Thousands celebrate Latin American culture at ‘Luz de las Naciones’ – Church News

Thousands gathered in the Conference Center on back-to-back weekend nights, Nov. 8-9, to celebrate Latin American culture through music and dance at the 22nd annual “Luz de las Naciones” (”Light of the Nations”), hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Latino musical production featured a cast of 1,000 volunteers, many dressed in colorful, traditional costumes, who performed music and dancing from Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil and Peru. The theme was “Un corazón agradecido” (“A thankful heart”).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as a full-time missionary in the Argentina North Mission in the mid-1960s, welcomed the audience with opening remarks in Spanish. He said the theme of gratitude was most appropriate.

“Gratitude enlarges the soul and opens the windows of heaven. When we pray with a grateful heart, our prayer is heard, we feel the Holy Spirit, and our Heavenly Father delights to help and bless us even more,” Elder Christofferson said. “I pray that all of us will have hearts that overflow with gratitude to God, especially for the gift of His Son, whose atoning sacrifice and resurrection bring to each of us the incomparable blessings of immortality and eternal life.”

The live event was recorded for on-demand viewing on the Luz de las Naciones website, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Gospel Stream app and YouTube.

Here are photos from the performance.