During President Gordon B.
Hinkley's years of leadership he thought that no
member of the Church has received the ultimate
blessings of Heavenly Father until having received
temple blessings in the House of the Lord. But there are many
areas of the Church that are remote where
the membership is small and not likely to grow
very much in the near future. Are those who live in these
places to be denied forever the blessings of the
Temple ordinances? While visiting such an
area few months ago, we prayerfully
pondered this question. The answer we believe
came bright and clear. We would construct
small Temples in some of these areas, buildings
with all of the facilities to administer all
of the ordinances. Following direction
from the Lord, in 1997 President Hinckley
announced to the Church a program to construct
immediately some 30 smaller Temples across the globe. If temple ordinances are an
essential part of the restored Gospel and I testify
that they are, then we must provide
the means by which they can be accomplished. All of our vast family
history endeavors direct to the temple work there
is no other purpose for it, the Temple ordinances become
the crowning blessings the Church has to offer. During the Ministry of
President Gordon B. Hinckley the Church increased its
number of operating temples to beyond 100. 84 of which were
dedicated by him. At the time of his
passing President Hinckley had dedicated more temples
than all of the other leaders of this dispensation combined.