The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE. 

“I have been waiting for this temple, and it is a blessing. I feel so happy to be able to see that in Puerto Rico there is a temple,” said Nidza Henriquez.

Henriquez was 18 when she learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through missionaries who visited her hometown of Ponce in southern Puerto Rico. December 8, 2022, will mark nearly 50 years since she was baptized as a member of the Church.

Henriquez remembers with fondness her small congregation of Latter-day Saints. They first gathered at an Episcopal church, where the local parish gave them permission to meet before they raised the funds needed to build their own meetinghouse.

Over the years, Henriquez held a sincere hope of one day seeing a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ built in Puerto Rico.

“We (Latter-day Saints) never lost hope. I knew that the Lord would allow me to see the temple (built) in Puerto Rico,” said Henriquez.

Henriquez’s prayers were answered in October 2018, when President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ announced the construction of Puerto Rico’s first temple in San Juan.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.Â