Published: Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010
LAIE, Hawaii
In the moments before a production staged to celebrate the rededication of
the Laie Hawaii Temple, 2,000 youth stood shoulder to shoulder and listened
to President Thomas S. Monson.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from Laie Hawaii Temple district perform finale of “The gathering Place.”
The event, titled “The Gathering Place,” marked the completion of the
renovated Laie Hawaii Temple, which will be rededicated Nov. 21 by
President Monson, and celebrated Laie, Hawaii, as a “gathering place” for
early Church members and others. The youth from across the temple district
had to crowd together to fit on the floor of the Cannon Activity Center on
the BYU-Hawaii campus. They stood because there was not enough room for
them to sit down.
“The beautiful Laie Hawaii Temple, which will be rededicated in the
morning, is the reason for this great celebration,” President Monson told
the teens. “It shines as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow
its light. We thank our Heavenly Father for the blessings this temple and
all temples bring into our lives.”
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
President Thomas S. Monson addresses 2,000 youth during Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration Nov. 20, 2010, in the Cannon Center on the BYU-Hawaii Campus.
Then President Monson promised the teens, “Tonight will be a night you will
never forget.”
President Monson greeted the youth with characteristic warmth, taking time
before and after the event to shake hands with and speak to some in the
capacity congregation. He wore his lei for only a few minutes before
presenting it to Sierra Blimes of Laie, Hawaii. Later he walked into the
crowd to personally greet a young woman sitting in a wheelchair, Briana
Garrido, 15, of Wahiawa, Hawaii.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from Laie Hawaii Temple district perform at a cultural celebration Saturday evening.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
“It was the most amazing thing,” she said. “I have never been so
thankful.”
Brianna said participating in the event gave her the opportunity to be with
hundreds of other Latter-day Saint teens. “I am really sad that it ended,”
she said.
The 42,100 square-foot Laie Hawaii Temple sits on 7.6 acres that was part
of an original 6,000-acre plantation purchased by the Church in
1865.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Originally dedicated in 1919, the temple was the fifth operating temple in
the world and the first completed outside the state of Utah. Today the
temple serves Church members living in Hawaii and the Marshall Islands.
Another Hawaiian temple, located in Kona, was completed in 2000.
sarah@desnews.com
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Gerry Avant, Church News
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson addresses audience assembled for a program celebrating the culture of the Hawaiian Islands and other parts of Polynesia. The program was held Saturday on conjunction with the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple on Sunday.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from the Makakilo Hawaii Stake perform during a cultural celebration Saturday.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from the Makakilo Hawaii Stake perform during a cultural celebration Saturday.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth perform during a cultural celebration Saturday.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth perform during a cultural celebration Saturday.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from the Honolulu Hawaii West Stake and Kauai Hawaii Stake portray a scene that honors early Asian plantation workers in Hawaii.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Cheyenne Lessary-Fonoimoana shares her testimony of the temple in closing moments of the Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
President Thomas S. Monson, center, and President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, right, with Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy, prepare to watch the Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from Makakilo Hawaii Stake dance during the Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration Nov. 20, 2010.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from the Laie North Stake dance in called City of Refuge during Laie Hawaii Temple youth cultural celebration. The scene depicts a day decades before the LDS Church owned land at Laie, Hawaii, when the city was a refuge for criminals and others who needed cleansing.
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News
Youth from the Waipahu Hawaii Stake perform scene honoring military contributions to the history of Hawaii.
Gerry Avant, Church News
Gerry Avant, Church News
A young man adds a bright smile to his performance during a cultural program held Saturday, Nov. 20, prior to the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple on Sunday.
Gerry Avant, Church News
A young woman's exuberance shines during her performance in a program celebrating the history of The Church of Jesus Christ in Polynesia. The program was held Saturday evening, Nov. 20, prior to the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Gerry Avant, Church News
President Thomas S. Monson's photo is shown on a large screen during the cultural program segment paying tribute to those who served in the military during World War II.
Gerry Avant, Church News
A young woman is moved to tears during the finale of a cultural program commemorating the history of the LDS Church in the Polynesian islands. The program was held Saturday evening, Nov. 20, prior to the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Gerry Avant, Church News
Young people are all smiles after they participated in a cultural program Saturday evening that was sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to celebrate the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple on Sunday.
