Utah man visits 126 LDS Temples
HERRIMAN, Utah (ABC 4 NEWS) - About 20 years ago Ray and Veloy Hansen set a goal to visit all of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints operating Temples. With 126 Temples under his belt, Ray heads to South America today to mark off numbers 127 and 128.
The Hansens love of Temples really began in 1957 when the two were married in the Salt Lake Temple, which happens to still be their favorite.
In 1987 the dedicated duo decided they wanted to visit each and every Temple which happened to be about 40 Temples total. When President Gordan B. Hinckley declared that he wanted to take the Temples to the people the number of Temples dotting the globe exploded. Today there are currently 130 operating Temples with 21 that have been announced and many are under construction.
With the number of Temples growing the Hansens have found it a little more challenging to meet that goal. Once they get close, more Temples are dedicated!
Ray and Veloy love the Temple so much that they have both been Temple workers. Ray is a two time Bishop, served the Stake Presidency for 10 years and is currently Patriarch. Veloy has been in a wheelchair for the past 8 years and that has limited her ability to travel overseas recently.
However, in 2003 Ray and Veloy logged nearly 26,000 miles touring all of the Island Temples. The couple who just celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary says, "traveling the world and seeing all the Temples allows us time together and we just love spending time together".
The only Temples left to visit are Caracus, venezuela and Aba, Nigeria. The Aba Temple has been temporarily closed. They are excited to visit several Temples that are expected to be dedicated next year.
We'll keep you posted on their progress!
