Central America

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the dates of groundbreaking ceremonies for the Cobán Guatemala Temple and the Okinawa Japan Temple.

Walking away from my mission president in the Richmond, Virginia, airport was a tearful experience. I had come to see President and Sister Smith as almost a second set of parents, and I would miss their love and advice. But I found comfort in knowing that I would see them again in a year when they completed their mission.

The First Presidency has called the following four new temple presidents and matrons. They will begin their service in November 2018.

On June 4, 2018, Church spokesman Daniel Woodruff released the following announcement:

What a thought-provoking article by Book of Mormon Central. While the Church has no official stance on where Book of Mormon events took place, it's intriguing to note how this discovery discounts earlier beliefs about ancient American inhabitants and corroborates passages from the Book of Mormon.

Mitt Romney, along with dignitaries from Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S., toured the Tucson Arizona Temple before the open house beginning on June 3.

“Now there is a stake in the highlands of Guatemala,” said Elder Renlund. “You realize the Lord is hastening His own work. He’s causing these miracles to happen. He’s blessing the people with the leaders, the faith, and all they need to be established as a stake.”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband—accompanied by Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy and Bishop Dean M. Davies, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric—recently returned from a 12-day trip to Central America. There he had the chance to meet with members as well as share LDS beliefs with the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who called the apostle and general authorities "ministers of peace."

The Church will hold the first Face to Face event in Spanish from Guatemala City on Saturday, December 10, 2016, featuring Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife, Kathy.

Incorrect blog reports claimed this week that two LDS Church-owned companies are part of the leaked Panama Papers scandal. Those reports are false. The two companies have names similar to LDS organizations but are unrelated.

A mosquito-borne virus, the Zika virus, is spreading rapidly through Southern and Central America, and now it's even making its way into the United States. But the symptoms of the Zika virus are fairly mild, including fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes that can last days to a week. Most cases do not require hospitalization.

This past month, our apostles have been busy traveling throughout the South Pacific and Central America cheering the Saints, bringing hope, and meeting with important government leaders.

In 1998, while Temple Square and the Conference Center twinkled with thousands of holiday lights, President Gordon B. Hinckley stood up to share a touching story with members of the Church across the world during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

A mom, a cook, and a Costa Rican, Angie is also the host of a TV show, "Cooking with the Happy Chinese Lady," though nothing about Angie is remotely Chinese. But, the most surprising part of Angie's life comes not from the creative concoctions she whips up in the kitchen, but what she does with that food once she's cooked it.

“You are working at a time when the Lord’s work is greatly hastened,” Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told a group of more than 700 missionaries from three different missions in Guatemala City during a recent trip to Central America.

Mormonnewsroom.org shares stories of what Church leaders and members around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.

The public is invited to tour the recently constructed Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The First Presidency of the Church (the Church’s highest governing body) announced the temple will be open to the public from Saturday, 9 February, through Saturday, 2 March 2013. Guided tours will be conducted Mondays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Breaking ground, whether for a new crop of corn or a new temple, is an act of faith. And on Saturday, Aug. 18, some 2,000 Latter-day Saints gathered in East Tijuana to dedicate the site of a new temple and turn the soil again with hope.Elder Benjamin De Hoyos of the Seventy and first counselor in the Mexico Area Presidency, presided at the gathering with second counselor, Elder Jose L. Alonso, also of the Seventy, directing. Meanwhile, like the pioneers of old, the LDS faithful stood or sat in the dusty desert sun, fanning themselves as they listened to testimonies, counsel and expressions of gratitude. Colorful umbrellas, to ward away the rays, sprouted here and there like wildflowers.

ABC 4 uncovered new information on how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is keeping missionaries safe after two Baptist missionaries were killed in Mexico.

In January, as part of an assignment from the First Presidency, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to El Salvador to train priesthood leaders and instruct local members. On Saturday, January 14, Elder Nelson met with bishops, branch presidents, district presidents, and stake presidents from around the country in a meetinghouse on the grounds of the San Salvador El Salvador Temple. He was accompanied by Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy; Elder Enrique Falabella, President of the Central America Area; Elder Carlos Rivas, Area Seventy; Walter Ray Petersen, temple president; and David L. Glazier, El Salvador San Salvador Mission president.

Most maps identify Guatemala's second-largest city as Quetzaltenango. But ask a native from this highland community to name their hometown and they will likely answer "Xela" — the Mayan name that existed centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards. Indeed, Quetzaltenango (or Xela) is synonymous with cultural tradition. Many of the women still dress in the colorful wide skirts and woven blouses favored by their ancestors. Others can comfortably speak both Spanish and local indigenous languages such as K'iche'.

Siblings Kevin and Jacqueline Salas’s parents had been inactive for some time. The brother and sister, however, had continued to attend Church meetings each Sunday. They prayed that their parents would return to Church activity.

The doors of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' (Mormons) 136th temple will open to the public on Friday, 11 November. The Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple will then be formally dedicated on Sunday, 11 December 2011, in three sessions by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency. The dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to congregations of the Church within the temple district. The Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple will be the Church's fifth in Central America, and will serve approximately 60,000 Latter-day Saints.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to build new temples across the globe to meet the needs of an expanding worldwide membership. Today the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced six new temples during the morning session of the faith’s 181st Semiannual General Conference.

During the opening session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference this morning President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to build five new temples, ranging from Utah and Wyoming to Africa and South America. "The building of temples continues uninterrupted, brothers and sisters. Today it is my privilege to announce several new temples," President Monson said.

A local missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is alive after being attacked by two lions yesterday while visiting a zoo in Guatemala where he is serving a church mission.

People with ancestors from Mexico can now search the complete 1930 Mexico census for free on the familysearch.org website. With the names of nearly 13 million people, the census is a goldmine for anyone who wants to know more about their Mexican family history. “The 1930 census is the only national census available for Mexico,” FamilySearch project manager Lynn Turner said. “It complements our civil registration and Catholic Church record collections where most Mexican ancestry is done. Now researchers can find their ancestor in the census, and move over to the records that recorded the vital events of their ancestors' lives.”

Mexico's dutiful Latter-day Saints would be recognizable to fellow members across the globe. They are diligent, temple-going people who worship, serve and raise their families in faith despite the troubles sometimes found just outside the doors of their homes. Yes, they have worries — but they also live purposeful lives fueled by optimism and gospel principles. That was the observation made by a trio of General Authorities who recently spent several days touring Mexico. Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve, along with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy, traveled to Mexico to conduct an annual review of the Mexico Area and also meet with thousands of local priesthood leaders, members, missionaries and Church employees in a variety of gatherings and training sessions across the country. At times the three were together, but they also split up to visit members in several different Mexican cities.

Each member of the Church must build a deep faith in Christ, Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told members in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua during recent assignments in Central America. Along with other Church leaders, they counseled members to strengthen their families through prayer, scripture study, temple service, family home evening, observance of the Sabbath day, obedience to the Lord’s commandments, and sharing their faith with those around them.

The recent visit of Church leaders here will be remembered as an event of profound spiritual significance for Central American members. Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve added "oil to the lamps" of thousands of Central Americans with their inspiring messages and counsel. Elder Ballard and Elder Christofferson were joined by the Presiding Bishop, Bishop H. David Burton, and Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy. Sister Katherine Christofferson, Sister Barbara Burton and Sister Lona Lee Jensen accompanied their husbands.