One of my favorite stories from living in Brazil is the one about the thousands of Brazilians who regularly made the most amazing temple trek I know of. There are actually a lot of members (more than 60,000, according to the Church) who live in Manaus, Brazil, which is a city of more than 1 million people in the middle of the Amazon jungle.
There were no permanent roads to Manaus, so members would take a boat downriver to Belem. The boat took two to three days. Then, they would take a bus from Belem along the coast of Brazil all the way to Sao Paulo. The bus took about a week. Total travel time: 9-10 days by boat and bus.
These people are our modern-day pioneers.
Click here for a map of Brazil.
Church members would travel in groups of 20-30 members. They would stay for a week, attending several sessions a day, and then make the 9-10-day trip back to Manaus.
Since then, temple boundaries have changed. These days, members in Manaus are part of the Caracas, Venezuela temple district (it still takes several days to get to Caracas). Several more temples have been built in Brazil: Campinas, Porto Alegre, Recife, Curitiba (under construction).
You’ve got to admire the Saints who were willing to give up a month of their time to go to the temple. And thousands of them did so. And when you consider the cost, which might be equivalent of a year’s salary for many people, the faith involved in such an endeavor is overwhelming. It certainly makes my four-hour trek from Miami to Orlando seem painless by comparison, although of course I complain about it all the time (you should see Friday night traffic from Miami to Orlando — it makes you want to cry).
Well, the faithful Saints in Manaus will have a much shorter commute now. The Church is coming home to them.
That’s great news, Geoff. The growth of the Church in Brazil has been nothing short of astounding. When I first arrived in Salvador, Brazil as a young missionary in 1990, our mission’s goal was to create the first stake within one year. We met our goal and I am pleased to see the continued growth of the Church in Brazil. What’s more, I am excited to see the number of temples in Brazil. Que coisa boa!!!
It would stink to get all the way there and realize that you forgot your recommend.
Great article, thanks Geoff. Every announcement of a temple outside if the U.S. fills my heart. it’s truly great to see our church becoming more of a worldwide body.
Pres. Hinckley announced plans for the Manaus temple off the record ~10 years ago at a session of the St. Louis, MO temple dedication I attended. My family (4 members of which have served in Brazil, including one in Manaus itself) has been anxiously awaiting the *official* news since then. We’re ecstatic! Though probably not nearly so much as our friends, the Saints in Amazonia. 🙂
RCH, when I lived in Brazil 1999-2003 I often heard rumors that Manaus would be the next temple announced. The Saints in Manaus were rumored to be an especially devout group. I’m guessing that the Church was waiting for membership and tithing amounts to justify another temple there. It happened.
I just checked at http://www.lds.org/temples. There are more temples outside of the US than in the US.
I served in the Manaus Mission (a maior!) from 1995 to 1997. It was extremely humbling to see firsthand the sacrifice church members made to obtain temple blessings. I remember one family that sold nearly all of its meager possessions, including the father’s work tools, to pay for a temple trip. During my mission, it often was rumored that the temple site had been chosen – somewhere near the great Hotel Tropical northwest of the city proper. At any rate, what a marvelous announcement for the saints in that region!
Trivial question: Name the only city in the world to (soon) have two temples?
Daylan, South Jordan. Right?
Awesome story!
PS: I’m sending my papers for my mission this month 🙂
Correct Brian. It takes so long to get to the Jordan River temple (20 minutes). I’ll sure be glad when the Day Break temple is complete (10 minutes). 😎
I served a mission in Brazil from 2002-2004, and found myself in the unique position of being with my Mission President–Parrella–when the temple was officially announced. I also had the blessing of being able to visit the temple site. For updated photos, check out my blog next week. Para todo o tempo e eternidade, a Missao Manaus sera maior!