The pioneering spirit of the mid-1800s that led the saints to settle in America's West is alive and well on the island of Tierra del Fuego, just off the southern tip of South America.

Here, Church members are among a hardy population of newcomers who call the island home. About the size of South Carolina, the island is owned by Argentina and Chile.With mossy forests and craggy mountains, this "Land of Fire," as its name means in english, had mostly been a no-man's land until recent oil explorations led to an influx of people. today, the majority of the population on the isle lives in two cities--Ushuaia, the capital overlooking the Beagle Channel, and Rio Grande, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.

Ushuaia, across the Strait of Magellan from mainland South America, is considered teh southernmost city in the world and is just 800 miles from the tip of Antarctica.

LDS families here came from well-established cities, such as Buenos Aires, in Argentina, to become original settlers in a remote region. Many came for economic reasons.

Far from friends and relatives, these families live in a climate laced with snow, cold winds, 18-hour nights in July and equally long days in December. Rugged mountains crown the island, and icebergs, seals, whales, and penguins bob in the frigid waters off its shores.

Tierra del Fuego was named by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 when he saw bonfires along its shores that indigenous peoples had made for warmth.

The island of Tierra del Fuego is mentioned in early Church history. In 1846, a group of 235 saints sailed around the tip of South America aboard the bark Brooklyn, under the leadership of Sam Brannan. They passed Tierra del Fuego as they sailed through the Strait of Magellan en route to the Pacific Ocean and the coasts of California.

But that was the only mention of the island in church history until the 1980s. Following the arrival of LDS members during the early 1980s, the first branch of the Chruch was created in Rio Grande in 1983. Another branch was created in Ushuaia in 1986. Ther Tierra del Fuego District of the Argentina Trelew Mission was created in 1989. The district currentlyahas two branches in Rio Grande and two in ushuaia; the members number about 500.

Generally, the members are young families who came to this outpost in search of a better life. Once here, they developed, pioneer-like, the knowledge and faith to succeed. They learn to cope with the weather, and an even more severe challenge--being isolated from relatives.

Modern mettinghouses where the full Church program functions, and a feeling of closeness among members, help them deal with their challenges.

Many members have shared the gospel with their friends. Working with full-time missionaries of the Argentina Trelew Mission, they help bring many converts into the Church.

Some of the members indicated they felt spiritually impressed to come to this area. Maria Elena de Gonzales, mother of a young family in Rio Grande, said:

"I feel that the Lord has inspired us to come to Rio Grande. Since coming, we have progressed a great deal as a family. We have matured in the gospel. Here we placed our roots, and now we feel more united as a family and live a better lifestyle."

Living here has its advantages, said district president Ruben Morresi, a physician. He and his wife were baptized in Buenos Aires in 1981. He was later called as bishop to serve in the Berazategui Ward in the Buenos Aires Quilmes Stake.

Still later, when a professional opportunity opened in Ushuaia, they chose to make the radical change and bring their small family to this distant city. now they live more than 2,000 miles from their parents an brothers and sisters.

Pres. Morresi commented: "We came here not as transients, but to remain until we die. We did not intend to stay for a while and then walk away. We are here until the Lord indicates that He would like us to go somewhere else to live."

He said that in the great cities of Argentina and those of other parts of the world, challenges seem to be increasing, especially those affecting the unity and strength of families.

"Living in the city requires working extended hours and then spending lots of time in commuting. Stress, pollution and problems of personal safety lead many to search for a better place to raise a family.

"The search for such a place became a strong force that uprooted families and helped plant their roots in Tierra Del Fuego, though it is very distant and solitary," he said.

"Living in Ushuaia will help bond our family together for eternity.

"Here, we have time to dedicate to the Church and time to share with the family. We are happy here, even though the climate is harsh."

Pres. Morresi said it waas difficult to move away from parents, and from the established stakes and wards. But these are challenges, not roadblocks, he emphasized.

"We can live the gospel here as well as in any other corner of the world," he continued. "We have the same doctrine and the same correct principles taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

"Although the temple is far from here, we can still receive the ordinances of eternity. It is only distance, not our spiritual condition, that hinders us from going there."