SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- In a historic visit to the Caribbean, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve addressed a group of priesthood leaders in Santo Domingo, where 31 years earlier he dedicated the nation of the Dominican Republic and opened the land to missionary work.

On Nov. 13, the area presidency and the eight Mormon mission presidents of the Caribbean Area with their wives joined Elder Claudio R.M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Ballard in the Mirador Sur Park in Santo Domingo.

Elder Ballard reminisced on the morning in 1978 when he and a small handful of saints gathered to offer a dedicatory prayer on the land. He remembered some of the critical events that led to establishing the LDS Church in the Dominican Republic.

See the full story on ldschurchnews.com.

This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.