Argentina Buenos Aires East Mission

About Argentina

ARGENTINA Jan. 1, 2012: Est. population, 40,913,000; Members, 399,440; Stakes, 71; Wards, 480;
Branches, 343; Missions, 10; Districts, 36; Temples, 1, announced, 1; Percent LDS, .91, or one in 110; South America South Area.
Located on South America's eastern coast, the Republic of Argentina has a Spanish-speaking population that is 92 percent Roman Catholic, 2 percent Protestant, and 2 percent Jewish.
Latter-day Saints Wilhelm Friedrichs and Emil Hoppe and their families emigrated from Germany to Buenos Aires in the early 1920s, fleeing the economic uncertainties of postwar Europe. Friedrichs soon began publishing gospel messages in local newspapers andin1924asked the First Presidency to send missionaries to work among the Germans of Argentina.
Elders Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve and Rulon S. Wells (who spoke German) and Rey L. Pratt(who spoke Spanish) of the First Council of the Seventy arrived in Buenos Aires on 6 December 1925to begin missionary workin South America. Sbc days later the first latter-day baptisms on that continent were performed in the Rio de la Plata for German immigrants Anna Kullick and her brother Ernst Biebersdorf, their respective spouses, and two young women.
On Christmas Day, Elder Ballard dedicated South America for the preaching of the gospel, prophesying that "the work will go forth slowly just as the oak grows from an acorn... [but] the South American Mission will become a power in the Church." During the next six months, the three General Authorities rented a building in which to hold meetings and distributed thousands of flyers announcing those meetings.
In July 1926, K. B. Reinhold Stoof arrived to replace Elder Ballard as president oftheSouth American Mission, and young elders from the United States soon began to arrive. During the nine years that President Stoof and his family resided in Argentina, missionaries established branches in Buenos Aires and other nearby cities and also launched the preaching of the gospel amongthe German immigrants of southern Brazil.
When the mission was divided in 1935 to form the Argentine and Brazilian missions, missionary work in Argentina was confined to Buenos Aires, home to some 200members of the Church. By that time converts had been made among working-class immigrants from a dozen European countries who were living on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. With the exception of one German branch in Buenos Aires, missionary work and church meetings were conducted in Spanish.
The first LDS chapel was dedicated in the Liniers area of Buenos Aires in April 1938, and branches were established in other major cities such as Quilmes, LaPlata, Rosario, Bahia Blanca, Cordoba and Mendoza. World War 11 interrupted missionary work, but the mission president and the local Saints kept the Church alive until missionaries could once more return to Argentina. By 1949 Church membership had reached 1,000 but the missionaries continued to provide much of the leadership for the 27 branches.
Following the Korean War, with an increased number of missionaries available, new fields of labor were opened, leading to the establishment of the North Argentine Mission in 1962. Membership growth accelerated as local leaders were called and missionaries could devote more of their time to teaching others. In addition, missionary work was launched in neighboring Chile in 1956, with those efforts being supervised by the Argentine Mission during the next three years. By the end of 1960 there were over 4,000 Latter-day Saints in Argentina.
The increasing maturity of the Church was marked in November 1966 by the organization of the first stake in Argentina (which was also the first Spanish-speaking stake in South America and only the second such stake in the Church), with 20 more stakes being established by the end of1980. By that time,there were five missions (two in Buenos Aires and others headquartered in Cordoba, Rosario, and Bahi'a Blanca) and nearly 50,000 Latter-day Saints in Argentina.
Argentina hosted two area conferences attended by President Spencer W. Kimball and other General Authorities in March 1975 and October 1978. Further progress came in1986 with the dedication of the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple. Since 1984 Buenos Aires has been the headquarters of the South America South Area.
By December 2000, when the Argentine Saints celebrated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of LDS missionaries in South America, their country was home to 300,000 members, many of them representing the second and third generations of their families in the Church.
In recent times o fhigh unemployment and political and social upheaval, Argentine Latter-day Saints have drawn upon the strength that comes from Church membership. Church leaders have prepared their people for such challenges by reemphasizing the basic principles of tithing, fast offerings and financial self-sufficiency. Many members planted vegetable gardens and learned to make or recondition clothing. But the Argentine Saints, showing the resilience that comes with their faith, have also reached out to the larger society in which they live, giving many thousands of hours of humanitarian and community service to those around them.
In 2003, membership reached 330, 349. In 2005, membership reached 348, 396. Deseret News 2013 Church News Almanac 423
On 9 Sept 2012, thousands of members gathered under blue skies for the rededication of the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency. Tens oft housands more participated in meetinghouses across the country. The temple served as a spiritual haven for nearly a quarter century before it was closed in latter 2009 for major renovation to meet the demands of growing membership in the region. Two wings were added to the original building, dramatically increasing its size while paying respect to its original and distinctive design.

Missionary Blogs

Elder Connor Atherley
www.mymission.com/elderconnoratherley
2024
Elder Kyler Bramwell
www.mymission.com/elderkylerbramwell
2024
Elder Pierce Bryner
www.mymission.com/elderpiercebryner
2024
Elder Elijah Hughes
www.mymission.com/elderelijahhughes
2024
Elder Ryan Lay
www.mymission.com/elderryanlay
2024
Elder Jaxon McKown
www.mymission.com/elderjaxonmckown
2024
Elder Jaxon McKown
www.mymission.com/elderjaxonmckown1
2024
Sister Hannah Tolson
www.mymission.com/sisterhannahtolson
2024
Sister Layne Almeida
www.mymission.com/sisterlaynealmeida
2023
Elder Cole Terry
www.mymission.com/eldercoleterry
2023
Sister Mikaela Willisms
www.mymission.com/sistermikaelawillisms
2023
Elder Zachary Wolford
www.mymission.com/elderzacharywolford
2023
Elder Ammon Andreasen
www.mymission.com/elderammonandreasen
2021
Elder Eric and Sister Saurell Jackson
www.mymission.com/elderericandsistersaurelljackson
2021
Sister Megan Loertscher
www.mymission.com/sistermeganloertscher
2021
Elder Benjamin Mahoney
www.mymission.com/elderbenjaminmahoney
2021
Elder Kyler Ogden
www.mymission.com/elderkylerogden
2021
Elder Benjamin Salgado Gonzalez
www.mymission.com/elderbenjaminsalgadogonzalez
2021
Elder Evan Armknecht
www.mymission.com/elderevanarmknecht
2020
Sister Darley Stefania Castillo Garcia
www.mymission.com/sisterdarleystefaniacastillogarcia
2020
Elder Zack Kindell
www.mymission.com/elderzackkindell2
2020
Sister Macie Rogers
www.mymission.com/sistermacierogers
2020
Elder Brennan Benincosa
www.mymission.com/elderbrennanbenincosa
2019
Elder Jacob Graham
www.mymission.com/elderjacobgraham
2019
Elder Manuel Herrera
www.mymission.com/eldermanuelherrera
2019
Elder Nelson Hyland
www.mymission.com/Nelsonhyland1
2019
Elder Joseph Laudie
www.mymission.com/elderjosephlaudie
2019
Elder Tanner Lofgran
www.mymission.com/eldertannerlofgran
2019
Elder Camron Loomis
www.mymission.com/eldercamronloomis
2019
Elder Jaime Israel Medina Franco
www.mymission.com/elderjaimeisraelmedinafranco
2019
Sister Claudia Rosenberg
www.mymission.com/sisterclaudiarosenberg
2019
Elder Addison G Udall
www.mymission.com/elderaddisongudall
2019
Sister Aubrey Brinkerhoff
www.mymission.com/sisteraubreybrinkerhoff
2018
Elder Jacob Christensen
www.mymission.com/elderjacobchristensen
2018
Elder Taylor Hansen
www.mymission.com/eldertaylorhansen
2018
Elder Cameron Hogan
www.mymission.com/eldercameronhogan
2018
Elder Adam Lindsay
www.mymission.com/elderadamlindsay
2018
Elder Adam Lindsay
www.mymission.com/elderadamnathanaellindsay
2018
Elder Noah Ludlow
www.mymission.com/eldernoahludlow
2018
Elder Elías Moreira
www.mymission.com/elderelasmoreira
2018
Elder Micah Casablanca
www.mymission.com/eldermicahcasablanca
2017
Elder Moreira
moreiritah
2017
Elder Carlos Ferreira
www.mymission.com/eldercarlosferreira
2017
Elder Carlos Ferreira
www.mymission.com/eldercarlosferreira1
2017
Elder Thayne Jaden Harrison
www.mymission.com/elderthaynejadenharrison
2017
Elder Aaron Keeley
www.mymission.com/elderaaronkeeley
2017
Elder Aaron Keeley
missionsite.net/elderaaronkeeley
2016
Elder Joshua Guymon
elderjoshguymon.blogspot.com
2016
Elder Levi Fleming
elderlevifleming.blogspot.com
2016
Elder Matt Lee
elderlee.weebly.com
2016
Elder Matthew McCollum
eldermatthewmccollum.blogspot.com
2016
Elder Noah Ludlow
mymission.com/eldernoahludlow
2016
Elder Porter Severtson
elderportersevertson.blogspot.com
2016
Sister Carly Cannon
hermanacarlycannon.blogspot.com
2016
Sister Tayler Orgill
hermanaorgillcalledtoserve.blogspot.com
2016
Elder Brennen Hall
elderbrennenhall.blogspot.com
2015

Mission Groups

Address

Mission President

Daniel G. Gifford

Region

South America

Church Statistics

Argentina

Members: 432007
Congregations: 765
Missions: 12
Family History Centers: 107

Languages

Population