Unifying day
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
APEX, N.C. — Some 500 members and their friends from eight North Carolina stakes gathered recently in Apex, near the Raleigh North Carolina Temple, to celebrate their unique Latino cultures and their common faith.
The all-day Hispanic conference included workshops, temple sessions, youth activities, food and gospel instruction from several priesthood leaders, including Elder John Taggart, an Area Seventy. The evening concluded with music and dancing and featured performances of dances from Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
North Carolina Raleigh Mission President Budge Wallis said that nearly one in 10 conference participants was not a member of the Church.
"Friends who attended the conference were touched by the Spirit during the day's events," President Wallis added. "Members and missionaries shared 40 copies of the Book of Mormon and taught more than a dozen discussions during the conference."
President Carlos M. Calderon, who presides over the Cary 3rd (Spanish) Branch, Apex North Carolina Stake, helped organize the event. He said the conference offered a welcome opportunity to introduce the gospel to friends. In recent years, the Latino population in North Carolina and other southern U.S. states has boomed. A decade ago, Spanish was typically heard only in high school class rooms in this region. Now, tens of thousands of immigrant Latinos call the South home, offering both challenges and opportunities for growth.
"We had a wonderful time together," President Calderon said. "We made new friends and strengthened our faith. We have witnessed baptisms and seen people renew their activity in the Church because of their participation in this conference."
Members representing more than 15 Latin American countries participated in the Hispanic conference.
"The experience of this conference proved another reminder that we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father," said Apex North Carolina Stake President Harry Maxwell. "Although these wonderful saints come from different countries and cultures, they share a common faith and love for the Lord. The gospel brings us together and the language of the Spirit whispers the same truth to our hearts."
In a recent meeting with Elder Taggart, the eight North Carolina stake presidents involved with the conference decided to make the gathering an annual event.
