Belem, Brazil
The Belem Brazil Temple is the Church's ninth temple to be announced in Brazil and the second temple to be announced for the Amazon Basin. Missionaries serving in the Brazil Belem Mission have speculated that a temple would be announced in Belem for many years due to distance from the nearest operating temple in Manaus. The new temple is the Church's first temple in Para State - previously the third most populous Brazilian state without a temple with 8.2 million inhabitants. The Belem Brazil Temple will likely service 10 stakes and two districts in the eastern Amazon. There are currently five stakes in the Belem metropolitan area.
The Church in Brazil continues to report steady growth in many areas. Potential for future growth remains high. A
recent article in the Deseret news noted that Elder Claudio R.M. Costa stated, “My vision for the church in Brazil in 50 years is 1,000 stakes and hundreds of missions.” Currently the Church in Brazil has 259 stakes, 38 districts, and 34 missions. Prospects appear favorable for the announcement of additional temples in Brazil within the coming years in locations such as Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, and Salvador. Brazil currently ties with Canada as the country with the third most temples.
Quito, Ecuador
Ecuador was previously the country with the most members with only one temple prior to the announcement of the Quito Ecuador Temple. There are currently six stakes in the Quito metropolitan area. The new temple will likely service 12 stakes and one district in northern Ecuador.
The new temple has a special significance due to its close proximity to the Otavalo (Imbabura Highland) Quichua people. The Otavalo have exhibited strong receptivity to the Church since proselytism began in the late 1960s. Missionaries and members report that the two stakes in the small city of Otavalo number among the strongest and most self-sufficient in the Church in Ecuador. For more information on LDS outreach among the Otavalo, click
here.
Lima, Peru (Second Temple)
The Lima metropolitan area is the Church's first metropolitan area outside of the United States to have two temples as a result of the announcement of a second temple in Lima. The official name for the new temple has yet to be released. The Church in Lima operates 42 stakes - the second most stakes in any metropolitan area outside of the United States after Mexico City, Mexico. The current Lima Peru Temple is located in the La Molina District on the east-central side of the metropolitan area. North-central Lima, such as in the Independencia or Los Olivos neighborhoods, appears the most likely location for the future temple. The new temple may service 20-30 stakes in the Lima area. A case study that examines LDS growth trends in Lima can be found
here.
There are now four temples in Peru announced or in operation. Peru now ranks as the country with the sixth most temples.
Harare, Zimbabwe
The Harare Zimbabwe Temple is the Church's seventh temple to be announced in Africa. Based on year-end 2014 membership data, the Church in Zimbabwe was the country with the second most members without a temple prior to the April 2016 announcement. The Church in Zimbabwe has experienced more conservative growth than many other nearby African nations although periods of rapid growth have occurred. There are currently six stakes, two districts, and 72 official congregations (35 wards, 37 branches). There are currently three stakes in Harare. The Church organized its first stake in Zimbabwe in 1999. At least eight stakes and seven districts in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and northern Mozambique appear likely to be assigned to the new temple.
