The Pocatello Idaho Temple has attracted hundreds of thousands of curious visitors to marvel at its grandeur since it opened in September.

Now it’s time for the temple to be dedicated to serve its purpose as a house of the Lord.

The temple in Pocatello will be dedicated with a cornerstone ceremony on Sunday with the help of none other than an indirect descendant of Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is a great-great-grandson of Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith’s brother. Ballard made a trip to Pocatello this weekend to participate in the new temple’s dedication.

“I’m honored to be here in Pocatello to help dedicate the Pocatello Idaho Temple. It’s so wonderful to be here,” Ballard said at the temple on Saturday. “The temple will be dedicated and given to the Lord on Sunday. It will be a very wonderful experience for the members of the church here in Pocatello to have their own temple, their own house of the Lord, where they can have these eternal sacred blessings.”

Ballard will be accompanied at Sunday’s dedication by three other church general authorities who also traveled to Pocatello for the occasion — S. Gifford Nielsen, president of the North America Central Area; Gary Sabin, assistant executive director of the Temple Department; and Neil Andersen, a church apostle and Pocatello native.

Ballard, who is 93 years old and the longest serving general authority alive, has helped to dedicate dozens of temples in his time as an apostle.

“I’ve been a general authority for about 45 years, so I’ve been in temples all over the world,” he said.

Sabin, who has been involved in Pocatello temple events throughout the process of its opening, said the fact that Ballard has come to Pocatello for the dedication speaks volumes of the Pocatello Idaho Temple’s significance to the church.

“To have the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles here says a lot about the importance of this temple. It’s really a privilege to be here with these folks,” Sabin said. “We value all temples, but this says just how much we value this temple.”

Sabin called Ballard a “dear person” and said he’s “so full of faith.”

“He’s definitely an example to all of us. He’s always happy, he’s always excited and always wants to pep up the people and get them excited, so it means a lot to have him here,” Sabin said of Ballard. “I’m sure his great-great-grandfather Hyrum and great-great-uncle Joseph are very proud.”

While it’s typical for apostles to participate in temple dedication ceremonies, Larry Fisher, a spokesperson for the local church, said he’s nonetheless honored that the church’s general authorities have come to Pocatello.

“It’s an honor to have them here,” Fisher said. “We feel really blessed.”

For Andersen, the apostle who was raised in Pocatello, his participation in the dedication ceremony of his hometown’s new temple is particularly special because he never imagined Pocatello would get its own temple.

“When I was here as a teenager, there were only 13 temples in all of the world. We had one in Idaho Falls and we’d drive the 50 miles to get there and we thought that was probably as close as we’d ever get to having a temple,” Andersen said. “I was certainly happy when the (Pocatello) temple was announced.”

Andersen and his wife Kathy Andersen have since moved to Salt Lake City and hadn’t visited the temple during its construction. They wanted to be surprised when they saw it for the first time ahead of the dedication this weekend.

“The temple makes a major statement here,” he said. “It really is remarkable and we’re so happy to have the temple and be able to see it in Pocatello.”

About 1,000 invited church members are expected at the temple’s dedication on Sunday to witness the cornerstone ceremony, which signifies the completion of the Pocatello Idaho Temple’s construction and its readiness for sacred use.