Te Veremos Pronto, Elder Conner Walden

Elder Conner Walden, oldest son of Matthew and Robin Walden and grandson of James and Linda Walden, has been called to serve the Lord and His children for 24 months in the Mexico Xalapa Mission. He will enter the Mexico City MTC on June 26 where he will learn Spanish over a period of several weeks before he begins knocking on doors. He claims he has no experience with the Spanish language so he is praying the Lord will bless him to be able to learn quickly.

In 1875, President Brigham Young called a party of six missionaries to take Spanish language materials about the Church from Salt Lake City to Mexico. Upon arriving in Mexico in 1876, the missionaries divided into two groups and shortly thereafter the first five Mexican converts were baptized by Helaman Pratt and Meliton Trejo, a Spanish convert.

In 1885, a group of nearly 400 colonists from Utah arrived at the northern Mexico Casas Grandes River and acquired property. Mexico's first stake was created in Colonia Juárez in 1895. By 1912, more than 4,000 members had settled in Chihuahua and Sonora.

When Rey L. Pratt returned to central Mexico in November of 1917, he found the members had remained faithful despite difficult living circumstances. Local Mexican leaders again maintained stability and expanded proselyting work, calling six local missionaries in 1930. In 1946 Church President George Albert Smith visited Mexico, where membership then numbered more than 5,300.

On 3 December 1961, the Mexico Stake was created, with Harold Brown as president. Membership numbered nearly 25,000. Church schools were begun in Mexico in 1959. On 3 April 1976, a temple was announced for Mexico City and the completed temple was dedicated 2 December 1983 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. At that time, membership in Mexico was conservatively numbered at about 240,000. Mexico was the first country outside the USA with 100 LDS stakes.

An historic moment came on 29 June 1993, when the Mexican government formally registered the Church, allowing it to own property. President Howard W. Hunter visited Mexico to create the Mexico City Contreras Stake, the Church's 2,000th, on 11 December 1994.

Today, 1.5 million – or 1 in 90 - people living in Mexico are church members.  There are now 34 missions and 13 temples.

Que el Señor vigilar y protegerle, le llevará a aquellos que Él ha preparado para escuchar el mensaje del Evangelio de usted corazón y el alma ... y te llevará a salvo a casa, Elder Walden.

Its the Colorado Denver North Mission for Elder Luke Wilkes

Luke Wilkes, one of 5 who call Rob and Chardell Wilkes “mom” and “dad”, has been called to serve in the Colorado Denver North Mission.  He entered the Provo MTC on Wednesday, June 26 for final preparations to serve the Lord and His children for 24-months as a fulltime missionary in and around "the mile high city."

A wagon train of 43 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints camped at Fort Pueblo in Colorado in 1846, after their journey was postponed. Several others joined the camp during the winter, including wives and children of Mormon Battalion members preparing to fight in the Mexican-American War. By the winter's end, 275 were in the camp. Some joined Church President Brigham Young's company traveling west while a few joined family members traveling east. Others joined later wagon trains. 

The first congregation of the Church in Colorado was organized in January 1897, one year after a mission was established in the area. Several Church immigrants settled communities in Conejos County, Manassa, Richfield, and Sanford. Missionaries campaigned against the growing number of saloons in 1909. In 1911, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, based in Utah, toured Colorado. The Church was publicized after completion of the Denver Colorado Temple in 1986.  In 2016, a second temple in Colorado was dedicated in Ft. Collins.

Today, there are more than 151,000 members in 4 missions.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Elder Wilkes.  May the Lord protect you and lead you to those who have been prepared to hear the gospel message from you.  

Até Nos Vermos Novamente, Elder Peter Fraser

Elder Peter Fraser, son of Steve and Jill Fraser and nephew of Francie and Randy Cogburn, excitedly opened an email in late March to reveal his mission destination. He has been told electronically he will serve the Lord and His children for 24-months in the Brazil Sao Paulo Mission. He enters the Brazil MTC for several weeks of Portuguese language training on June 19, 2019 - only 3 1/2 weeks after his graduation from Dixie High School.

The history of the Church in Brazil actually began in Germany, danke very much. The first known member in Brazil was Max Richard Zapf, who was actually baptized in Germany in 1908 then immigrated to Brazil in 1913. After many years without contact with the Church, Zapf learned there was another German LDS family, the Lippelts, also living in Brazil. These two families—who became fast friends—represented the beginning of the Church’s permanent presence in the South American country.

In 1927, the first missionaries visited Brazil, and in 1939, a Portuguese edition of the Book of Mormon was published. 

The São Paulo Stake—the first in South America—was organized in 1966, and in 1978, the São Paulo Temple was dedicated.

Today, one in 187 Brazilians is LDS, making Brazil the country with the third largest LDS population of members (behind the United States and Mexico).

As of October 2018, the LDS Church reported 1,383,799 members, 34 missions, 354 family history centers, 268 stakes, 2,089 congregations with 1,651 wards and 438 branches, and 6 functioning temples.Nearly 1.4 million members, more than 2000 wards, 34 missions and 6 temples.

Que o Senhor o proteja e o leve àqueles que estão preparados para ouvir a mensagem do evangelho de você, Élder Fraser!