Members on Kyushu were blessed when the Fukuoka Japan Temple was dedicated in June 2000. It is about 650 miles south of Tokyo.

And now, members on the third major Japanese island -- Hokkaido, to the north, are thrilled that President Thomas S. Monson announced in October general conference that a temple will be built in Sapporo, about 500 miles north of Tokyo.

There are three Mormon Church stakes on Hokkaido, two in Sapporo, a city raised to prominence when it hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics. There is also one district under the Japan Sapporo Mission.

"Gratitude" was the word Sapporo West Stake President Hiroyuki Domon used to describe his feelings when he heard about a new temple in his city. He said in an e-mail to the Church News, "When I received an e-mail from my friend in the United States at night informing that the temple was to be built in Sapporo, my heart was filled with gratitude to the Lord. As soon as I heard this announcement, I knelt down and offered my prayer of thanksgiving. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I felt the Lord so closely. My heart was literally burning like a fire. There are no words to express my joyous feelings."

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This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.