A mission created amid a receptive people in favorable circumstances by an experienced mission president has succeeded dramatically over the past 50 years.

As members in Uruguay commemorated the anniversary of their mission, they did so in a nation where membership has grown to 67,000. Coincidentally, in the anniversary year, the mission created 50 years ago was divided.Among those participating was LaMar Williams, who was called to the mission in 1948.

"All were impressed with the feeling that in spite of the distance and the years that have passed, the friendships that you make in the gospel are eternal," he said. "This was an experience never to be forgotten for all of us that traveled to Uruguay for such a special occasion."

The highlight of the anniversary year was a visit from President Gordon B. Hinckley on Aug. 9, during a visit to South America when he spoke to 1,200 priesthood leaders and 11,500 members in a general session of conference.

Other commemoration events included a special reception for the early missionaries, where they were entertained with native dances and poetry, a Sunday testimony meeting of early missionaries and members held in the first meetinghouse built in Uruguay, and an evening fireside for young single adults.

The early missionaries also met with Juan Batalla, the vice president of Uruguay, who presented the group with a history of the legislative palace, and expressed his admiration for the Mormon youth and the Church. At the fireside, said Brother Williams, "the missionaries had an opportunity to to share with the young adults their experiences of the early days of the mission. They recounted how they arrived by steamship in this nation where the word "Mormon" had never been heard.

"The Spirit of the Lord was present and a feeling of love and brotherhood was felt. Afterwards, the missionaries were surrounded by young adults thanking them for planting seeds of the gospel so that they could enjoy the fruits of that labor."

The labor of missionaries began in 1947, some three years after a branch was organized in Montevideo for expatriates stationed there during World War II. President of the branch was Frederick S. Williams, a former missionary and mission president in Argentina. Pres. Williams had extensive associations in diplomatic circles through his work as business manager with the State Department's Institute of Inter-american Affairs.

Called to head the new mission, Pres. Williams immediately planned ways to introduce the Church to the public. In Argentina missionary-athletes had achieved that goal, but friendship and good feelings developed only if they lost a game. Determined to avoid that problem in Uruguay, Pres. Williams used the musical talents of his wife and daughters, and missionaries, to attract public attention. Through music broadcast over the radio, presented in public performances, sang on streets and at official functions, the Church quickly became known.

Although literally hundreds of investigators began attending branch meetings, missionaries at first didn't encourage baptisms.

"I'm sure our reluctance stemmed from never having seen people baptized, either in Argentina or even in the United States, after only a relatively short acquaintance with the gospel," remembered Pres. Williams. (From Acorn to Oak Tree, p. 252.)

The first investigators baptized were Avelino Juan Rodriguez and his wife, Maria Esther Rizzo de Rodriguez, and Diber Alba Preciozzi, on Nov. 4, 1948.

"It was very hard to be the first one," said Brother Rodriguez in a Church News interview in 1986. "Although it was not difficult to be spiritual because I lived the gospel." He said the first few years after their baptism were the most challenging, but after that the Church began to grow.

Within a decade, 500 converts were baptized in a single year. In 1967 the first stake in Uruguay was created and membership reached 14,800. By 1977, the country had three stakes. Today, Uruguay has 14 stakes.