More than 3,000 people gathered on a hillside overlooking this city May 1 to attend groundbreaking ceremonies for the Campinas Brazil Temple.
President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency who has had a longstanding interest in this land, presided and offered the dedicatory prayer.The hillside location is visible from many parts of the city, said Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Seventy and president of the Brazil Area. He remarked that as the group with President Faust approached, "It was heartwarming to see about 50 buses that had been used to transport the people, and to see the people assembled on the hill; it was a multitude of faithful Saints. The whole experience felt Pentecostal."
The temple site is on the west side of the city near three major highways, making it readily accesible to autos and buses. The new temple will be the third in this vast nation that has 650,000 Church members in 183 stakes and 26 missions. The Sao Paulo Temple was dedicated in 1978, and ground was broken for a temple in Recife in November 1996.
Ground was also broken for a fourth temple in Brazil, in Porto Alegre, on Saturday, May 2. (See related article on this page.)
Campinas, about 50 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, has a population of nearly 2 million people. A temple was announced for this city April 5, 1997, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Accompanying President Faust were his wife, Ruth; Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Elisa; and Elder Zwick, who conducted the services, and his counselors, Elders Claudio R.M. Costa and J. Kent Jolley, both of the Seventy. Sister Janet Zwick, Sister Margareth Costa, and Sister
Jill Jolley, respectively, accompanied their husbands.
Speakers at the ceremony were President Faust and Elders Wirthlin, Zwick, Costa and Jolley. Elder Athos M. Amorim, recently called to the Seventy, and Antonio Carlos de Camargo, a pioneer member in this country, were invited by President Faust to share their testimonies. Sister Faust also shared her testimony and her love for the Brazilian people.
A large multi-stake choir, directed by Zineide M. Melo and accompanied by Karen M. Sasine, sang two numbers during the groundbreaking ceremony.
In his remarks, President Faust said the growth of the membership in Brazil has blessed the Church and the nation, and both have made significant progress.
He referred to a letter from an 8-year-old boy, who had worked hard to earn his money, and had donated $100 to help with construction of the 30 new smaller temples announced in April conference by President Hinckley. President Faust observed that on the same day the boy's letter arrived, a check was received at Church headquarters for $1 million. "Both will be equally blessed for their faithfulness, regardless of the size of their donation," he said.
President Faust described the sacrifices of the Utah pioneers, whom, he said were not a wealthy people, yet they spent 40 years building the Salt Lake Temple. "They built with a great sacrifice and yet maintained a high quality of workmanship."
The Campinas temple, he said, "will not be a large temple, but it will not be a small one, either."
He asked the members to remember the temple builders in their prayers, that the work will move swiftly and without delay. He said he would report to President Hinckley what a spiritual event the groundbreaking had been.
Elder Wirthlin promised members that the temple would bless all people in the area with its presence. The temple will open many opportunities for missionary work as non-members ask about it.
He expressed his love for the members of the Church in Brazil.
