The tropical island of Guam, adorned with beautiful, fragrant flowers and ocean coasts, is now honored by the arrival of the new Temple President and Matron.
President and Matron Lopez
Yigo Guam Temple President and Matron© 2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.We welcome Marlo Oliveros Lopez along with his companion Memnet Panes Lopez who have been called as the new president and matron of the Yigo Guam Temple. Arriving from Salt Lake City, Utah, President Lopez and his wife attended the Seventeenth Ward of the Salt Lake Utah Stake.
President Lopez, a former curriculum specialist for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, was born in Manila, Philippines to Guillermo Mendoza Lopez and Sofia Ferrer Oliveros Lopez. He served as Elders Quorum president as well as Bacolod, Philippines Mission president. He has also served as a counselor in a stake and mission presidency and as a bishop.
Sister Lopez was born in Mindanao, Philippines to Sal Chavez Panes and Purificacion Patriarca Panes. She is a former mission president companion, member of the Relief Society General Board, research committee member for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, Stake Young Women presidency counselor and branch Primary president.
Temple presidents are called to oversee all activities performed at the temple. They serve voluntarily, usually for a period of several years. “I am still overwhelmed with joy” President Lopez expresses. “The very first time the call was extended to us I still feel that excitement and joy even if we have been waiting over a year now to get to Guam. I have a strong feeling that I will be keeping that joy for the entire term of our service here in Micronesia Guam.”
Sister Lopez had similar feelings stating “I just feel that perfect sacredness of our calling is causing me to feel very humble. The Lord heard the quiet, righteous longings and prayers of the members for a temple. I feel the temple will work its miracle on the people here in Guam and the islands.”
In our interview with President Lopez he continues “Whatever faith people are in, it’s the grandeur of the building that is a manifestation of the existence of God.” He reminds us that the land the temple is on is “holy ancestral ground. The islanders are storytellers of their ancestors which is a temple key to connect with their ancestors.” What better way to honor their holy ground than with a temple where ordinances can link ancestors with their families.
This beautiful temple of the Lord, announced on October 7, 2018, will give the people of these islands an opportunity for blessings found nowhere else.
“Know ye not that…I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; ...” 2 Nephi 29:7
Yigo Guam Temple, anticipated to be dedicated by the end of this year or early next year, “is not only a blessing to the members of the Church but also to all the people in Micronesia and the islands” President Lopez concludes.