Elder Sergio R. Vargas

General Authority Seventy

When Elder Sergio R. Vargas fell in love with Andrea Sanchez, he thought he had a simple solution to their religious differences: they would have one wedding in his church for his family and another wedding in her church for her family.

He quickly learned, however, that doing so would not be that easy. Andrea was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and she wanted a temple marriage. So she invited him to learn more about her faith from the missionaries.

Elder Vargas accepted the invitation, which changed his life.

He recalled working for a salmon company at the time, helping transport live fish by sea. During a 25-hour voyage, he found a private place to read the Book of Mormon and ask Heavenly Father about the gospel. It was a spiritual turning point.

Elder Vargas was born on November 2, 1976, in Puerto Varas, Chile, where he and his two siblings were raised. His mother, Gladys Barria, kept the home while his father, Renato Vargas, kept the peace as a police officer. Despite encounters with missionaries as a young man, he was more interested in playing basketball than learning the gospel.

It was not until Elder Vargas met Sister Vargas that he was prepared to hear the missionaries with an open mind and heart, he said. They were married on July 26, 2003, and were later sealed in the Santiago Chile Temple. The couple has three children.

When called as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Vargas was serving as an Area Seventy in the South America South Area. His previous Church callings include high councilor, branch president, and stake president.

Elder Vargas completed a bachelor’s degree in marine resources from Los Lagos University in 1999 and received a business administration diploma from Austral University in 2002. Most recently, he worked as a production and operational manager for Ventisqueros, a member of the German Schörghuber Corporate Group.