Swiss and Argentina connections

 We got an unusual request in April, to research a family from Switzerland
who had emigrated to Argentina. 

Our Area President is Elder Ruben Alliaud, who is from Argentina and had been a mission leader in Córdoba. When he visited a Stake Conference in Zurich, he mentioned that he knew the church in Argentina was greatly influenced by Swiss immigrants back in 1937, but he didn't know many details. Javier Bonny, a man in the audience, told him afterward "that was my family!" 

Back in Frankfurt Elder Alliaud gave the Church History manager Javier's number and asked him to research it further, which is where we came in. Javier told him most of the family lived near Geneva, rather than Zurich, and Geneva is in our mission. So we got the assignment to interview the descendants of the Swiss immigrants, which we did a few weeks ago.

Here's a condensed version of the family story:

Edmond Dubrez joined the church in Switzerland in 1910, and his large family joined later. When their children grew up, Swiss economic conditions were severe with high unemployment. In 1937, three of Edmond’s daughters, Anna (Bonny), Catherine (Maillard) and Louise (Oguey), all decided to move with their husbands and children to Canada where land was being offered to immigrants. However their trip was delayed because Catherine’s son had measles and Anna was pregnant. The group waited until the child was well and the baby was born. By then the Swiss franc had been devalued and their only option was going to Argentina where similar offers of land were made. All three families made the trip to Argentina.

When they arrived they were given land as promised, and were sent to Córdoba. Unfortunately, the land parcels they received were barren, and they had no farming experience. Families lived in makeshift shelters, cooked with dried cow dung, and hauled contaminated water over long distances.

There were no other church members there at the time, and they asked the church to send missionaries. Two Elders from Brazil did arrive but could not stay long. Eventually they were advised to move to Buenos Aires, where they finally found work and were among the pioneering members in the small branches there. 

We talked to one man in his 80s who remembers holding Sunday School in their house before any chapels were built there. This was in Ciudad Belgrano (now Ciudad Evita), where years later the first temple in Argentina was built in 1986.

The families of all three sisters were active in the church. One sister and her husband were called on a mission back to Córdoba. The other sisters both had sons who served missions in Córdoba. In the Córdoba area where the first immigrants arrived and found no members there in 1937, a few branches were organized by the time they served missions there. The first stake was organized in 1981. A temple was dedicated in Córdoba in 2015, and there are now 11 stakes in the temple district.

Over the years as the families grew and spread out, some stayed in Argentina, some went to the U.S., while a few returned to Switzerland.

When we met them in Geneva, they were a delightful group. Some spoke Spanish, some French, some English, and they went back and forth a lot. The group included former Bishops, Stake Presidents and Patriarchs. Pictured here are mostly children and grandchildren of those first Argentina pioneers.

They were pleased to tell us that there were 5 generations active in the church, and had collectively sent over 100 missionaries from their families. Elder Alliaud was very happy to learn more about this wonderful family who were the first Latter-day Saints in his beloved Córdoba.

One More Church History Moment

Speaking of Switzerland, in our research we came upon one man's reflection where he looked back on his life and recalled a singular incident:

My parents joined the Church in 1897. From them, I learned the teachings of the gospel, and over time I gradually gained my own testimony of the restored gospel.
One experience that greatly strengthened my testimony happened in 1916, during the First World War. My mother and I attended a Church conference in Bern, Switzerland—the only one held in all of Europe that year.
At that conference, two Church members gave their testimonies: a German soldier and an English soldier. Both were prisoners of war, but because Switzerland was neutral, they had a lot of freedom. They could study at the university and were free during the day.
After the meeting, these two soldiers asked the conference president if they could serve as missionaries in Bern. Their request was granted. They began going door to door to preach the gospel.
What impressed me most was seeing them together. In the eyes of the world, they were enemies—one German, one English—wearing their military uniforms. Yet because of the gospel, they had become the best of friends and brothers. They were faithful, united, and worked together beautifully.
That experience gave me a firm testimony. I know that living the gospel, studying it, and putting it into practice brings real power and unity. I feel deeply grateful for the great privilege of being a member of the Church. I know without a doubt that this is the restored gospel—it is the truth.

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