“Belize Nation and Chapel Are Dedicated,” Ensign, Feb. 1993, 72
Belize Nation and Chapel Are Dedicated
On 7 December 1992, thirty-six members and leaders of the Church gathered in a secluded, grassy garden on a farm a few miles outside of Belize City, Belize. There, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the nation of Belize for the preaching of the gospel. Later that evening, Elder Ted E. Brewerton of the Seventy, president of the Central America Area, dedicated the Belize City chapel.
Belize is the seventh and final Central American nation to receive an Apostolic dedication. Years earlier, in 1952, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then of the Quorum of the Twelve dedicated the entire area of Central America. Now each of the seven Central American nations has been individually dedicated.
Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize, a small nation of approximately 200,000 inhabitants, lies along the Caribbean coast, bordered by Mexico and Guatemala. Its people are a mixture of African, European, and Indian descent. English is the official language: many also speak an English Creole dialect, Spanish, and one of various native Indian languages.
The Church is a little more than twelve years old in Belize. On 11 May 1980, Samuel Flores, president of the Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission, held a sacrament meeting with a small group of missionaries in a hotel room in Belize City. From that quiet beginning, the Church has grown to 1,300 members living in three districts and eight branches.
The presidents of all three districts, along with presidents and members of seven of the eight branches, attended the dedicatory services.
In his prayer, Elder Nelson dedicated the land “for the purpose of bringing a rich harvest of choice souls unto thee, our beloved Father.” He prayed that “missionary work may abound,” and that local leaders “may be able to inculcate faith among their members, to perfect their lives to the point where they may be able to receive the sacred endowment offered in thy holy temples. We pray that thou wilt help us to raise up a generation of obedient and faithful souls who will be worthy of all the blessings that thou hast in store for thy faithful sons and daughters.”
Elder Nelson also invoked a blessing upon the country, its people, and its leaders. He prayed that the Church members would “respect their government of law and order and be good citizens of the land.” He blessed the nation’s resources—“the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the flowers, the fruits, the vegetables, the natural resources, that they may abound and provide the needs of the people of this choice land, and even have enough to share with people of the other nations of the earth.”
He also prayed that Belize may become a “haven of peace, a sanctuary of faith.”
Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder Ted E. Brewerton of the Seventy attend dedication ceremonies in Belize. (Photography by Marvin K. Gardner.)
Members in Belize are thrilled with the country’s dedication.