If Santiago's first missionary companionship — Elder Verle M. Allred and Elder Joseph C. Bentley — visited the Chilean capital today, much would be different from what they remembered during their maiden stop in 1956.
The city is on the cusp of becoming a major international metropolis. Corporate skyscrapers are built a few steps from the city's many historic buildings. Meanwhile, an efficient, pristine subway — perhaps the finest in Latin America — moves tens of thousands of passengers each day to various parts of Santiago for just a handful of pesos.
Those first missionaries entered Santiago with little fanfare. They were strangers with gringo accents and an unfamiliar message. The entire Church population in Santiago at the time — all foreign born — almost could have shared a cab. Today, the Church in Santiago and throughout the nation is recognized and appreciated by both the government and rank-and-file Chileans. With one in 30 Chileans claiming Church membership, one would be pressed to find a single Santiagan who doesn't know someone who belongs to the Church.
Still, if Elder Allred and Elder Bentley were to summit the popular Cerro San Cristobal trail that looks out over the sprawling city, they would again recognize the many opportunities they saw in 1956 when they flew over the Andes and first spotted Santiago.
At the onset of 2007, dozens of stakes were in operation in the greater Santiago area. A few years ago several Santiago stakes were discontinued and absorbed into others. Tremendous growth over the past few decades caused a few growth pains that needed care. But the story of the Church in Santiago continues to be a tale of growth and opportunity.
Elder Allred and Elder Bentley were faithfully searching for such opportunities when they tracted in the Santiago suburb of Nunoa. They met a woman named Perla Garcia working outside in her yard. The elders were invited to return to the home when they could speak to Mrs. Garcia's husband, Ricardo Garcia. The humble man was moved immediately by Elder Allred's and Elder Bentley's message. He stood up, locked the door and told the elders they were not leaving his home until they told him about the gospel.
In a 2001 Church News interview, Perla Garcia said she was certain her husband would not listen to the missionaries. "In the end, he was the first baptized."
The Garcia family, as Elder Bentley would say 50 years later, "became great leaders of the Church in Chile."
A short time before that first conversion, Elder Henry D. Moyle of the Quorum of the Twelve visited Santiago and established the city's first branch. "These people will accept the Gospel rapidly and...soon there will be a mission here with at least 10 branches." Elder Moyle's prophetic promise was fulfilled in Santiago — threefold. Today, a trio of missions serve the capital city.
Like many other cities around the world that have recorded their own Church beginnings in recent decades, the story of the Church in Santiago has been blessed by the shepherding presence of President Gordon B. Hinckley. In 1972, Elder Hinckley of the Quorum of the Twelve organized Santiago's first stake. The Church leader returned 11 years later to dedicate the Santiago Chile Temple. He was not finished. Last March, President Hinckley rededicated the temple following a period of renovation that served as a powerful symbol of renewal for the Santiago members.
The Church in Santiago — and throughout Chile — remains a vibrant region of the Church, said President Hinckley during last year's visit.
"Where we have thousands, we will have tens of thousands," he said.
E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com
