Blossoming in the desert: gospel flourishes in north Chilean city where first missionaries came in 1961
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A wind in one of the world's driest deserts carried seeds of the gospel that have taken deep root in this, the northernmost city in Chile.
Arica is situated on the edge of the Atacama Deseret that stretches for hundreds of miles and is nearly devoid of vegetation. Despite the austerity of the climate, rich deposits of iron and copper ore have fueled the growth of this city of some 150,000 people. And just as the city imports water from the distant Andes mountains, members from distant areas have come to Arica and nurtured the fledgling Church.The first converts were baptized in Arica in 1961. Since that time, the Church has grown to more than 7,000 members in three stakes, with a good prospect for more stakes in the near future.
Members are fond of describing this growth by saying, "The desert shall blossom as the rose."
The first seeds of the gospel came in a most unlikely way. Juan V. Benavidez, the first convert in Arica, described his introduction to the gospel:
"It is typical of Arica that in the afternoon a wind springs up, filling the air with sand and dust. One afternoon, a gust of wind blew some papers in my direction, papers that attracted my attention. These turned out to be pages of Reader's Digest Selections with an extensive article about `The Mormons,' describing their lives and beliefs."
The young man showed the pages to his fiancee, Gladys Aguilar, and they pondered the information over the next few weeks. About the same time, he contracted a serious illness that required him to go to Santiago for treatment.
"While there, I visited my sister and learned that she had become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She invited me to a special conference. I accepted and attended with her. As I listened to the opening prayer and mentally followed the words, I felt a great joy throughout my entire body and recognized the influence of the Holy Spirit.
"At the end of the conference, missionaries took me up to shake hands with the visiting authority, Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve."
The young man returned to Arica and told Gladys (now his wife) of his experience. A few days later she called excitedly to announce that two missionaries had walked past her home. "We quickly went in search of them," recalled Brother Benavidez. "When we found them, we asked if they were Mormons. When they answered affirmatively, we told them of our sincere interest in talking with them."
Surprised and happy, the first missionaries to Arica taught Juan, Gladys and her family the missionary discussions. As there were no meetinghouses in those days, the missionaries rented a home to hold meetings.
"We cleaned and painted the home, and then we built a baptismal font," he recalled. "On July 1, 1961, we were baptized, along with my wife's family."
During the next years, members from the Mormon colonies in Mexico and from the United States worked in the local Toquepala Mine, and in the nearby city of Tacna, Peru. Among these families were the Browns, Whettens and Robinsons, he recalled. They willingly lent their strength to the Church, said Brother Benavidez.
"I have great gratitude for these families who came to the mines and showed us how to live as Latter-day Saints," he said.
"Today we have children and grandchildren in the Church. I am so grateful to the Lord for that gust of wind that blew the information about the Church into my hands."
Additional families joined in the next decade. One of these is the Jose E. Ulloa Campos family, who were baptized in 1975.
"I have a feeling of immense gratitude for the missionaries who came to our home," said Brother Ulloa during a recent interview. "The gospel has been a rock upon which my wife and I have built our family. Our greatest success in life has been to see our children walk in correct paths, organizing their families according to the ordinances of the the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Pres. Teodoro Contreras Morales of the Arica stake expressed appreciation for the pioneer members and early leaders of the Church.
"The leaders who have preceded me worked continuously to attain the progress we enjoy. In this desert is not only sand, but also children of our Heavenly Father without a knowledge of the gospel. As we preach to them, they will `blossom as the rose' and the house of God will grow much more and begin to become a zion."
