Uruguay

In 1927, missionaries from the South American Mission, headquartered in Argentina, traveled to Montevideo to assess the possibilities of preaching there. For two decades, little attention was paid to preaching in Uruguay. In 1944, Frederick S. Williams was working with the US State Department and living in Montevideo. He and his wife, Corraine, began holding meetings in their home with a few other members living in the country. Frederick soon petitioned the First Presidency to create a mission, and in 1947 a mission was organized, with Frederick as president.

Missionaries soon came to Montevideo from Argentina, and their work began in earnest. Baptisms happened quickly. In just four years, 23 branches were organized across the country. During the 1960s the Church in Uruguay matured as local members were called to replace missionaries in leadership positions. Even recent converts were enlisted to lead branches and in 1967 the Montevideo Uruguay Stake was organized, with Vincente Rubio as stake president.

Uruguayan Saints have demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership in Church and civic affairs with “kindness, and pure knowledge” (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:42). In 1990, Luis Alberto Ferrizo, a regional representative, was elected as a national deputy. In 1996, Francisco J. Viñas was called to serve as a General Authority Seventy. When flooding along the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers forced the evacuation of 80,000 people, members collected food and clothing for flood victims.