MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Outside the newly dedicated Managua Nicaragua Temple on Sunday, Oct. 18, two pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua shared a warm embrace that celebrated decades of faith and the blessing of a house of the Lord in their homeland.
María Rodríguez Salinas, who was baptized in 1971, told Betty Antonia Castro Torres she was happy to see her and to have shared the blessing of the temple with her.
Salinas, who turns 80 in November, described her temple dedication experience as “magnificent.”
“I even cried,” she said, adding, “because I felt happy.”
For Castro, baptized in Managua in 1961, the dedication marked the fulfillment of a promise she recalled hearing from Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles decades earlier — if the Saints were faithful, the Lord would bless them with a temple.
“Today, that promise has been fulfilled,” she said. “Oh, I’m happy. And I feel a greater responsibility to defend truth and righteousness.”
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Managua Nicaragua Temple on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Their joy was shared by other Nicaraguan Church members, youth, mission presidents and one former missionary, who reflected on what the temple means to them and the generations it will bless.
‘Everyone is happy’
For Salvador Sotelo Salgado, 73, of the Sutiaba Ward in the León Nicaragua Stake, the Managua Nicaragua Temple dedication was a long-awaited blessing — and a milestone he was grateful to live to see.
Since joining the Church 26 years ago, Sotelo has served as a branch president and a stake president. Reflecting on the wait for a temple in Nicaragua, Sotelo said, “The Lord, as we say here in Nicaragua, may take His time, but He never forgets.”
Although he had previously met a visiting Apostle while serving as stake president, seeing Elder Rasband at the dedication was especially emotional. “Everyone cried. Everyone is happy,” he said.
Sotelo expressed hope that the temple would help Nicaraguans grow spiritually and follow Jesus Christ with dignity, dedication, devotion, discipline and “above all, with great love.”
A young disciple’s joy
Hours before the Managua Nicaragua Temple dedication, Steven Alberto Almendarez arrived to help place protective foot coverings on those entering the temple.
For the 16-year-old priest — the only member in his family — the simple task was an opportunity to serve Heavenly Father.
“Some people might say this is something insignificant, but for me, I know I’m serving my fellowmen,” he said with a wide grin. “And when I serve my fellowmen, I’m serving my Heavenly Father.”
Almendarez, a member of the Ciudad Sandino Ward, Managua Nicaragua Stake, joined the Church four years ago after invitations from childhood friends and a woman who housed the missionaries.
Now serving as the bishop’s first assistant, Almendarez said his family sometimes supports his Church participation and sometimes has reservations. He had not previously been able to travel outside Nicaragua to attend a temple because his parents had not given permission.
During the temple open house, Almendarez served every day, guiding visitors, assisting elderly guests, managing lines and replenishing drinking water. Being invited to attend the dedication was another blessing.
“So here I am, grateful, grateful for this beautiful blessing,” he said.
The young man also hopes to be the first in his family to serve a mission. “That’s my biggest goal,” he said.
Missionary opportunities have already come his way. A young neighbor he invited to a seminary activity recently joined the Church.
A source of hope and blessings
Tiffany Maradiaga was opening the front door of the temple for arriving guests, a duty that allowed her to greet Elder Rasband when he entered.
The 22-year-old returned missionary from the La Posada Ward, León stake, also volunteered for a week during the temple open house. While serving, she and her sister talked about feeling the Spirit and God’s love inside the temple even before its dedication.
As Elder Rasband offered the dedicatory prayer, that feeling deepened.
“I felt chills run through my entire body,” she said. “It was a confirmation from the Spirit that this truly is the house of the Lord.”
Maradiaga, who served in Guatemala Quetzaltenango Mission, said having a temple in Nicaragua once seemed impossible to her. Now, she sees it as a source of hope for others to discover the blessings she has experienced.
“I feel that God loves everyone, not just Church members, but all the people of Nicaragua,” she said. “Today I was able to feel that, and I testify with all my heart that this is the house of the Lord and that only here can we find true happiness, not just for a moment, but forever.”
The temple — ‘our best missionary’
The presidents and companions of both the Nicaragua Managua North and Nicaragua Managua South missions attended the dedication.
President Walter R. Venegas and his wife, Sister Carla Venegas, leaders of the north mission, both see the newly dedicated temple as a powerful invitation to come unto Christ.
“The members in Nicaragua have waited so many years for this temple, and we know that the temple will be our best missionary,” President Venegas said. “Having a temple in Nicaragua will truly help the work grow exponentially.”
During the open house, missionaries throughout Nicaragua reported that visitors felt the Spirit and wanted to make covenants with the Savior. President Venegas expects those experiences to continue bearing fruit as people share what they felt at the temple with family and friends in their own country.
President Luis Torres and his wife, Sister Leticia Torres, leaders of the Nicaragua Managua South Mission, described the dedication as a powerful spiritual experience.
“The Spirit of God was poured out in a very powerful way. We love Nicaragua, and we love serving with the people here, but the temple has been the best thing that has happened to us,” President Torres said.
“Our goal now isn’t just to bring people to baptism but to prepare them so that after baptism, they begin their covenant path and eventually come to the temple.”
‘Jesus Christ is in Nicaragua’
Bryan and Peggy Russell led the Nicaragua Managua South Mission from 2013 to 2016. Returning for the temple dedication meant seeing a longtime dream fulfilled alongside people they love.
“It’s just an honor and a privilege to be here, to be back in our beloved country with the people that we love so much, and to be with our missionaries here that served in this country,” Bryan Russell said. “We’re just overjoyed.”
During their visit, the Russells gathered with approximately 75 former missionaries and visited converts and friends. Bryan Russell fondly recalled the kindness, generosity and care Nicaraguans show one another. Now, having a temple in their country will make sacred ordinances more accessible to members who previously faced lengthy journeys and years of saving to attend.
“But more than just a building, for the Nicaraguans, it represents the house of the Lord,” he said. “And it gives them the opportunity to receive their endowments, receive the ordinances and have their families sealed together forever.”
Added Peggy Russell: “It’s a dream for many people, not just the Nicaraguans, of course, but all the missionaries that served here and served with love and with hope that the Nicaraguans would get the same blessings and opportunities that a temple brings close to them.”
Among the Russells’ former missionaries was Brandon Benson, who returned with his wife to celebrate the dedication. Benson served in the Nicaragua Managua South Mission from 2013 to 2015 and remembers the Saints’ hope and faith that a temple would one day be built in their country.
Benson, now an elders quorum president in the Overland 2nd Ward, Eagle Mountain Utah Central Stake, saw the dedication as a reflection of generations of faithful effort.
“There have been thousands of missionaries serve here. I’m just one,” he said. “But it’s amazing to see that some of these bricks, they were just laid individually by people over generations.”
For Benson, rejoicing alongside the Nicaraguan Saints was more than a return to a place he once served.
“It’s just a testimony that Jesus Christ is in Nicaragua and His kingdom’s here, and that’s a great blessing to enjoy.”
