SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 29, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Wendy, will travel to Latin America at the end of August for ministry devotionals with Latter-day Saints and others.
The Nelsons will be accompanied by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Mary, said a news release Wednesday from the LDS Church.
The global faith leaders will visit five countries in nine days from Aug. 24 to Sept. 2, the news release said.
There are more than 2.6 million Latter-day Saints, 13 temples and 65 missions in the countries the prophet will visit: Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil.
Nelson and Cook are scheduled to meet with government and religious leaders, members, missionaries and friends in the following locations:
Aug. 24
Guatemala City, Guatemala
The Church leaders are scheduled to meet with Latter-day Saints in Guatemala City, a meeting that will be broadcast to all congregations in the country, the news release said.
There are nearly 278,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 440 congregations in Guatemala. Missionaries arrived in Guatemala in 1947. There are now six missions and two temples in the country. The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was dedicated in 1984, followed by the dedication of the Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple in 2011.
Aug. 25
Bogotá, Colombia
Nelson, Cook and their wives will speak in Bogotá at a devotional, which will be broadcast to meetinghouses in Colombia.
There are more than 205,000 Latter-day Saints in 246 congregations in Colombia. The country has five missions and two temples: the Bogotá Colombia Temple and the Barranquilla Colombia Temple.
Aug. 26
Quito, Ecuador
A devotional will be held in Quito on Monday evening. There are nearly 249,000 Latter-day Saints in Ecuador. The first missionaries entered Ecuador in 1965. There are now five missions and one temple in the country.
Aug. 28
Buenos Aires, Argentina
An evening devotional will be broadcast throughout Argentina, the news release said. There are nearly 460,800 Latter-day Saints in more than 750 congregations in Argentina. There are 14 missions and two temples in the country.
Sept. 1
São Paulo, Brazil
The Nelsons and Cooks will conclude their ministry visits to Latin America with an afternoon devotional in São Paulo, one of the world’s most populous cities, the news release said. The meeting will be broadcast to all congregations in Brazil.
Church membership continues to grow in Brazil. Nearly 1.4 million Latter-day Saints call Brazil home.
Brazil has six temples. The country’s seventh temple, the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, will be dedicated June 2. The other temples in Brazil are located in Campinas, Curitiba, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife and São Paulo. Additional temples have been announced or are under construction in Belém, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.
There are 35 missions in Brazil. The prophet is scheduled to meet with missionaries while in the country. The meeting will be broadcast to all missions in Brazil.
