Saturday, February 27, 2010

Earthquake

As most of you know, there has been a very powerful earthquake in Southern Chile. It was located north of our mission in the Concepecion area. Unfortunately, they have suffered extensive damage and our prayers are with them.

Susie and I are in Punta Arenas and obviously we did not feel the earthquake. All flights are canceled so we don`t know how long it will be before we can get back to Osorno. We are unable to reach our missionaries because cell and phone service is limited or non-existent. We have however been able to talk to our zone leaders in Valdivia and while they felt the earthquake, they do not believe there is any local damage.

As of now, we believe that all of our missionaries are fine and that there has been no measurable damage in our mission. We are trying to contact each missionary and for now are communicating through Valdivia.

Please keep the Concepcion y Concepcion South missions in your prayers.

32 comments:

Unknown said...

We will keep everyone in our prayers. Thank you for the update and we will continue to watch for more information. Thank you for taking care of our missionaries!

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Thank you so much I am glad you are safe. We will be praying for those closest to the earthquake.

Patti Service said...

Thank you for updating the blog. We are so thankful for your safety and pray for all missionaries and people throughout Chile.

Coffinberry said...
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Ken Hansen said...

Thanks for the update. As you can imagine we had a few minutes of serious concern as we gathered bits and pieces of news about the quake. Of course we were sad to hear about those who were affected, but also relieved to hear that it was so far from where our son is serving.

The first thing we thought of was his hilarious account in his last letter of falling through the floor of his new apartment in Rio Negro. This is obviously not the kind of place that would fare too well in an earthquake.

Elder Hansen speaks so highly of both of you. Sister Lovell, thanks for helping him with his flea bites. Elder Lovell, he is convinced you will someday be an apostle. Thanks for all that you are doing.

Ken Hansen

Unknown said...

Thank you for the post. We're so grateful for the news. We will continuing praying for everyone's safety.

Valerie VanderHoeven said...

Thank you so much for updating the conditions in the Osorno Mission for us. Our daughter, Hermana Thompson is one our your newest missionaries. We know that she is in good hands. We will keep the people of Chile in our prayers.

Ludy and Valerie Vander Hoeven

Coffinberry said...

Thanks for the news. Our son is serving on Calbuco -- an island, but from what we can tell at the USGS website, there was no major wave passing into the Gulf of Ancud. We feel confident that he is safe, and will watch this site for further updates.

Unknown said...

We will keep all the missionaries in Chile in our prayers. Elder Olsen is in Osorno and we are so grateful to hear about the conditions in this mission and the fact that he is likely fine. We appreciate any and all updates.

David Olsen

Mike and Shelley Hunsaker said...

Thank you for the update on your/our missionaries. We pray for their safety and yours as well. We hope you can travel safely back to Osorno without too much trouble. May the Lord bless the people in Chile with an outpouring of His Spirit.

Mike and Shelley Hunsaker

Chandler Family said...

Dear Pres. and Sis. Lovell. Thank you for the timely update. We're glad you got it on the blog so soon. -Craig and Trudy Day

Sheri Lee said...

Thank you for your post. My parents Elder and Sister Westover are in your mission. We will pray for all the missionaries and people of Chile.

Lois Kelley said...

Thank you for the message. We know our daughter, Ashley, is safe, but please call if there is anything amiss.
Let me know how I can help, although we are far away. I know you will be even busier than usual in the days ahead.
Our prayers are with you always.

Seager Family said...

President Lovell, you are so thoughtful to update your blog so quickly. We pray for you and all the missionaires in Chile. We love you!

A. Lovell said...

Glad to hear you and mom and your missionaries are OK. Will keep you and the rest of Chile in our prayers.

As an update, NY Times is reporting that no word has come out of Conception regarding damage, as communication lines are down. Santiago has seen some buildings and homes destroyed, but Conception has likely fared worse. Chilean media is reporting a death toll of 122, but that is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue. Tsunami alerts have been issued throughout the Pacific Basin. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has declared a "state of catastrophe".

Carol said...

I'm concerned about an LDS family in the Osorno area. Any advice on how to find out if they are okay? Their daughter is a student here in Canada.

Palmer said...

Our prayers are with you and the missionaries. Thank you for keeping the information on the blog. This is the most information we have so keep updating it as you can.
Palmer Family in NY

Austin Barton said...

My son is in Coihueco, just north of Concepcion. If you do get any word of the missionaries in that mission, will you please post it on your blog. the Concepcion mission doesn't have a blog. Thank you very much for any info you can post!

MomofFive said...

Thank you for the update. Our son Elder Brian Palmer is serving in Puerto Montt at this time. Our prayers are with him and all those serving in Chile as well as the people of Chile. We will keep checking for updates.

Sheryl Palmer

Paula said...

Thank you for the update. Our prayers are with all the missionaries and people in Chile.

Biddle Family said...

Pres & Sis Lovell,
Thank you for updating this blog. I am so grateful that I was able to google and find it this morning. It has brought much relief to our family. my brother is Elder Bigelow. We're praying for the mission and others in Chile daily. My mom was so happy to read the blog and see pictures of Elder Bigelow. We know he is in good hand and you'll never know of our love and appreciation for the 2 of you. All our love Elder Bigelow's family.

Shawn Pierson said...

Looking forward to hearing some details about the Osorno area and what the level of damage is - if any. Our son Elder Pierson is in Rio Bueno, north of Osorno so we are a little anxious to hear. Thank you for the updates and we'll keep you in our prayers.

Shawn Pierson said...
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McClellan Family said...

Thank you so much for letting us know that our missionaries are safe. Words can not adequately express our gratitude for all the things you do as the Osorno Mission President and Mission Mom.
We are praying for you, our missionaries, and the people of Chile.

Unknown said...

So glad to hear that you are well - all of the missionaries in the area are in our prayers.

Unknown said...

Thank you so very much for posting on the blog. We are so relieved that you are all safe. I called the SLC Mission Field Services this am and was told all of you were safe and accounted for. Just so you know- I called again one hour ago and they still have no word from the Chile, Consepcion-South mission. I'm sure communication is difficult so wanted to pass that along. The quake sent out a 500mph tsunami that was scheduled to hit Hawaii at 11:40 MST. Jacob emailed me from coyhaique and I was so relieved. Thank you for allowing that. He loves his mission, the people and the country of Chile. He said he hoped that this will soften more hearts to hear the Gospel! Thank you for taking care of our missionaries! the Bluth Family

Unknown said...

Thanks for such a great update, since I served there 14 years ago Osorno has a soft spot in my heart

Unknown said...

I just got an email from Elder Daniel Olsen in in Osorno and he said they felt the quake but it was minor and all the missionaries in Osorno are safe and that people in that area are fine. He also asked we pray for all those in Concepcion and Santiago.

Just Me said...

So happy to hear you and your missionaries are safe. Our prayers are with you at this challenging time.

Larsen Family Outlaws!!!! said...

Thanks for an update so fast this morning. It put my mind at ease that my nephew was okay. Thank you for doing this blog. Maybe the church should make this a standard procedure for missions.This helps families feel more apart of the mission and it gives families a place to go for information when needed like in this place.

Gina said...

Thank you for updating the blog. Our son, Elder Jimenez is one our your newest missionaries. We know that he and all the missionaries are in good hands.We will pray for all the missionaries and people of Chile.

Gus & Gina Jimenez