Did you know that the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honduras began in 1952? It started when Elder Spencer W. Kimball journeyed to Honduras. He sought authorization from Honduran President Juan Manual Galvez to organize the Church.
Today we’re standing before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It stands as a testament to the faith of its members.
Elder Kimball gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to Jose Santos Ortega Flores. Flores was a waiter. This book is considered scripture by Latter-day Saints, along with the Bible.
In March 1953 Jose Ortega became the first Honduran member of the Church. He was baptized with four others. The very next day the first congregation was formed in Tegucigalpa.
Two years later in 1955, the second congregation was organized in San Pedro Sula. By 1963 the first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Honduras was finished. It was located in Colonia Palmira in Tegucigalpa.
Early members yearned for blessings found in Latter-day Saint temples. Initially the nearest temple was in Arizona.
In 1976 Honduran members traveled by bus to the Mesa Arizona Temple. The round trip took ten days. It was a great personal sacrifice for them. These trips to Arizona continued until temples were built in Mexico City and Guatemala City in the 1980s.
In 2006 the construction of the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple was announced. Gordon B. Hinckley was the Church’s worldwide leader then. He was beloved by Honduran members. He had visited Honduras in 1997. He was the first Church president to do so. After Hurricane Mitch in 1998 he returned to comfort victims and send emergency relief.
The Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple is the sixth Latter-day Saint temple in Central America. Others are in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala.
As of today there are about 153000 Honduran members of the Church. They are spread across 227 congregations.
The Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple opened its doors for public tours in February 2013. These tours continued through early March.
In April 2019 President Russell M. Nelson announced a second temple in Honduras. This one would be in San Pedro Sula. The Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple was dedicated in March 2013. Saints traveled over 200 miles to attend it.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Honduras reports over 187000 members. These members belong to 31 stakes and five districts. The San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple is the Church’s 198th operating temple.
In September 2024 the public enjoyed an open house for the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple. Over 100000 people visited during the three-week event.
Elder Dale G. Renlund dedicated the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple in October 2024. It became the second house of the Lord in Honduras. He invited everyone to learn that Jesus Christ is the Savior.