966. Her mother was determined to prove them wrong. However, communication was difficult because one of the missionaries spoke little Spanish and the other spoke none. So finally one of the missionaries showed them the Book of Mormon and asked them to read it and pray about it.

"I read it, I prayed about it, and I received a testimony of it," said Sister Torres. She attended branch services and "the hymns were very beautiful and they penetrated my heart."

However, she and her mother and sisters waited until, May 1, 1971, to be baptized. She was 12 at the time.

"When we were first baptized, we walked for an hour to arrive at the branch," she said. "We were very happy because we went together, because the group was growing larger. The reality was, however, that we had no chapel in the entire country; we used to have very little.

"Little by little, we built chapels. It was very difficult but the members all worked together and we prayed. We had a feeling that the Lord was with us."

Vilna Ferreira of the TierraLinda Ward, Bogota Colombia Stake, was baptized in 1972, after contacting the missionaries to prove them wrong. "I was a teenager then. In the first discussion, I began to feel the Spirit, and that was the beginning of everything," she said. She had been living in a parochial school but was very dissatisfied.

Her husband-to-be, Jaime, who later received an MBA at BYU, joined the Church about the same time.

In 1972, seminary came to Colombia, and "that was the key for us to remain faithful," he said. "We did everything in the branch; I had five callings. There were a lot of youth then, and the youth did most of the work. I would prepare and bless the sacrament, give a talk, and one of the prayers. The missionaries were heavily involved in the branch as well."

Vilna served as Primary president at age 17, and Jaime served as branch president's counselor at 19. On top of that, they attended on foot the various Sunday meetings that were held separately in that time.

"It seemed like we spent all the Sabbath going and coming," she said.

He wanted to serve a mission, but no one knew how to call someone on a mission, he recalled. Eventually, however, he and his future wife both served missions. After their return, they became engaged to be married. Realizing the importance of temple marriage, they borrowed money to travel to the Washington D.C. Temple, a "very unusual" step for young Colombians at that time.

Later they were called on another mission as he presided over the Colombia Cali Mission from 1993-96.

"It is a miracle to have the temple here," he said. "We hope the temple adds to our peace."

When the temple in Brazil was started in the early 1970s, longtime members Jaime Chaparro Pinzon, Flor Angela H. de Chaparro, Lucia Lozano de Gomez, and Helena de Rivera remember being asked to contribute to the temple fund. "We slowly raised our hands," remembered Sister Gomez. They recalled selling clothing to raise money for their share.

Berta Cruz Cedros was 11 years old when the missionaries came to her home in the early 1970s. Her father thought they were salesmen and invited them in. The family accepted the missionaries' teachings and were baptized. They became part of the Kennedy Branch, where some of the first explosive growth occurred. However, most of the family has not remained active. She finds great solace for this loss by attending the temple.

"Life is very difficult here," she said. "We need the refuge that the temple gives. It feels like home in the temple."