Ground was broken for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Quito Ecuador Temple on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Church and community leaders participated.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Elder Enrique R. Falabella, South America Northwest Area President, presided and dedicated the temple site signifying the beginning of construction for the sacred edifice.
More than 800 people participated in the traditional ceremony, including religious leaders and Dr. Maria Paula Romo, the Interior Minister.
Elder Hugo Montoya, a member of the Seventy and a counselor in the South America Northwest Area Presidency, expressed his love for the people of Ecuador. “As members we support each other to serve the citizens of this country. The temple will be a refuge. We should not be distressed despite our problems,” he said. “If we can be in a safe place, this place is the temple.”
The temple will serve the Latter-day Saints of Quito, Otavalo, Ambato, Santo Domingo as well as other areas in the region.
This will be the second temple in the country—the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple was dedicated August 1, 1999.
The Ecuador Newsroom has complete details, video and additional photos about the groundbreaking ceremony.