When her father, a lifelong Mormon, returned to active participation in the church in south Florida in 1981, the closest LDS temple to little Eliza Gomez was in Washington, D.C., more than 1,000 miles away.
Since then, Gomez, like millions of other Mormons, has seen new temples dot up closer and closer to her home, cutting down the time and sacrifice necessary to access the temple blessings, which are revered above all others by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.