Following Thursday's meeting, Elder Perry marveled at the church leader's grit.

"To think that President Hinckley has that stamina, that strength, that power to keep moving forward even in difficult times should be an example to the whole church to follow and have the same enthusiastic spirit that he has," Elder Perry said.

It's difficult to discuss the church's history in Chile without speaking of Gordon B. Hinckley. While a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, then-Elder Hinckley organized Chile's first stake in 1972. He would later return as a member of the First Presidency to dedicate the Santiago Chile Temple on Sept. 15, 1983.

Since becoming the president of the church, President Hinckley has visited Chile on multiple occasions. In 1999, he spoke to some 57,000 members in Santiago, one of the largest LDS gatherings ever in South America.

"The Chilean members have a great love for President Hinckley. (His visit) will be a great spiritual experience for all the members of Chile," said Elder Francisco J. Vinas, a general authority and president of the church's Chile Area.

President Hinckley's last churchwide public appearance came during the bicentennial birthday celebration for LDS Church founder Joseph Smith on Dec. 23, when he spoke via satellite from Sharon, Vt., to Latter-day Saints gathered in thousands of locations worldwide.

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Contributing: Carrie Moore in Salt Lake City

E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com