It’s official

We are getting a temple! Oh happy days! I just got the information from our Stake President that President Hinckley has announced Vancouver BC is getting its own temple! I do not have the exact when or where and at this point I am too elated to care all I know is we no longer will have to go through border lineups, need passports or wait for rides. I haven’t been this excited about temples since the day our children were sealed to us and all 7 of us were kneeling at the temple altar looking at each other in the eternity mirrors.

49 thoughts on “It’s official

  1. You told us that your stake president told you that President Hinckley told him that Vancouver was getting a temple. That’s all we have to go on. That’s heresay. It doesn’t make it false. Just not very official. At least for those reading here.

    Now, if you happen to have the text of the letter, or a link to the announcement…

  2. Awesome! Back in Ohio, we used to have to do the reverse border cross to go to the temple (Toronto). Uh, yeah, no fun. Even worse now, I’ll bet, post 9-11.

    I’ve always thought Vancouver should have a temple; it’s just that kind of city. It’s so pretty. (I live just south of you in WA) I wonder where it’ll be…

  3. Here is the email that was received from our Stake President. I have cut and paste only the part of the email that pertains to it and am not including the email addresses of those it was sent to.
    Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 1:52 PM
    > Subject: Vancouver Temple
    >
    >
    >> Dear Presidents:
    >> I have just received a call from Elder Ronald Rasband to tell me that President Hinckley has just announced that a Vancouver, BC, temple is to be built! The announcement is indeed an answer to the prayers of all of us in British Columbia! Elder Rasband indicated that this is now public information, and that a letter to each stake president will be forthcoming shortly.
    We rejoice with you in this announcement, and view this important development as one more evidence of the quickening of the Spirit in British Columbia. Other evidences of the quickening include the increasing success in finding, teaching and baptising new Church
    members–so far this year there have been 99 baptisms in the mission as opposed to 74 last year to this point. The baptisms are almost all from member referrals of their non-member acquaintances for a Tour or some other Church activity which is coupled with a Tour in which the Restoration Lesson is given. We know that when all active members understand their role in bringing their non-member acquaintances the number of baptisms seen will be far above anything yet experienced. As
    leaders, we need to teach our members how relatively painless the process can be, and how each and every member is needed to achieve the growth in BC that our Father in heaven has asked us to achieve.
    Thank you for all that you do! Your support and bold leadership is
    essential for the missionary work in BC to progress.
    Regards and all our love, President Tony Middleton

    ***As an added note since I posted originally earlier this evening, our Bp called shortly after the email to see if I had received the email. He said he had just gotten off the phone with our SP to inquire where and when it would be built. He (the SP) stated that until he got the actual letter from the First Presidency he would only say in the Langley/Abbotsford area (for those of you who know the area).

    There is much joy here this evening. It was our annual Young Women’s fundraiser for their camp and it was difficult to concentrate on them and what we were there for when everyone could only talk about “Have you heards?” On the other hand I think people’s wallets were much more open because we were so excited. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the 3 dozen cinnamon buns your father decided to buy cause he figured I was too elated to notice!!!

    This is the result of much prayer, fasting and temple work of our Saints. Now I wonder what I have to do to get a Desert Book store here as well :-D

  4. There used to be a bookstore there. Not enough people used it, so they shut down.

    Of course, maybe now that Vancouver saints won’t be travelling to the Seattle temple and subsequently using the bookstore there, maybe someone will start up another bookstore.

  5. Mmmmm Desert Books, my favorite! Nothing hits the spot like a delicious desert book after any meal.

    (Just kidding Sally, I know you meant “Deseret.)

  6. The long awaited temple will be constructed at the junction of Hwy 1 and 15th by Langley. Hooray! Nice fairly central location.

    All the best to everyone.

  7. the location has not been identified yet.. where did you get your information from Donn? Unless you work for President Hinckley directly??

  8. Anony….President Rasband sent it to the Stake and Mission Presidents who forwarded it to me.

  9. Will the Bellingham, or even the Mount Vernon, Washington Stake join the new Vancouver temple district?

  10. This is hugely exciting news! I used to live in Vancouver and then Kelowna, and I well remember the border crossing wait times to get to the temple. Fantastic!

    Now if only I had a temple closer than a five or six hour flight…

  11. Someone in Halifax. She claims her very best friend’s husband has been involved in the planning of the temple. In fact, she says the planning process has been going on since 2004.

  12. Kimis correct. It was announced in the Abbotsford’s ward I visited too that the exact location of the two story temple will be built on 200th St and 82nd Ave – just down the street from the current chapel in Langley. It is a ten acre site with a SOLD sign on the Remax sign. The chapel will eventually be removed once a new Stake Centre is built near the temple. Took pictures of the site on Monday.

  13. That’s the plan for the future! Not neccessarily to be built at the same time as the temple. That’s what the bishop shared with us all on Sunday.

  14. Boy, a stake centre *and* a temple…

    There must be a lot of church growth in the Langley area.

  15. The future? The Langley ward absorbed the Walnut Grove Ward. Now Langley has a single ward. It has a LONG time to go before it becomes a stake.

  16. I have received the similar information – that a new chapel and temple president residence will be built on the same land as the temple. I’m not sure why as the current building seems decent.

  17. Uh…isn’t the current chapel at 200th and 82nd? So they’re going to have two chapels on the same corner, along with a temple and a temple president’s residence?

  18. Well, just a response to the above. It is official, there is a new temple being built in Langley, and the old chapel will be sold. The official crossroads for the temple will be 204th and 82nd. The plans are currently being drawn up and the land has been purchased(all 11 acres of it!!!). The temple will probably be open in about 2-2 1/2 years from now, with the chapel to be built on the same property, along with a residence for the new Temple President. It is an absolutely beautiful site. Evn though there hasn’t been anything done to the land, standing on it, you can feel the Spirit. It is going to be great!

  19. yup he did… he has the COOLEST wife Robin who we still miss in Surrey 3rd. He went on his mission just shortly after you came home Kim. His mom was the one that became a special angel and helped us get Lareta to the Seattle temple the day before her first endowments 11 years ago. We always talk about how we had been on our knees trying to find a way to get to the temple as our car had just died and we said amen and the doorbell rang before we had even gotten off our knees and there she was saying I was just on my way home from work and had the craziest thought I needed to detour and come right over is everything all right? So she helped us rent a car to get us over there. And 11 years later we still talk about our special guardian angel that Heavenly Father sent to us at our time of need.

  20. Just a comment.

    President Christianson (sp?) who drove Pres. Hinckley around to the different sites realated this to us last Sunday. (not verbatim)

    President Hinckley was shown a property that was thought to be the best suited for the temple, out of all the other ones looked at, and upon looking at it, the prophet said “ok”, and asked to go to a chapel, suprising a few people cleaning it that day. After this, they began driving again to go look at other sites, when Pres. Hinkley asked to pull over. Sitting there in the vehicle he said “That would be a nice site for the temple.” No one else could see the property he was refering to becuase there was shrubbery and trees in the way. Pres. Hinckley was asked if he wanted to be taken to a dif vantage point to he could actually see the property, but he said that “that wouldn’t be nescessary”, and they went on to view the rest of the sites. At the end of the trip, Pres. Hickley was again offered to go see the site he had taken an interest in, but again he said that it wasn’t necessary, and asked to be taken back to the airport. Needless to say, the property the Prophet acknowledged so simply that day, is the current site.

    The stake Pres. said it was a wonderful visit, and a unique experience to witness a prophet & seer.

  21. “…that Heavenly Father sent to us at our time of need.”

    So HF gets the credit for the rescue, but who gets the blame for the vehicle dying?

    :P

  22. We visited the site yesterday. While we were there, missionaries drove up and confirmed that it is indeed the place. According to them, it’s the highest point in all of Langley and will be clearly visible throughout the city. Not sure about the highway though. I couldn’t see it due to all the hedges.

    Then, we drove from the temple to our new place that we will move to at the end of the year…. 20 minutes! A far cry from the three hours it would take to go to Seattle.

    It must be such a blessing for the the people in Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops areas since it’ll only take four hours to get there. Leave at 6AM, get there at 10, leave at 4PM, get home at 8PM!

  23. Welcome to our blog, Herbert. I think you’re the first person from LDS Canada that has come by here.

    Imagine what it must be like for the Prince George saints.

  24. It’s going to be a blessing for my grandma. They won’t let her in the States anymore, due to her age, so now she can go to Langley instead of Alberta. She lives in Penticton.

  25. Herbert where exactly are you moving to at the end of the year that it is 20 minutes from Langley?

    Mary what does age have to do with going through the states?

  26. Medical insurance. The older you are, the more insurance you have to have so financially it makes it virtually impossible for someone on a pension to leave the country.

  27. My wife and I just moved to Williams Lake from Delta ward. We were a little apprehensive, since the 2 hour drive to seattle was turning into a 7 hour drive. I guess knowing thats getting cut down to 5 is better than nothing!!

  28. Did anyone attend the Vancouver Temple fireside at the Burnaby Chapel Sunday evening?

  29. speaking of Langley ward. i lost contact with my best friend Kyla Jackson who is in langley ward. if any of you know or see her can you tell her to contact Mike Pearson
    maddog1980@2die4.com

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