Mission Argentina: Area Conference 1978

Hermana Diaz made us empanada sandwiches to eat by the obelisk

President Kimball is in this picture below the stage

One of the highlights of the mission was the visit of President Spencer W. Kimball to Argentina for area conference.  The conference included three sessions that I attended.  Most of the conference was in Luna Park, the large in-door stadium in Buenos Aires.  On Saturday night their was a cultural event portrayed.  This included a reenactment of many scenes from the Book of Mormon.  The visit of Christ was done very effectively.  They had Jesus descend from the top of the arena coming down the steps with the light on Him in such a way that it was very effective.  The show was very well done.  I know Hermana Duarte sang in the choir for conference, as I saw her.  Also many other local members participated.
The large conference meeting was very interesting.  For most of the speakers there were translators.  However Elder Faust did not use translation.  He had served his mission in Portugal.  I remember his mispronunciation of the work Gaucho when he told a story.  Elder Wells has a very deep voice.  He was the area seventy in Argentina at the time.  He talked of the importance of living so as to be worthy of a temple recommend.  It was a very fun conference.  At the time there was a temple in Sao Paulo in Brazil, and many members were hoping for one in Argentina as well.  However this was not announced at this time.  President Kimball talked about the importance of doing things in God's way.
We had at least one meal there.  Elder Steed and I ate milanesa sandwiches sitting at the base of the obelisk.

A letter I wrote home describes my experience of these events:

President Kimball visited Argentina this last Saturday and Sunday for the second area conference in Buenos Aires.  Mormons from all over Argentina came to participate in the two day event.  It started Saturday with a cultural program in Luna Park, probably the biggest indoor stadium in Argentina.  My companion and I went with the parents and grandparents of a girl here in San Miguel.  Her parents etc are not members.  We went in car and arrived rapidly, 45 minutes while in bus and train it take an hour and a half.
The cultural program was something really special.  President Kimball was in attendance while youth of Buenos Aires acted through the Book of Mormon with scenes of Joseph Smith, Lehi and Nephi, conversion of Alma the Younger, Abinadi before King Noah, the 2000 sons of Helaman, the robe of Mormon, the visit of Jesus and the blessing of the children, and the destruction of the Nephites, ending with the challenge of the Book of Mormon and depositing of the plates in the Hill Cumorah.
Then Sunday we went with a couple of person we baptized the other week to participate in the meetings.  There were three meetings Sunday.  The General Authorities who came were: President Kimball, Elder Packer, Elder Hinckley, Elder Faust and Elder Wells.  The first meeting was at 10 and we arrived a bit late to get good seats but the same we enjoyed the meeting.
At 2 we had the Priesthood Meeting while the ladies had their own meeting.  It was really something special.  There was a special spirit while we listened to the prophet and Elder Pack and Elder Wells explain several gospel subjects.
After this there was a special meeting for the missionaries in which all the general authorities talked which we found good seats and waited for the last general session.  There were more than 11,000 people present, member and investigators.  Only the apostles and presidency spoke in this meeting.   The time went too fast and the prophet was on his way to Brazil to dedicate the first temple in South America.