USHUAIA, Argentina — In the cold, windy waters of the Bay of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina — the southernmost tip of South America known as “the end of the world” — Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stood on a boat in front of a lighthouse and testified of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
A century ago, another Apostle came to Argentina. In 1925, Elder Melvin J. Ballard said a prayer blessing the entire continent of South America for the preaching of the gospel.
The lighthouse Elder Stevenson visited is called Les Eclaireurs, which the boat’s guide told us means “the path finders,” or “illuminators.” For many years, it was called “the lighthouse at the end of the world.”
The lighthouse has successfully guided sailors through stormy seas for over 100 years, Elder Stevenson said in a video that he recorded for his social media. Now the Latter-day Saints in Tierra del Fuego and all of South America are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the continent’s dedication for the preaching of the gospel.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ has served as a lighthouse in the lives of Latter-day Saints for over 100 years,” he said in the video, “and continues to do so for over 4 million members of the Church in South America. ‘We see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth’ (Alma 26:37).”
As I stood on the boat and heard the words of a living Apostle of Jesus Christ in that historic spot, tears suddenly filled my eyes. Beside me, I could tell Elder Joaquin E. Costa, a General Authority Seventy and president of the South America South Area, was emotional as well.
Elder Costa said to me, “I think Elder Ballard is watching right now.” Then he turned forward and said, “We are in tears, Elder Stevenson.”
Elder Costa is a native Argentine. He and other South Americans — whether part of a multigenerational family or new in the Church — are celebrating the centennial all year long.
Later on the boat, Elder Costa described the feeling he had at that moment as his heart was “bursting with joy.” Opening his scriptures, he read words from the apostle Paul in Acts 13:47: “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
Then Elder Costa said, “We are very grateful that Elder Stevenson could come here to declare the word of the Lord to the ends of the earth.”
The word “apostle” is derived from a Greek word meaning “one sent forth” (see Bible Dictionary, “Apostle”).
Mark 3:14 says, “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.” The Savior sent the apostles to “teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
Modern revelation tells us that the Apostles in the latter days are to be “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23).
Before arriving in Argentina, Elder Stevenson taught and ministered in Uruguay. As I spoke with members there, Inez Gaite Lanz told me she felt, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught, that Jesus Christ is coming soon and it is time to prepare. She said Elder Stevenson’s visit “is like the sound of a trumpet, a call to action.”
Her words brought to mind another phrase I heard while traveling with Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to Albania during his European ministry in October 2022. There, Tirana Albania Stake President Jetmir Hysi described Elder Bednar’s visit as a “spiritual jolt” for Albania.
In a devotional for Albanian Latter-day Saints and their friends, Elder Bednar testified of the living Christ.
Apostles travel thousands of miles each year, visiting multiple cities in multiple countries as they minister. Pondering on Elder Stevenson’s message at “the end of the world” in Ushuaia, I remembered how in May 2023, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to the remote town of Alice Springs, Australia — close to 14,000 kilometers (8,500 miles) from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.
There, Elder Christofferson told members and missionaries, “As we follow the Savior’s example, we can become a light unto all those around us.”
We will be “illuminators” and “pathfinders” as well.
— Mary Richards is a reporter for the Church News.
