TWIN FALLS - Thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gathered in Twin Falls Sunday for the dedication of the church's 128th temple.

They came early on dozens of buses then put on white booties and went inside the temple...waiting for President Thomas S. Monson show up.

"We've seen him from afar but we haven't seen him up close," said Laura Loveland as she waited to go inside the temple.

President Thomas Monson arrived, greeted the crowds, and got ready for the cornerstone ceremony.

Mormons in the Magic Valley have been waiting years for a temple. The features inside are unique to the area and within the past month, 160,000 people toured the building.

"Already I have seen that it has strengthened everyone. It's strengthened our youth and adults and it's been an enormous blessing," said Kimberly Allen.

President Monson began the cornerstone ceremony by telling about another temple dedication. There he called up a boy wearing a stocking cap whom he'd never met. He also wanted an adult to come forward to put mortar on the cornerstone so he called on a lady in the crowd.

"She tucked the mortar right there standing next to the boy. Only the Lord knew that the little boy had cancer and beneath that stocking cap there was no hair. Only the Lord knew that of all the women in the group, I'd invited his mother to come up and seal the cornerstone," recalled LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson.

Here little boys and girls got to do the same thing too and President Monson's "little girl" got to participate too.

"Ann, come in honor your mother who's not well. Say what you'd like to say," said President Monson to his daughter.

"It's a honor to be in Idaho," said Ann Dibb.

After his grandson and granddaughter-in-law said a few things, President Monson bid farewell by asking the children in the crowd to blow him a kiss.

It was a ceremony that wasn't very long but gave the crowd memories that will last forever.

"It was wonderful to meet the prophet with his wonderful sense of humor and for the children to be able to partake in something like this that they'll remember it the rest of their lives," said Shawn Allen.

"I think it's great that he's being here to dedicate a temple. I think it's very exciting," said 10-year-old Devin Loveland.

"I was really glad that he came to dedicate the temple," said a young girl who got to put mortar on the cornerstone.

The Twin Falls temple is the fourth temple in Idaho. Members from 14 different stakes in the Magic Valley area will come to worship and the doors open up Monday morning.