50 years ago
Elder Stephen L Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve traveled 2,600 miles by automobile during a tour of the Argentine Mission during February, according to an article in the March 6, 1948, Church News.
The trip covered every district of the mission and "gave every member and every missionary in this vast country an opportunity to meet the Church leader," the article reported.
It continued, "This is the first South American visit of a general authority since Elder Melvin J. Ballard created the mission in 1925."
While on the tour, Elder Richards dedicated a meetinghouse the Church had acquired in Pergamino.
The article concluded, "The people of Argentina are deeply grateful for this opportunity of meeting Elder Richards; they now feel more a part of the great Church organization; their testimonies have been strengthened and they look forward with zeal to the future of the Church in their land."
The tour began in Buenos Aires on Feb. 7 and ended on Feb. 27. Elder Richards' schedule included visits to Uruguay and Brazil before he was to return to New York by ship on April 1.
Quote from the past
"The hand of our Heavenly Father has always been extended in love to His children through His prophets who pleaded with them to repent of their wrongdoing and keep His commandments. When they did, they were blessed, and when they failed, they lost their blessings." - President George Albert Smith, from an address given during the April 1949 general conference
