First couple sealed in San Diego temple reflects 3 decades later

0:00I'm Mary Richards, a reporter with the Church News and host of the Church News Podcast. In his October 2025 general conference address, Church President Dallin H. Oaks taught that he sensual to our doctrine on the family is the temple. The ordinances received there and able us to return as eternal families to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In this episode of the Church News Podcast, reporter Amy Cobabe talks with Elizabeth and Giovanni Guanuna at the San Diego California Temple. The three met together immediately prior to the rededication of the House of the Lord in Southern California in August 2026. The San Diego Temple was rededicated by President D. Todd Christopherson, second counselor in the first presidency. However, after the temple was originally dedicated in April 1993 by President Gordon B. Hinkley, the Guanunas were the first couple to be sealed in the new temple. More than three decades later, they reflected on what

1:01that day meant to them and what blessings they have seen as they have continued to build their faith in Jesus Christ and serve in the temple. Thank you both for being here, Elizabeth and Giovanni, at the temple grounds. Oh, happy to be here, Amy. And you both. Thank you for having us. You still live here in San Diego. Me too. You haven't gone far from that first day in 1993. Can you take me back to your wedding day? What do you still recall from that day? Well, this was the perfect place for you to ask that question because I remember driving in and seeing the temple just like this. The trees much smaller. Everything brand new. And when you walk in, it says 1993, they're on a little cornerstone and we were married May 1st, 1993, very early in the morning. And I mean, it's something every girl dreams of dressed in white. The bridal room is so gorgeous in there. And to be in there, I remember just tracing everything with my fingers and taking a minute to look at every single detail. And now that it's rededicated, I was able to go

2:02through again and see the upgrades and how it's once again brand new. Like my husband says, maybe we need to be remodeled to where the same age. Remodeled 33, almost 34 years later. What do you remember from that day? We're nervous. It's, as you can imagine, it's one of the most important decisions and steps that you make in life. And so just thinking that my life is going to change. Of course, happy, very happy to marry a beautiful girl at the right place. So it was a wonderful day. Take me back to being the first couple. Was that something you set out to do? How did that come about to be the first couple sealed in this temple? You know, it's like you have to be somebody, right? Not really. God is no respect or a person. And this proves it. We were just two kids, both going to be why you at the time, both teaching in the MTC, which is where we had met. And we're driving

3:04up here to meet his family. And when we drove by, we're still the scaffolding on a tent. They're just finishing it up or just beginning to build and do the grounds. And he said to me, boy, I get married in that temple. That's beautiful. So the next day I called the temple. And they said, how would you like to be the first? And I was shocked and pleased. And I said, yes. And I had our wedding date. So we actually had to rush and do a formal engagement. So you hadn't even asked her yet. But you'd clearly we knew that knew where it was going. Yeah, that was a direction. You're reviving. Yeah. And a temple marriage too. That's something that was important to both of you. From the time I was a young child, that was clear to me. Many people think they just have the right to a wonderful family and a wonderful marriage. And I know that it takes preparation and living a higher standard. And I set my sights on that. And he's a convert. Maybe you can tell why that was important to you. But when we met, that was clearly a value

4:05that we shared. Yeah, tell us a little bit. So you're a convert to the church. How did that become so important to you to if you if you hadn't seen that yourself and your family with the temple marriage and covenants, what happened to lead you to that? Well, I think it goes back to when I decided to join the church. After I went through the missionary discussions and I was invited to to follow the Lord and to be baptized. I didn't make that decision right away. It took me good six months probably. By the time they asked to Yen, it was maybe like the third or fourth time. I couldn't turn around and say no because I knew the Lord knew what I need. And so I had to move forward and follow the Lord. And so having that understanding that the Lord wants us to

5:05make covenants with him, the baptism being the first one that we make a determination to follow him. And there are other covenants that we are invited to to do. And of course those covenants can be made of the temple. And so that became a unique special to make those covenants. Yeah, we should have that value. And there's never any question. In this church to me, there's a very unique doctrine and that is the eternal family and the ceiling that happens in the temple. What do you really care about? Everyone, if you ask anyone what you really care about most, it's your family. So that aspect of the church is honestly what I has my heart above all else. And he shared that. So being sealed here, taking very seriously our covenants, feeling the weightiness and the grand door of the promises that are made in the temple, that's been the foundation for our family, that's been the focal

6:09point of our family. All else has been secondary to start that aim. And it's paid off. We're happy. It's been worth it. Beautiful children with similar values. And there's no other way of live in my mind. Oh, that's wonderful. You talked about your children and I want to get to that. But first before we talk a little bit about what's happened since 1993, let's go to that day. You have a photo album. I would love to look at some of these and have you remember? So how old were you when you were married? Maybe you don't want to reveal that on camera. But a lot younger. Old were you? 25. 25. 25. 25. 25. Returned missionaries. Both students. Yeah. I was studying law. He was studying engineering. We were both broke. So we had no photographer. We didn't really have any reception plan that we knew about. Our parents had kind of worked that out for us. We didn't have

7:11gosh, gas in our car when we left my dad had to run up and give us a $50 bill so we could get started on our honeymoon. But my brother fortunately and he still takes photographs and does it for a hobby, but he ran up after. So let's get some photographs and he took this little cover photograph. But these were our engagement. And when we were in both teaching the MTC, you can see his tag when we met and your engagement. I'm just going back to that page. It's another temple. That's the Logan Utah Temple. Do you remember that? That's the Megan Gage official there. Officially at the Logan Temple. So you started out that thinking of oh, I want to get married in this temple. I would get married. And then you finally popped the question at another temple. That's right. That's beautiful. Logan Temple was there. This one was not there yet. So he would chose that temple to officially be engaged. It was freezing cold and he gave a big long speech about commitment and I agreed with everything. I was shaking like this, but it was very beautiful.

8:13And this is when we drove by to meet his family and they still have the dirt all dug up and but you can see how beautiful the temple was going to be. And that's when he said, oh, I'd get married there and I jumped right on that. Almost right here. It looks like where you were standing. And this was originally supposed to be a reflection pool, but that didn't come to be. But it's very beautiful still with the grass. And he just knew that was going to be something. And he was right. And this was our wedding invitation, which we included a scripture on here. Behold, I give unto you power that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven and heal him in 10 seven. And this was a Lord speaking to heal him in when there was division among the people they were fighting. And he was going to call them to repentance. But Lord said, I'll give you this power to seal. And it's a sealing power that drew us to the temple. We wanted an eternal family. This is what you get here. If you can live up to the standards and put the put the Lord first, which has always been a theme in our home. And then this was how we invited people to come to the

9:14sealing room. And I remember when we got sealed, you remember nearly at the altar? And the chandelier and our catches all the light. And it was just surreal for that moment. You know, we just got lost in the beauty of it and and the waitingness of what we were doing. But new regrets. And when the sealer asked my bride, would you take this young man for a husband took it forever? I thought she was going to say no. I was lost in the beauty of the sealing room, but I was not going to say no. As you can see, just a little distracted by the chandelier. And then here when we came out his family, much of his family could not enter the temple, but they were so gracious and wonderful. And his mom had made me these flowers out of Mars a candidate. So I had something to hold. We didn't even do flowers. And then these are the pictures my brother took that we have, thankfully. Yes. That helped us remember. Beautiful dress. And there we are. You can see the trees are much smaller, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Yes. And then that's onto our

10:15wedding reception. But yeah, I think that's primarily beautiful. California Day. They're different from the engagement in Logan where it is very cold. But tell me a little bit about that scripture. I love that. That you have that on your invitation. And it seems like that is something that you the scriptures is something that we haven't brought up. But I wonder if there are any scriptures that you think of as you sit at the temple, as you think about this and your decision to be sealed in the temple. What scriptures maybe do you think about when you're pondering? There's one in particular from Matthew 22 where the Lord was asked what's the first command, the most important command. And the Lord replied, the Dauce of Love, the Lord I God, with all thy heart, with all thy might, with all thy soul. I have been pondering about that.

11:22And of course back then, I knew that scripture as well. But throughout the years I've been thinking about that, what does that really mean? Lately I've been thinking about that a lot. And to love the Lord that God, to love my Heavenly Father over anything and everything. I was trying to understand what what that means. But I think the Lord answered that question himself in another scripture in John 1415 where he says, if he loved me, keep my commandments, keep his commandments, Heavenly Father's commandments, of course he gave us his commandments to his son. And so that tells me what loving God means. What are the most important commandments that I should follow, that I should apply in my life? And for the last 33 years, as I got married, the most

12:30important commandments to me, if I love the Lord, is to be a good husband, to be a good father, to be a good provider, to help others grow and to grow ourselves and become more like Christ. I can tell you along that line, he, that's beautiful to hear because he has been a master of gentle persuasion in the home. He is kind, he is loving, he will not tolerate contention, he'll sit with the children for hours if he needs to empatch a rift. And we have had peace in our home because of him. He takes that very seriously. So I want, I want big, he's made it possible for us to have the family we have today. He takes these covenants seriously and so did I. And we prepared the best we could, were we perfect? No, we're flawed in many ways. But I do know that when you put your effort in, the Lord will make up the difference and bring you where you need to be. And it's been a beautiful ride. Who loves that? A beautiful ride together. Yeah, together. And, and starting with

13:33that attitude of loving the Lord, as you, you said from that scripture in Matthew, um, really sets you up. Let's talk a little bit about your family now. In, in that time, since you were sealed, you have how many children and, and how are they doing? Six boys, two girls. They are beautiful children and doing well and they've served missions. We have one that just left home for college. He hasn't served, but he's got plans to do so. And it's meaningful to them because the missionary's found my husband, the missionary's found my father. And so they go with that mind. You had a missionary just come home. How recently? Two days ago. Two days. He came back from Thailand. Pretty fresh. Yeah, pretty. What has that been like welcoming home seven missionaries? Oh, it's the best feeling of the world. It's been a tender mercy because we're just sending our last one off the college tomorrow. Oh, no, he left yesterday. Yeah, yesterday. And we're going up tomorrow to take what he needs. But,

14:34to the same college, Berkeley, that this boy graduated from and God gave us one back is the last one leaves because it gets pretty quiet. We have one at the MTC right now. And we also have one at the MTC. Oh, okay. So you welcome home, I guess six then. Yeah. One at the MTC. Yes. Amazing. So they served a little while. Would have why the oldest Slovenia, our daughter. And then the next one to Brazil. And there was COVID. So they said, I haven't finished up in New Jersey. Wrong. And then Rome with the next daughter helped me out. Edison went to Thailand. Was he gone that long? We have a boy went to Madagascar and we have one that went to or is going to Finland now. So every continent, I think. Beautiful. You've covered the worlds with who would have thought to two kids. And you have a beautiful family and have shared the gospel with so many. We have a tradition on the church news podcast where we give our guests the last word.

15:39And so I would just want to ask my last question invite you to have the last words both Elizabeth and Giovanni. What you would want people to know about your your love, the love of the temple and your family. You know, my parents set a great example. My mother just passed away for first. She was living with us and she's the greatest woman I've ever known because she modeled for me the values of the gospel. She my dad actually met her teaching her class in college and she quit that to raise us as children. It's not easy. But I saw that commitment. I also had a job with the federal government that I loved. I felt like I get it was something I could do my whole life. But because of her and because of a good husband who used his gentle persuasion, I stayed home with my children and raised them so that they can also make covenants with the Lord. Because to me, that's the only true road to happiness. The only thing that really fills your soul. Everything

16:40else is a supporting part to that. I definitely have a testimony of the work that this gospel and this church does. The authority that's in it, the ability to seal families, which to me again is the core doctrine. That's what brings us happiness. We want to be with our families. First and foremost, the atoning role in Jesus Christ. Because we're flawed, that the fact that he makes that possible for us to continue to patch it up, make covenants and to continue to be and ultimately be reunited with him in heaven, which is our family there too. I can't think of a better start than making covenants with the Lord at the temple when you start your family. That is everything to us. We are reminded of those covenants when every time we come to the temple, when we do temple trips with the youth and we have seen the rewards of it on our family,

17:50on our kids. They want to follow the Lord just like we did. They have made covenants with the Lord and the temple themselves when they went on a mission. Covenant keepers and eternal families are and I think that was the foundation of our family and I'm very happy that the kids are also willing to follow the Lord in the same passion. I think it's because they know that that's what true happiness comes from. We have been able to pass that testimony to our kids on our weekly activities that we had growing up on reading the scriptures and learning about all these covenants, commandments, teachings that Jesus Christ has had that we can find in the scriptures. The results are there. His great happiness above all else. There's no great as you know you can do that.