Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission

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.

	Sister Ally Brewer www.mymission.com/sisterallybrewer	2024
	Elder Caleb Freeman www.mymission.com/eldercalebfreeman	2024
	Elder Caleb Van Dusen www.mymission.com/eldercalebvandusen	2024
	Elder Brody Ballantyne www.mymission.com/elderbrodyballantyne	2023
	Elder Conner Christensen www.mymission.com/elderconnerchristensen	2023
	Elder Leandro Retamar leandro.retamar.oyarzo@missionary.org	2023
	Sister Zoe Moss www.mymission.com/elderzoemoss	2023
	Sister Natalie Brasher www.mymission.com/hermananataliebrasher	2022
	Elder Federico Niz www.mymission.com/federiconiz	2021
	Sister Emma Pérez www.mymission.com/sisteremmaprez	2021
	Elder Scott Aurich www.mymission.com/elderscottaurich	2020
	Elder Austin Bullen www.mymission.com/elderaustinbullen	2020
	Elder Moses Hansen www.mymission.com/eldermoseshansen	2020
	Elder Michael Hardy www.mymission.com/eldermichaelhardy1	2020
	Elder Spencer Laub www.mymission.com/elderspencerlaub	2020
	Elder McKay Moon www.mymission.com/eldermckaymoon	2020
	Elder Benjamin Affleck www.mymission.com/elderbenjaminaffleck	2019
	Elder Braden Burk www.mymission.com/elderbradenburk	2019
	Elder Nathan Covey www.mymission.com/eldernathancovey	2019
	Elder Daniel Levi Hammon www.mymission.com/elderdaniellevihammon	2019
	Sister Wryan Hosman www.mymission.com/sisterwryanhosman	2019
	Elder Drake Mooneyham www.mymission.com/elderdrakemooneyhamdrake	2019
	Elder Bennett Scoresby www.mymission.com/elderbennetscoresby	2019
	Elder Israel Solórzano www.mymission.com/elderisraelsolrzano	2019
	Elder Ryan Austin deMik www.mymission.com/elderryanaustindemik	2019
	Sister Savannah Herbon www.mymission.com/sistersavannahherbon	2018
	Sister Katelyn Hull www.mymission.com/hermanahull	2018
	Elder Brian McLaughlin www.mymission.com/elderbrianmclaughlin	2018
	Elder Ben Ruiz www.mymission.com/elderbenruiz	2018
	Elder Roderick Siale www.mymission.com/elderrodericksiale	2018
	Sister Courtney Comstock www.mymission.com/sistercourtneycomstock	2017
	Elder K Durfee www.mymission.com/elderaldendurfee	2017
	Elder Jacob Maller eldermaller.blogspot.com	2017
	Elder Matthew McCollum eldermatthewmccollum.blogspot.com	2017
	Elder Skyler Orr eldersorr.blogspot.com	2017
	Elder Jared Gygi www.mymission.com/elderjaredgygi	2017
	Sister Jacey Johnson www.mymission.com/sisterjaceyjohnson	2017
	Sister Katelynd LeSueur www.mymission.com/sisterkatelyndlesueur	2017
	Mission Alumni mission.net/argentina/buenos-aires/west	2017
	Elder Ren Porter www.mymission.com/elderrenporter	2017
	Sister Kaitlin Cheever queridahermanacheever.blogspot.com	2017
	Sister Katelyn Hull mymission.com/hermanahull	2017
	Elder Bromley Udall www.mymission.com/elderbromleyudall	2017
	Elder Avaiiki Wihongi www.mymission.com/elderavaiikiwihongi	2017
	Elder Hunter Cook elderhuntercook.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Jared Gygi jareddgygi.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Lucas Giles elderlucasgiles.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder McLane Townsend eldermclanetownsend.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Parker Wilcox elderparkerwilcox.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Ren Porter elderrenporter.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Victor Pribyl victorpribyl.weebly.com	2016
	Sister Karina Kent hermanakent.blogspot.com	2016
	Sister Monica Huston thatsmoni.blogspot.com	2016
	Sister Throolin hermanathroolin.blogspot.com	2016
	Elder Dyllan Black missionsite.net/elderdyllanblack	2015
	Elder Luke Morgan watchinglukefly.blogspot.com	2015
	Elder McCann Dahl bestrong777.wordpress.com	2015
	Elder Mitchell Woods eldermitchellwoods.blogspot.com	2015
	Elder Spencer Ward elderwardinargentina.blogspot.com	2015
	Elder Tyler Hansen tylerhansen02.blogspot.com	2015
	Elder Tyler John eldertjohn.blogspot.com	2015
	Sister Mallory Millett www.mymission.com/sistermallorymillett	2015
	Elder Manuel Jeanpierre Navarro Canales www.mymission.com/eldermanueljeanpierrenavarrocanales	2015
	Sister Breanna Durfee sisterdurfee.blogspot.com	2015
	Sister Cathy Gardner cathyfay.blogspot.com	2015
	Sister Leah Gull hermanagullargentina.blogspot.com	2015
	Sister Madelyn Edwards hermanamadelynedwards.blogspot.com	2015
	Elder Jacob Bentz elderjacobbentz.blogspot.com	2014
	Elder Kraymer Eppich elderkraymertoddeppich.blogspot.com	2014
	Elder Ryan Kelley elderryankelley.wordpress.com	2014
	Elder TJ Murphy missionsite.net/eldertjmurphy	2014
	Elder Wade Draper elderwadedraper.blogspot.com	2014
	Elder Andrew Magnesen www.mymission.com/elderandrewmagnesen	2014
	President & Sister Carter buenosaireswest.blogspot.com	2014
	Sister Chloe Walker sisterchloebuenosaireswest.blogspot.com	2014
	Sister Janelle Cook missionsite.net/sisterjanellecook	2014
	Sister Jennifer Millet hermanamillet.blogspot.com	2014
	Sister Kate Rasmuson katerasmuson.wordpress.com	2014
	Elder Kyle Cochenour missionsite.net/elderkylecochenour	2013
	Sister Claire Rohm sisterrohm.blogspot.com	2013
	Elder Bret Shepherd bretsmission.blogspot.com	2012
	Elder Haydn Oleson missionsite.net/elderhaydnoleson	2012
	Elder Sean Gilmore elderseangilmore.blogspot.com	2012
	Elder Taylor Walker missionsite.net/eldertaylorwalker	2012
	Elder Wade Draper missionsite.net/elderwadedraper	2012
	Sister Courtney Tucker missionsite.net/sistercourtneytucker	2012
	Sister Erin Litser erinlitster.blogspot.com	2012
	Elder Allen Pickett missionsite.net/elderpickett	2011
	Elder Cameron Brooks eldercameronbrooks.blogspot.com	2011
	Elder Glen Roundy missionsite.net/elderglenroundy	2011
	Elder Reilly Heims elderreillyheims.blogspot.com	2011
	Elder Riley Lewis missionsite.net/elderrileylewis	2011
	Elder Robert Pickett elderpickett.blogspot.com	2011
	Elder Trent Thompson missionsite.net/eldertrentthompson	2011
	Elder Trevor Jones eldertrevorjones.blogspot.com	2011
	Elder Zachary Griggs missionsite.net/elderzacharygriggs	2011
	President & Sister Benton bentonsmission.blogspot.com	2011
	Sister Saren Hobbs sareninargentina.blogspot.com	2011
	Sister Natalie Brasher www.mymission.com/hermanabrasher	2001
	Elder Michael AUSTIN Hardy www.mymission.com/eldermichaelhardy	2001
	Sister Brooke Rhodus www.mymission.com/sisterbrookerhodus	2001
	Sister Brooke Rhodus www.mymission.com/sisterbrookerhodus1	2001
	Sister Maddie Rowles www.mymission.com/sistermaddierowles	2001
	Sister Elly Williams www.mymission.com/sisterellywilliams	2001
	Elder David Atchison www.mymission.com/elderdavidatchison	1997

1.	Buenos Aires West, Carter 2011-2014 Group
2.	Mision Buenos Aires Oeste, Pres. Ramos
3.	Buenos Aires West Mission Friends & Family
4.	Buenos Aires Oeste Mission, Pres. Villarreal
5.	Buenos Aires West Mission Moms (LDS) Group

Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission