MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Thirty-five years after teaching and baptizing Francisco Castillo, Jaime Rodriguez Izaguirre and Sergio Ocampo Sanchez wrapped their arms around him again.
The former missionary companions, who served in Managua between 1989 and 1992, reunited with Castillo at the Las Palmas chapel on Oct. 17, the day before the dedication of the Managua Nicaragua Temple.
After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Castillo accompanied the companionship in their daily missionary work for a time. The experience gave him the confidence to later serve a mission of his own. Remembering those days brought tears to his eyes.
“If they can do this, so can I,” Castillo said.
Around them, former missionaries and their families exchanged smiles, hugs and memories — celebrating not only their reunion but also a temple they had long hoped to see. Many of the former missionaries were from Nicaragua and surrounding countries.
Henry Javier Salinas embraced his wife, Azucena del Rosario Bustamente Lopez de Salinas, as he recalled a promise he and other missionaries had made: One day, they would gather again to celebrate the dedication of Nicaragua’s first temple.
That day had arrived.
“It was something special, an experience of sacrifice and strength,” Salinas said, a tear rolling down his cheek.
An unexpected call
Among those gathered were the missionaries’ former president and companion, Luis Alberto Álvarez and his wife, Amelia Rodriguez Lopez, who served from 1989 to 1992.
Álvarez was serving as a regional representative when Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked him to accompany him to Nicaragua. The trip led to an unexpected call to serve.
Álvarez recalled receiving a call from President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the First Presidency.
“We have decided to open the mission in Nicaragua, and the Lord wants you to be the president,” President Hinckley told Álvarez. “So, do you accept?”
“Yes, of course,” Álvarez replied. “How could I not?”
Elder Scott set him apart the following Sunday. The next week, Álvarez said, the family sold their household belongings and moved from Guatemala to Nicaragua.
Three of their children — then ages 11, 10 and 9 — were also authorized to accompany missionaries in teaching. They learned the missionary discussions and helped share the gospel alongside those their parents led.
Returning for the reunion and temple dedication offered the couple an opportunity to celebrate the faith, sacrifice and friendships forged during difficult years.
“How could I not come?” Álvarez said. “Here we are enjoying seeing what God is doing.”
Faith amid hardship
The Álvarezes recalled leading missionaries amid conflict, shortages and currency devaluation.
Missionaries learned to make shampoo, stored rice and beans to barter for necessities, and traded bus tokens for other needed supplies.
“Their faith made it possible for us to accomplish all this work,” Amelia Álvarez said. “They never complained. They just worked.”
Some Nicaraguan missionaries arrived directly from military service with little more than their belongings in a plastic bag.
The couple also helped implement a program emphasizing gospel worship and learning in homes. Members gathered in family groups, and missionaries taught prospective converts not only gospel principles but also how to lead music, prepare lessons, give talks and conduct meetings.
Those opportunities helped new members participate immediately.
“The only way to learn to ride a bicycle is to get on it,” Álvarez said. “So that’s what we did with the members.”
Decades later, he sees the temple as another blessing in a place he loves.
“God has His eyes on this place, and the Church will never leave again,” he said. “It will continue to grow stronger and stronger.”
Continuing to serve
For former missionary Marvin Antonio Navarro Perez, the temple’s arrival is deeply personal. His call to serve as a temple worker has strengthened his testimony and brought new fulfillment after years of trials.
“It brings me great fulfillment to serve Him now in His house, knowing that we can always continue to serve Him,” he said.
Now, the temple offers him a new way to continue the service he began as a young missionary.
“Having a temple here in the nation of Nicaragua is a great blessing,” he said. “It is something beyond what we could have even imagined.”
