A Temple is under construction in my city: Barranquilla, Colombia

During the Saturday morning session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference, Presindent Thomas S. Monson announced that a temple is being built in Barranquilla Colombia. This is HUGE for my city and my country. Colombia got a temple for the first time in April of 1999 in its capital city Bogota. The picture above is a picture of our current Bogota temple.

I attended the dedication of it with my mom. It was so special for my mom and I to attend that. It was the first temple in our country. We were so excited to have one, even though it was a 24-hour-drive from Barranquilla to Bogota. We didn't care about the distance because it was much closer than going to Peru, Venezuela, or other South American temples. Plus many people couldn't afford to drive or fly that far.

Driving to Bogota from Barranquilla to attend the temple still requires a fairly large amount of money that many members don't have but it was a sacrifice we are all willing to make to be part of that. Many members sell their cars, homes, or anything they own that has some value so they could go. It was definitely a big sacrifice.

But now, we have one in the heart of my city. It is about 45-minutes away from my mom's house, the house I grew up in and the same house me and my children stay at when we visit my country. This temple will also serve so many cities around Barranquilla, like Santamarta, Cartagena, Valledupar, and Sincelejo, to name a few.

When I was back in my country in July of this year, the bishop in my ward in Barranquilla talked to the congregation about the possibility that we might get a temple this year and that members needed to be more faithful in paying their tithing and also a special monetary contribution for this future temple. He said that even though money was tight for them and many times they can't even feed their families, they still needed to exercise faith and make a donation for this temple. It was so special for me and the boys to be present during that talk and envision that great possiblity. Now we know it is a fact and that we will get a temple in Barranquilla.

This temple will also decrease the power Satan has over my country which for many years has been so strong. We have such a bad reputation with the world with drugs, guerrillas, and violence in general. Now it is time to change our perception and talk about our temples and the blessings they bring to our great country. I am so grateful for this. Now, I can start working with my family in Colombia, who are not members, to get them excited about attending the temple open house. They all have been to church and some of them have gotten a poor opinion about our chapel buildings because they are very small and not so pretty. Now they can see how beautiful and special The Lord's House is. I know attending that will help them feel the Spirit stronger and gain a better understanding about the church.

I am now planning to attend the temple dedication with my husband and boys. I am not sure if I will be able to accomplish this, but I am determined to attend. I know building a temple usually takes at least a couple of years. So I can't predict my circumstances by then, but I am setting my goal. I just want to be part of that important event that will change my country and its people forever.

This picture was taken at the Bogota Temple Dedication in April 1999. Daniel went back after finishing his mission to attend it. At the time, Daniel and I were not dating.