Eduardo Balderas: The Father of Church Translation (1907–1989)

Eduardo Balderas (14 September 1907 – 6 January 1989) was a Mexican Latter-day Saint who became the Church's first official Spanish translator and, for much of the mid-twentieth century, the primary lifeline between Spanish-speaking members and Church leaders in Salt Lake City. He translated the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price into Spanish, rendered the temple endowment and ordinances into Spanish so that Spanish-speaking Saints could receive them in their own tongue, and translated many beloved hymns—among them 'Venid, venid, santos' ('Come, Come, Ye Saints'). Through decades of painstaking labor, Brother Balderas carried the restored gospel to millions of Spanish-speaking Saints who otherwise could not have received the scriptures and temple blessings in their own language. His life is a quiet, faithful witness that the Lord sends laborers to bring His word to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.