Bright and early on Saturday the 2nd of November, the skies and the sea were blue, and the sun was shining.
A group of enthusiastic members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were busying themselves with the final checks and preparations needed for receiving guests at the Tarawa Kiribati Temple Groundbreaking, scheduled for later in the day.
The groundbreaking ceremony formally signals the commencement of the temple’s construction and is a reason for great rejoicing among the more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints living on the coral atolls and islets that make up the nations of the Republic of Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi, General Authority Seventy, accompanied by his wife, Sister Amy Jaggi, warmly greeted His Excellency Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati and First Lady Madam Teiraeng Maamau.
Read more about the groundbreaking and the history of the Church in Kiribati on Church Newsroom.
▶ Watch: Breathtaking video of the Church’s 200th temple
▶ The simple thing my mom did that showed me the power of temple garments
▶ Who writes temple dedicatory prayers? Where can I read my temple’s dedicatory prayer?
▶ Professional athlete shares surprising, special impact of a temple tour on her teammate