The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is the 99th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Santo Domingo is the Dominican Republic's capital city. Founded in 1496, this city is the oldest European settlement existing in the New World. In 1978 the Dominican Republic was dedicated for the preaching of the Mormon Gospel. In that same year, two Mormon families moved to the country unbeknownst to the other. They quickly became friends and began sharing the Gospel with newfound friends and acquaintances. In 1979 more than three hundred people were baptized. In 1981 the first mission was organized and the membership reached twenty-five hundred. In 1986 membership had grown to eleven thousand and in 1998, Church membership reached a staggering sixty thousand. [1]