This week in Church history
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25 years ago
Church News subscribers from Samoa and Tonga may read this week's coverage of the dedication of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple and reminisce about sacred temple dedications in their own lands. The Aug. 14, 1983, Church News offered coverage of the Aug. 5-7 dedication of the original Apia Samoa Temple and the subsequent dedication of the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple, Aug. 9-11. Cultural celebrations preceded both sacred events.
"Members in Tonga and Samoa had a hard time containing their enthusiasm at having their own temple," the Church News reported.
"In both island nations, members expressed their intense feelings, spiritual and emotional, through cultural traditions — dances, feasts, chants and orations."
The article told of thousands of Tongan members gathering on the grounds of Liahona High School to celebrate the announcement, construction and dedication of the temple in Nuku'alofa.
Children were enlisted in Samoa to participate in events celebrating the Apia edifice. "Elementary school-aged children, arrayed in flowers, performed beneath a picture of the temple and the words, "Families Are Forever."
