President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Wendy, are leaving Utah Saturday for a nine-day trip to five countries in Latin America. Traveling with the Nelsons are Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Mary.
Their first stop will be in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Saturday, where they will greet government and religious leaders at a reception before they address members at an evening devotional at the Estadio Cementos Progreso, a stadium used mostly for football (soccer) matches.
Other cities the senior leaders will visit during their ministry include Bogotá, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Brasilia and São Paulo, Brazil.
President Nelson and Elder Cook will speak to Latter-day Saints and friends of the faith, including missionaries, in the region. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the devotionals that will be broadcast to all congregations in each of the five countries. A meeting with missionaries in Brazil will also be broadcast to all missionaries in that country.
The prophet will return to Utah on Monday, September 2, in time to celebrate his 95th birthday.
There are 16.3 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world, including a growing membership in Latin America.
In the five countries where President Nelson is traveling, there are more than 2.6 million Latter-day Saints, 14 temples, including the recently dedicated Fortaleza Brazil Temple, and 65 missions. Four other temples are announced or under construction in Brazil.
This news release was provided by the Church Newsroom.
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
