CAMPINAS, Brazil — The beautiful morning of May 17 brought the dedication of the Campinas Brazil Temple, a building that shines as a beacon of light to this important industrial city in the state of Sao Paulo.
The temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley in four sessions. He was accompanied by President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, who was an early missionary to Brazil and who conducted the groundbreaking ceremony four years ago. Other General Authorities who took part were Elder Athos M. Amorim of the Seventy, president of the Brazil South Area; and his counselors, Elders Neil L. Andersen and Adhemar Damiani of the Seventy. President Hinckley was accompanied by his wife, Marjorie.
Invited to take part in the cornerstone ceremony were Elders Helio da Rocha Camargo and Helvecio Martins and their wives. Elders Camargo and Martins are former General Authorities from Brazil.
The dedication of the temple was a culminating spiritual experience for such longtime Campinas members as Edmer Tobias, 57, widow of Nei Tobias Garcia, the first president of the Campinas stake who served for 11 years and helped to build the Church in the city.
At the dedicatory session she attended, she said, "I was reminded of my husband and his sacrifices as a leader in that early era of the Church. I knew that he would have been very happy to be here now. I feel deep gratitude to be alive for this dedication, and within the celestial room of the temple."
Younger members were also grateful to attend the dedication. Ana Claudia Tenorio, 21, observed her birthday on the day of dedication. "I could not be given a better gift," she said. She received her temple blessings when the temple opened on May 18.
Missionaries also helped prepare for the temple. Among them was Wayne M. Beck, an early missionary in Campinas. In 1946 to show his faith in the local members, he and his wife, Evelyn, donated the first $20 for a temple in Campinas. In 1963 he was called to preside over the Brazilian Mission. Many years later he served as the executive secretary of the Brazil Area presidency, and as president of the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple. Brother Beck attended the first dedicatory session of the Campinas temple with two sons. Afterward he commented, in his customary way of praising the greatness of the Brazilian members, "The Brazilian people are strong and self-sufficient; they are able to do much for the Church. This temple is evidence of that."
Another early missionary who attended was Robert R. Scott who served in Campinas in 1943, when there were only about 20 members in the city. Shortly after returning home from his mission, the other missionaries in Campinas were withdrawn from Brazil because of World War II. The branch was left to operate with local leadership. "Those young, vibrant [sisters] and young elders met their responsibilities and were very successful," he said. "They laid the groundwork for the many stakes in Campinas and, now, the fourth temple in Brazil."
A more current example of what the Brazilian members can do is shown by the success of the temple open house, which had some 75,000 visitors during the three-and-a-half week opening for public tours. Members worked ardently and contributed to the construction of the edifice. Elder Flavio Cooper, Area Authority Seventy, was interviewed on Globo Television station, one of the two most popular stations in the state, and that interview was credited with heightening interest in the open house. Some 3,000 visitors requested more information and visits by missionaries.
Many of the visitors shed tears of gratitude for the sense of peace they felt at this sacred location. Others who participated in hosting and speaking to the media at the open house were the area presidency; Elder Jairo Mazzagardi, Area Authority Seventy and vice chairman of the temple committee; Elder Cooper; and Gisele Vaz, regional director of public affairs.
Unfortunately, the later stages of temple construction coincided with an escalation of urban violence in Campinas, which culminated in the tragic assassination of the mayor of the city, Antonio Da Costa Santos, known affectionately as "Toninho." A historian and an architect known for promoting good works, he had earlier visited the temple site and expressed his enthusiasm for it.
After his untimely death, his successor as mayor, Mrs. Izalene Tiene, visited the temple.
"The city was in need at this time of precisely this kind of spiritual refuge," she said. Mrs. Tiene returned for the first day of the open house and was hosted by Elder Amorim. Impressed again by her visit, the mayor asked permission to, at times, leave her office and come to the temple and sit at the fountain for moments of reflection and peace.
The temple, said Nei Tobias Garcia Jr., son of the first stake president of Campinas, sits on a hill and is especially visible at night.
"It is brilliant," he said. "Its light in the dark night serves as a teaching that proclaims the truth."
