Representatives of the Church praised the members of Guatemala and said it is their faith and diligence that has led the Lord to bless them with a temple in closer proximity to their homes.  Members of this region of Guatemala have faithfully attended the temple since the time they had to travel to the Mesa Arizona Temple (1927), then to the México City México Temple (1983), and finally to the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple (1984).

The hillside site selected for the temple is located on the western side of the city in Zone 7, just west of the city zoo—Parque Zoológico Minerva—and across from Los Cerezos condominiums.

Quetzaltenango (Xela) is Guatemala’s second largest city located 128 miles northwest of Guatemala City—the largest city—in a large valley surrounded by mountains and two volcanoes.  This will be the second temple in Guatemala, and it is due to open in 2011.

Located in the affluent Antiguo Cuscatlán district, southwest of San Salvador, the three-story San Salvador El Salvador Temple will stand near the Multiplaza Panamericana Mall with the stunning backdrop of the mighty San Salvador volcano. The sacred edifice will be surrounded by attractive grounds that offer a calming retreat to all San Salvadorians (ldschurchtemples.com).

The San Salvador Mormon Temple will be the first to be built in the country, and will be the fourth to be built in Central America.  There are about 100,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in El Salvador.

The new temple will serve Mormon members in Honduras and Nicaragua. Currently, there are more than 168,000 members in 302 congregations in these two countries. This is a dramatic accomplishment and a testimony of the faith of the members in the area, because the Mormon Church is still very young in the area. The first Mormon missionaries arrived in Honduras in 1952, when Elder Spencer W. Kimball, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, and President Gordon M. Romney (president of the Central American mission) opened the area for missionary work. On December 10, 1952, the first two Mormon missionaries, James T. Romney and George W. Allen, arrived in Tegucigalpa. On March 21, 1953, the first five Mormon members from Honduras were baptized, and a branch was organized the next day. By 1960 there were 411 members in Honduras, and in just ten years, by 1970 there were 3,000 members. In another ten years membership more than doubled to 6,300 and by 1990 there were 43,00 members in Honduras.

Physical Address:
Templo de Tegucigalpa
Iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los Ultimos
Boulevard Suyapa
Calle acceso al Anillo Periférico
Honduras

The Church is relatively new in Costa Rica. A U.S. ambassador who was also a Mormon ran the first Mormon Church meetings from his home during the years of 1943 through 1946. The first Mormon missionaries did not arrive until just before Costa Rica’s 1948 revolution. By 1974 membership in the Church had grown enough that Costa Rica became its own mission. In 1960 there had only been 214 members in Costa Rica, by 1970 there were 1,700 members. In 1977 the first stake was created in Costa Rica. In 1992 Boyd K. Packer, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the land of Costa Rica for missionary work, and membership grew even faster. Today there are 23,000 members in Costa Rica. Before the building of the Mormon temple in Costa Rica, members had to travel to the Guatemala City Temple. The trip was expensive, costing many families twice their monthly income; getting to the temple was a great sacrifice.

On April 24, 1999, a groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held. Lynn G. Robbins, a member of the Seventy and First counselor in the Presidency of the Central America Area, presided at the ceremony. Construction began soon after the groundbreaking and progress was quick to reach a deadline of finishing the temple in one year. The deadline was met, and the temple was dedicated in June, only fourteen months after the announcement to build the temple.

The temple was open for tours May 20-27, 2000. The temple plot is 1.93 acres. The exterior finish of the temple is made of Blanco Guardiano white marble from Torreon, Mexico. Those who attended the open house were able to take a tour through the 10,700 square foot temple. The tour included the showing of two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, the celestial room, the baptistry and an explanation of the importance of the ceremonies that occur in these rooms. More than 20,000 people toured the temple.

James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency, dedicated the San Jose Costa Rica Mormon temple for use on June 4, 2000. The San Jose temple serves 50,000 Mormon members in twelve stakes and fourteen districts.

Physical Address:

Del Hotel Marriott, 600 Metros Oeste

La Ribera de Belén

40702 Heredia

COSTA RICA

Mailing Address:

c/o San Jose Costa Rica Service Center

POUCH

Costa Rica

Phone:   (506) 2293-6681

Other Links:

Manhattan Mormon Temple – New York City.com: Arts & Attractions

LDS Church Temples

The answers are found in the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormons).  Each Mormon Temple is dedicated as a house of God, a place of peace, a place of holiness set apart from the world.

Temples are different than other places of worship, in that they are designated for special ordinances. The work that goes on in the temple sets forth God’s eternal purposes with reference to man.  Much of this work is concerned with the family; we are each a member of God’s eternal family, and we are each members of an earthly family. Emphasis is placed on the sanctity and eternal nature of the marriage covenant and family relationships. Marriage partners who come to the temple and who partake of its blessings are joined not only for their earthly life, but also for eternity, if they live worthy of the blessings.

There are millions who have walked the earth and have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Through living proxies, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality. In the spirit world these same individuals are free to accept or reject the earthly ordinances that have been performed for them, including baptism, marriage, and the sealing of family relationships. Everyone must have the opportunity!

In 1947 Mormon missionaries were sent to Guatemala to begin preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seventy-five percent of the population is Catholic with Evangelical and other Protestant denominations represented. The Mormon missionaries have been quite successful in Guatemala; so much so, that in 1984 the membership of the Church had reached 40,000 and by 1998 it had quadrupled to 164,000. Just in the last twenty years the membership of the Church in Latin America has exploded to 700,000 members strong.1

Because of this growth in the Mormon Church, the leaders announced the building of the new Guatemala City Guatemala Temple to be built in Guatemala City. This announcement was made on April 1, 1981, with the groundbreaking taking place on September 12, 1982 by Elder Richard G. Scott, an apostle for the Mormon Church.

The site for the Guatemala Mormon Temple is on a little more than one acre and set in a location referred to as ‘Vista Hermosa’, which means ‘beautiful view.’ Faced with white Guatemalan marble and flanked by six elegant spires, the temple stands at the foot of rolling hills in southeastern Guatemala City. The interior of the temple has 11,500 square feet and is adorned with authentic Mayan articles. The Temple is officially the 32nd temple of the Mormon Church and serves over 190,000 members from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated this beautiful edifice on December 14, 1984, and stated that the temple was a blessing “for which many generations have prayed behind the veil [many] who have been taught the gospel [of Jesus Christ]…so they may continue with their journey to eternal life.”2

Physical Address:

24 AVENIDA 2-20 – Z.15

VISTA HERMOSA 1

GUATEMALA CITY

GUATEMALA

Mailing address:

c/o Central America Area Administration Office

POUCH

Guatemala

Phone:   (502) 2329-8300

That announcement came in August 2002 by the First Presidency. This would be the first Mormon temple to be built in the country of Panama. In March of 2006, there were more than 39,000 members of the Mormon Church in Panama, who for many years, sacrificed to attend the closest temple in Guatemala.
Hurricane Beta lingered over the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica the day before the groundbreaking. But, by the next day it had moved north leaving a beautiful sky enjoyed by those in attendance.

With Elder Spencer V. Jones presiding over the groundbreaking in October 2005, the construction of the temple officially began. Elder Jones promised great blessings to those families who studied the scriptures, held family home evening, and prayed together consistently. He admonished the members that it was time to ‘get their houses in order’ in which he quoted Doctrine and Covenants 109:8 from the Book of Mormon.2

The Panama Temple is located on a hill adjacent to the Church building in Panama and can be seen by travelers from the Canal and across the country. On the property of the temple, there will be offices and housing that will accommodate the temple presidency, temple missionaries, and those members attending the temple. The Mormon temple will now be able to serve all members of the country of Panama. It is a place where all can gain a better understanding of the purpose of life and the relationship we all share with God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Sacred ordinances can be performed for themselves as well as their ancestors who have passed to the next life.

The Panama City Panama Mormon Temple was completed and dedicated 10 August 2008.

Physical Address:
CALLE RUFINA ALFARO #3172
DESPUES DEL MINISTERIO DE EDUCATION
EN LA ENTRADA A LA VILLA DE CARDENAS
AL LADO DEL CEMENTERIO DEL PARQUE LA GLORIA
Panama

Mailing address:
c/o Central America Area Administration Office
POUCH
Panama
Phone:   (507) 317-6900

For more information about the Mormon Church and Mormon Temples, please see the following websites:

Mormon Church
Mormon Temples

Santo Domingo is the Dominican Republic’s capital city. Founded in 1496, this city is the oldest European settlement existing in the New World.
In 1978 the Dominican Republic was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel. In that same year, two Mormon families moved to the country, each unbeknownst to the other. They quickly became friends and began sharing the Gospel with newfound friends and acquaintances. In 1979 more than three hundred people had been baptized; 1981 brought the first mission organized for this country, and the membership reached twenty-five hundred; in 1986 membership had grown to eleven thousand, and in 1998, church membership reached a staggering sixty thousand.1
Before the temple was built in the Dominican Republic, members of the Mormon Church would have to travel to Florida, Peru, or Guatemala to attend the temple. As with many regions of the world, financial struggles made it quite difficult for some families to go the temple even once.
With the announcement of the new Mormon temple in their area, members quickly began working on preparing themselves for the dedication and preparing names to be done when the temple doors opened. “Our goal is to have at least 170,000 names available when the temple doors open,” said President Castro of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Stake.2 These names are of ancestors who had already passed on without the benefit of receiving the gospel or temple ordinances.  Their temple work would be done for them vicariously, and in the Spirit World, they will have the opportunity to accept or reject those ordinances.
Worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Mormons] participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with God in the temple. Like baptism, these ordinances and covenants are necessary for the salvation of man and they must be performed in the Mormon temple. The temple is a learning center where those who enter gain a better understanding of our purpose in life and our relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is located in the western part of the city. Adorned with trees and overlooking the Caribbean Sea, it is fast becoming a beacon of strength for members and non-members alike.
The temple open house attracted nearly forty thousand people. After touring the temple, a local journalist reported the following, “Within the temple, one receives the impression of being in another world…nothing in the country can compare with this…”
Over ten thousand Dominicans and their neighbors from Haiti, Puerto Rico, and other islands witnessed the dedication of the temple on September 17, 2000, by President Gordon B. Hinckley. “Dear Father, please look down with love upon Thy sons and daughters in this island nation and in surrounding lands,” President Hinckley petitioned in his dedicatory prayer. “Prosper them in their labors that they may have food upon their tables and shelter over their heads. As they look to Thee, reward their faith and open Thy hand of providence toward them. May they find peace in the midst of conflict, and faith amidst the stress of the world. Open the windows of heaven, as Thou hast promised, and let blessings flow down upon them.”3
The prayers of faithful members of the Mormon Church were answered. The temple has and will serve as a source of strength to its members. In a country where marriage is looked upon as an unnecessary foible and where sexual impurity and social drinking are acceptable, the members will need a solid foundation that only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can offer. The “Temple on the Hill” will give them strength to continue on the path of righteousness and know that the ultimate blessings which they cannot even begin to comprehend, are found in the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple.

Physical Address:
AVENIDA BOLIVAR NO. 825
LOS ROBLES
10106 SANTO DOMINGO
DISTRITO NACIONAL
Dominican Republic

Mailing address:
c/o Caribbean Area Administration Office
POUCH
Dominican Republic
Phone:   809-731-2000