2-day Mormon general conference kicks off in Utah with 1st non-English speech expected

People fill their seats in the Conference Center before the start of opening session of the two-day Mormon church conference Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Salt Lake City. Chi Hong Wong, a Mormon leader from Hong Kong delivered a speech in Mandarin on Saturday in what marked the first time in the history of the faith's signature conference that an address was delivered in a language other than English. (AP Photo/Kim Raff) (The Associated Press)

President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addresses the audience during opening session of the two-day Mormon church conference Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Kim Raff) (The Associated Press)

People wait in line outside of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Conference Center with the Salt Lake Temple in the background to before the opening session of the two-day Mormon church conference Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Salt Lake City. Chi Hong Wong, a Mormon leader from Hong Kong delivered a speech in Mandarin on Saturday in what marked the first time in the history of the faith's signature conference that an address was delivered in a language other than English. (AP Photo/Kim Raff) (The Associated Press)

The two-day Mormon general conference is kicking off in Salt Lake City with the faith's growing international footprint expected to take center stage.

Some 65 countries will be represented among the 100,000 people who are expected gather Saturday and Sunday to hear speeches from church leaders.

It's widely anticipated that at least one of this weekend's speakers will deliver an address in a language other than English for the first time in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon scholars say that will be an important representation of how the church has grown internationally. The number of church members outside the United States surpassed the number within the country in 1997.