[MUSIC PLAYING]
Manaus is the capital
of the Amazon, surrounded by the largest
rainforest on Earth. People here are very
close to nature.
They have roots as
deep as the trees. And even their birds never
fly too far from this land. [BIRD TRILLS] [MUSIC PLAYING]
For members of the
Church of Manaus, it is a blessing to live
in such a beautiful place. But it was also a challenge to
build up the Church in an area so far away from other members.
At the time, the nearest
temple was in Sao Paulo, almost 3,000 miles away. Members of other stakes often
went in caravans to the temple. But none of them had
so far to travel.
On November 25, 1992, the
first caravan from Manaus left the city harbor and headed
toward the Sao Paulo temple.
The stake president
gathered the members. And together, they
offered a prayer.
After three days on
the boat, the time came for the second
part of the journey: three more days on a bus.
Along the way, Church members
who lived near the bus route waited for hours to
support the Manaus caravan.
After traveling 600 miles by
river and another 2,000 miles on the road, the caravan
finally reached its destination.
As part of the Manaus
temple dedication, a cultural celebration
paid homage to the sacrifice made by the
pioneers from northern Brazil.
[MUSIC PLAYING]