A History of the Church in

Bolivia

Overview

In April 1927, J. Vernon Sharp, one of the first missionaries in South America, distributed tracts and preached for a short time in La Paz but baptized no converts. No efforts were made to preach in Bolivia for nearly 40 years. In 1963, Latter-day Saints working in La Paz and Cochabamba began hosting weekly meetings in their homes and successfully petitioned for legal status. When missionaries arrived in October 1964, many converts were awaiting baptism.

Branches were soon established in La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Oruro. In 1968, a mission was established in La Paz, and missionaries were soon preaching in cities and towns across the country in Spanish, as well as in Aymara and Quechua, the local Indigenous languages.

The gospel spread quickly in Bolivia. Within a decade, more than 9,700 Latter-day Saints were living in the country. In 1979, stakes were organized in Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Cochabamba.

With “their hearts knit together in unity and in love” (Mosiah 18:21), Bolivian Saints have exemplified the power of covenant belonging. In the face of tragedy, they have rallied together to support one another and their neighbors. When natural disasters and civil unrest have created fear and insecurity, Bolivian Saints have offered support—spiritual and temporal—to lift one another. “[We] sacrifice so the Lord can see our hearts,” a stake president in La Paz explained.

The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on April 20, 2000.