Arrival of the Rappleye's. . .

President and Sister Rappleye arrived in Osorno on Tuesday, June 28th after a long two days of travel. We spent some time orienting them on the mission operations and then left the mission in their very capable hands. They are a great couple and will be very effective in leading this mission for the next three years. We know the missionaries will work hard and the Lord will bless them in their efforts.

Our great group of office missionaries prepared a welcoming banner for their arrival. Pictured above (l-r) are: Elder Bastian-mission secretary, Elder Hansen-assistant, Elder Andia-assistant, Elder Rodriguez-mission financial secretary, Elder Williamson-training for mission financial secretary and Elder Mangelson-mission historian.

Changes in the Chile Osorno Mission . . .

On Tuesday, June 28th John and Nancy Rappleye will arrive in Osorno to begin presiding over this great mission for the next three years. The Rappleye´s current home is in St. George, Utah, but they have lived internationally for many years, including 4 years recently in Santiago, Chile. He served his mission as a young man in Brasil, but they are both fluent in Spanish and already have a love for Chile and its people. They will be a wonderful blessing to the mission, the members and these great missionaries. Susie and I look forward to meeting them and are grateful that they are willing to come and serve.

Susie and I will be leaving the mission on June 29th and will be meeting that evening in Santiago with our missionaries that have already completed their service. We are very excited to see them again and have one more opportunity to express our love and gratitude for them. We fly home on June 30th and arrive in SLC on July 1st. For any that would be interested, we are scheduled to report in our home ward in Heber City, the Lake Creek First Ward on July 10th at 1:00 pm. The ward building is located at: 6250 E 1200 S, Heber City, UT.

We love this mission. We love the Chilean people. And we love these greatest of all great missionaries. What a privilege it has been to serve at their side. We will forever be grateful to the Lord for the blessings of this mission. And we are looking forward to seeing our family, friends and former missionaries. We are especially looking forward to holding our 7 grandchildren.

June Cambios . . .

Susie and I welcomed our final group of new missionaries this week. They were originally scheduled to arrive next week, but we moved everything up a week so as to not conflict with the arrival of the new mission president and his wife. Pictured above (l-r) are: Elder Johnson from California, Elder Anderson from Utah, Elder Baker from Utah and Elder Mortensen from California. And while this is a small group, they are obviously exceptional young men and will be excellent missionaries. We are excited to see their potential and will regret not being able to witness their continued growth and service in the mission. They replace a group of 10 and I think they are up to the task.


And we have said good-bye to our final group of missionaries finishing their service. Seated with us above (l-r) are Hna Smith from California and Hna Thompson from Virginia. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Andia from Argentina who is one of our assistants, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming, Elder Nikolaus from Arizona, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Valentine from Utah, Elder Cook from Idaho, Elder Sanford from Idaho, Elder Gonzalez from Uruguay, Elder Aros from Chile and Elder Hansen from Connecticut our other assistant. These have been very effective missionaries and have had a powerful impact on the mission and on us. We are grateful for the privilege of serving with them and seeing their growth as missionaries.

We always take a silly shot of the missionaries and this group is as goofy as any of them. We love their playfulness and especially their dedication to the work. You may not be able to notice, but they have completed repainting the mission home so the walls have a different color. New carpeting is being installed downstairs this week. Nice changes and updates for the new president and his wife. We have loved this home and have been very comfortable here.

Above is a final look at our transfer board after the new missionaries arrived and all the missionaries are located in their new sectors for this cambio. We will finish the mission with 166 missionaries, including 23 Sisters and 143 Elders. With respect to their nationality, we have: From the US: 110, Chile: 24, Argentina: 6, Peru: 5, Honduras: 4, Colombia: 3, Bolivia: 2, Canada: 2, Ecuador: 2, El Salvador: 2, Mexico: 2, Curacao (Netherlands): 1, Panama: 1, Uruguay: 1 and South Africa: 1. During our 3 years of service, we have served with 435 missionaries. What a wonderful privilege. And we love them all!

Puyehue Volcano Erupts . . .

Some of you will have heard that the Puyehue Volcano, which is near Osorno began erupting yesterday. There has not been an eruption at this volcano since 1960 in conjunction with the large earthquake centered near Valdivia. We felt several tremors yesterday, but I don´t know if they were caused by the volcano or the volcano caused the tremors. As you can see from the photos, the volcano continues to send ash and smoke some 6 miles up into the atmosphere. Fortunately, we don´t have missionaries too close as the volcano is about an hour East of Osorno near the border with Argentina. Winds generally blow west to east, so most of the ash is falling in Argentina. Sorry, Bariloche.


After a stake conference here in Osorno, Susie and I drove east towards the volcano to take some pictures. The best photos are from distance because as you get closer the air is full of ash and you can´t see clearly. Air quality will be something we will be watching very closely for our missionaries.

You get a sense from the close-up of the power of this plume. We are blessed that it is isolated and for now doesn´t look threatening to our missionaries and members. Our missionaries are all equiped with an emergency pack and we will stay alert.

Coyhaique Zone Conference . . .

This past Saturday we had our final zone conference in Coyhaique. For us this was a special occasion because it was our final trip to Coyhaique. We love this place and these people so much. Seated above (l-r) are: Hna Grimes from California and Hna McShane from Washington. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Tyus from Colorado, Elder Bevan from Wyoming, Elder Coria from Argentina, Elder Nelson from Utah, Elder Beletanga from Ecuador, Elder Seegrist from Utah, Elder Davis from Idaho, Elder Fonda from Utah, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder Himes from Utah, Elder Richan from Utah and Elder Turner from Georgia. The two zone leaders are Elders Retamal and Bevan.


With this conference we completed our vaccinations for the mission. A local inactive sister, who is a paramedic, volunteered to come over and give the shots. Above are Elders Beletanga, Seegrist, Bevan and Himes showing proof of their courage.


Above are Elders Tyus, Nelson and Fonda proudly displaying their colorful bandages.
And never to be outdone are our mighty sisters, Hnas McShane and Grimes.

Puerto Montt Zone Conference . . .

On Thursday of last week we had our zone conference in Puerto Montt. Three different zones attend this conference. Above is the Puerto Varas Zone. Seated (l-r) are the two zone leaders Elder Nikolaus from Arizona and Elder Sheahan from Montana. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Silva from Chile, Elder Contreras from Chile, Elder Hopkins from Utah, Elder Galarza from Argentina, Elder Urrutia from Chile, Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Hauver from Utah, Elder Lux from Utah, Elder Hezeltine from Utah, Elder Frost from Utah, Elder Davis from Colorado, Elder Mussi from Argentina, Elder Gonzalez from Uruguay and Elder Vidal from Chile.

Above is the Puerto Montt Zone. Seated (l-r) are: Hna Byam from Canada and Hna Larkin from Utah. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Williamson from South Africa, Elder Meza from Peru, Elder Bluth from Arizona, Elder Riquelme from Chile, Elder Drake from Utah, Elder Gatica from Chile, Elder Reeder from Utah, Elder Colque from Bolivia, Elder Purser from Alabama, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Aston from Utah, Elder Hamblin from Utah, Elder Gomez from Colombia, Elder Figgins from Utah, Elder Urias from Honduras, Elder Walker from Texas, Elder Fairbourne from Idaho and Elder Murphy from Utah. The two zone leaders are Elders Walker and Hamblin.

Above is the Chiloé Zone. Seated (l-r) are: Hna Skinner from Utah and Hna Smith from California. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Carrizo from Chile, Elder McGowan from Mississippi, Elder Trammell from Utah, Elder Osborn from Colorado, Elder Oakden from Utah, Elder Crane from Utah, Elder Hafen from Idaho and Elder Ramirez from El Salvador. The two zone leaders are Elders Carrizo and McGowan.

Osorno Zone Conference . . .

We have three different zones that attend in Osorno. Above is the La Union Zone. Seated (l-r) are: Hna Fuenteabla from Chile and Hna Thompson from Virginia. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Juarez from Chile, Elder Epperson from Virginia, Elder Burge from Utah, Elder Jones from Texas, Elder Lund from Utah, Elder Welling from Oregon, Elder Richardson from Utah, Elder Gomez from Argentina, Elder Muñoz from Chile, Elder Lugo from Texas and Elder Valentine from Utah. The zone leaders are Elders Welling and Lund.

Above is the Osorno Zone. Seated (l-r) are: Hna Fernandez from Peru, Hna Nakayama from Hawaii, Hna Turcios from Honduras, Hna Campos from Chile, Hna Hunt from Utah and Hna Biddulph from Colorado. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Bastian from California, Elder Amato from Argentina, Elder Patton from Idaho, Elder Ashby from Utah, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Day from Utah, Elder Mangelson from Ohio, Elder Wirthlin from Utah, Elder Rodriguez from Uruguay, Elder Canepa from Chile, Elder Hansen from Connecticut, Elder Andia from Argentina and Elder Biddulph from Colorado. The zone leaders are Elders Evans and Ashby.

Above is the Osorno Rahue Zone. Seated (l-r) are: Hna Neubert from North Carolina and Hna Herbert from Idaho. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Archiprette from Argentina, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Grover from Washington, Elder Cook from Idaho, Elder Miner from Utah, Elder Williams from North Carolina, Elder Correa from Chile, Elder Carsey (the tall one) from California, Elder Villantoy from Peru, Elder Smith from Idaho, Elder Johnston from Utah, Elder Jones from Utah, Elder Sebrands from Utah, Elder Turner from North Carolina, Elder Ciquero from Peru and Elder Galovich from Wyoming. The zone leaders are Elders Cook and LeBaron.

We celebrated Mirta´s birthday today with the rest of the missionaries. Mirta is the housekeeper at the Mission Home and has been one of the most wonderful blessings of our mission. She is a great help and we will miss her very, very much.

Valdivia Zone Conference . . .

There are four zones that meet in Valdivia. Above is the Villarrica Zone. Seated (l-r) are Hna Bertagnole from Kansas and Hna Gebara from California. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Booth from Utah, Elder Guillén from Peru (he´s very short, so he is actually standing on a chair), Elder Ashton from Utah, Elder Arce from South Carolina and Elder Sanford from Idaho. The zone leaders are Elders Ashton and Guillén.

Next up the Los Lagos Zone. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Winsor from Idaho, Elder Romero from Ecuador, Elder Cayoja from Bolivia, Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Thorup from Utah, Elder Broadhead from Idaho, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming and Elder Blotter from Illinois. The zone leaders are Elders Hunsaker and Gonzalez.

There are two zones in Valdivia. Above is the Valdivia Zone. Sitting (l-r) are: Hna Donoso from Chile and Hna Kitto from Utah. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Cardona from Colombia, Elder Cruz from Curacao, Elder Olavarria from Chile, Elder Martinez from Honduras, Elder Dunford from Texas, Elder Amaya from Mexico, Elder Elmer from Arizona, Elder Barbosa from Colombia, Elder Ruz from Canada, Elder McCormick from Arizona and Elder Amezcua from Minnesota. The zone leaders are Elder Amezcua and Cardona.

Above is the Valdivia Calle Calle Zone. Sitting (l-r) are: Hna Chamorro from Chile and Hna Baum from Arizona. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Jefferson from Utah, Elder Bravo from Chile, Elder Aros from Chile, Elder Carmen from Utah, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Quispe from Chile, Elder Magaña from California, Elder Helgesen (the tall one) from Utah, Elder Grotenhuis from New Hampshire, Elder Nickel from Idaho, Elder Bowers from Nevada and Elder Wood from Idaho. The zone leaders are Elders Helgesen and Bravo.

Punta Arenas Zone Conference . . .

We have begun our final zone conferences with the missionaries and started last week with the Punta Arenas Zone. Seated above (l-r) are: Hna Nava from Mexico, Hna Contreras from Chile, Hna Tauteoli from Utah and Hna Moss from Washington. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Haug from Washington, Elder Pearson from Utah, Elder Barben from Utah, Elder Pugh from Utah, Elder Dean from Utah, Elder Key from Texas, Elder Cross from Texas, Elder Vaquerano from El Salvador, Elder Cornejo from Chile, Elder Vilorio from Honduras, Elder Camarena from Panama, Elder Metcalf from Texas, Elder Fabrizio from Utah, Elder Rainey from Arizon, Elder Palmer from New York and Elder Cooper from Utah. Elder Cornejo and Elder Fabrizio are the zone leaders here. What a great group.

This month we are also providing flu vaccinations for the missionaries. Above is Hna Tauteoli administering the injection to Elder Vaquerano. He was so funny and really didn´t want the shot. But he was brave and set a great example for the rest. Elder Vilorio is giving him much needed comfort.

We woke up Sunday to a beautiful wintry day. It snowed all morning, but we were fortunate to make it out on our afternoon flight. It gets cold, windy and snowy in Punta Arenas during the winter (actually is cold and windy year round), but at least they have natural gas heating. It makes all the difference in the world.

May Cambios . . .

We received 8 wonderful new missionaries this week and we were excited to welcome them to the greatest mission in the world. (I know all mission presidents say that, but at least one of us can be correct.) Seated with us on the couch is Hna Kitto from Orem, Utah. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Andia from Argentina our new assistant, Elder Hansen from New Hampshire our other assistant, Elder Magaña from National City, California, Elder Amato from Mendoza, Argentina, Elder Villantoy from Lima, Peru, Elder Burge from Stansbury Park, Utah, Elder Colque from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Elder Hauver from Lehi, Utah, Elder Wood from Rigby, Idaho and Elder Coles from Utah our outgoing assistant.


In all the confusion, we forgot to take a picture of the departing missionaries in the mission home. I am so disappointed that we missed that. At least we have a picture of them at the bus terminal. Pictured above (l-r) are: Elder Benitez from Uruguay, Elder Paris from Chile, Elder Cortéz from Nicaragua, Hna Kelley from Montgomery, Alabama, Elder Olmedo from Paraguay and Elder Jaita from Bolivia. It just breaks our hearts to say goodbye to these wonderful missionaries. We will forever be grateful for their faithful service.


Also leaving this week are Elder and Hna Hamilton from Colorado. They have served two years as our senior couple and have been a great blessing to the mission. Elder Hamilton has served as one of my counselors and has been a great help in the districts and independent branches. And Hna Hamilton has directed a program of piano instruction and musical presentations that has left and indelible mark on the mission and many of its members. We have been so grateful for the help these past two years and will miss them very much. Actually we will get to see them in July, so that´s real nice.

With this cambio we say goodbye to Elder Coles who has been released as our assistant and is transfered to Villarrica where he will finish his mission in August. Our new assistant is Elder Andia pictured above with Elder Hansen. Elder Andia is from Argentina and is a wonderful young missionary. These young men have a powerful impact on the success of our mission. What a privilege it is to serve with them.

May Zone Leader Council . . .

Today was our monthly zone leader council and we enjoy so much being with these great missionaries. They are doing a great job and we are seeing a great change in our missionaries due to their influence. They are the best.

In front, (l-r) are: Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Carrizo from Chile, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming, Elder Miner from Utah and Elder Retamal from Chile. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Jefferson from Utah, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Cook from Idaho, Elder Andia from Argentina, Elder Sheahan from Montana, Elder Lund from Utah, Elder Helgesen from Utah, Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Amezcua from Minnesotta, Elder McGowan from Mississippi, Elder Nikolaus from Arizona, Elder Hansen from Connecticut, Elder Cortez from Nicaragua and Elder Ashton from Utah.


Those that know us can easily guess who it was that inspired the "let´s pick up the president" picture. And obviously, she has the camera.

We have three independent branches in the mission; that is, they do not belong to any district or stake. These are in Fresia, Los Muermos and Calbuco. This past Sunday we visited the Los Muermos Branch for the last time. These are such wonderful members and we were blessed with such a beautiful day to be with them. The branch president, President Osorio and his family are some of the very, very best. The two missionaries serving currently in the branch are Elder Riquelme from Chile and Elder Purser from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We were very happy to learn that Elder Purser´s family is safe after the storms that effected Tuscaloosa.

Welcome to Chile!

Found this video on YouTube and just had to share. Enjoy!

April Miscellaneous . . .

Susie and I were in Santiago this week for a meeting with the Area Presidency and the presidents and wives of the other missions in Chile. Above are President and Sister May of the Santiago North Mission, and President and Sister Swenson of the Concepcion South Mission. We arrived with them in 2008 and will be completing our missions together on July 1, 2011. We have loved serving with them and all the other mission presidents and wives in Chile. Our annual meetings with them have been unforgettable.

We try and take advantage of being in Santiago to get together with our former missionaries. Above are former Elder Cordero, Hna Iribarra, Elder Salvatierra, Camila from Osorno who studies in Santiago, Elder Vergara and Elder Rivera. Vergara, Salvatierra and Rivera are instructors at the Santiago MTC.

Saturday is P-Day in Osorno and the Assistants and the Zone Leaders came by to wash their own truck and Susie some how put them to work washing ours. I suppose the pizza we´ve ordered will be suitable compensation. (l-r) are Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Hansen from Connecticut, Elder McGowan from Mississippi and Elder Evans from Utah.

One of the difficult but wonderful experiences as we finish our mission is our visits to the branches on Sundays. This past Sunday we attended church at the Panguipulli Branch. Above are some of the faithful members of this great branch. The two missionaries serving in Panguipulli are Elder Romero from Ecuador and Elder Broadhead from Idaho. We will miss them very much. This Sunday we will be in Los Muermos.

Each month we host family home evenings in the mission home with members from wards in and around Osorno. In order to attend, members must bring an inactive or non-member friend. Last week was the Ecuador Ward and above are some of the members and friends that attended. The lesson was given by Hna Larkin from Utah and Hna Nakayama from Hawaii. Susie always bakes cookies and banana bread which are great hits. If we are in town during the day, she invites some of the sisters to come over and help her cook which she enjoys very much, and they are excited to learn to bake American style cookies. Next will be the Ovejeria Ward.

April Zone Leader Council . . .

We had our monthly zone leader council today at the Mission Home. We meet in the basement conference room for training and discussion. We´ve been blessed with the best missionaries in the world and even greater young missionary leaders, so we always enjoy this time with the zone leaders. Today our assistants also presented a great training on the Restoration. Pictured above kneeling (l-r): Elder McGowan from Mississippi, Elder Carrizo from Chile, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder Miner from Utah, Elder Jefferson from Utah, and Elder Hansen our assistant from Connecticut. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Ashton from Utah, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Coles our assistant from Utah, Elder Sheahan from Montana, Elder Cook from Idaho, Elder Cortéz from Nicaragua, Elder Helgesen from Utah, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming, Elder Nikolaus from Arizona, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Andia from Argentina, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Amezcua from Minnesota, Elder Lund from Utah and Elder and Hna Hamilton our senior couple that leaves in May. (Sorry we didn´t position ourselves better for the sun) It is custom to take a silly shot after the initial photo and its always interesting to see what these guys can come up with. We love them very, very much.

April Cambios . . .

Thirteen new missionaries arrived in the mission on Tuesday. These are always exciting days because the new missionaries arrive with such enthusiasm. And in spite of their long day of travel, they are energized and anxious to go to work. We were especially happy that it was a sunny day to welcome them. We always feed the new missionaries a nice lunch and then go through individual interviews and group training. Pictured above are the new missionaries. Seated with us is Hna Chamorro from Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile. Also seated are our two assistants Elder Coles and Elder Hansen. Standing (l-r): Elder Arce from York, South Carolina, Elder Viramontes from Spanish Fork, Utah, Elder Davis from Conifer, Colorado, Elder Archiprette from Argentina, Elder Trammell from Syracuse, Utah, Elder Canepa from Chile, Elder Bowers from Las Vegas, Nevada, Elder Juarez from Chile, Elder Hopkins from Spanish Fork, Utah, Elder Cayoja from Bolivia, Elder Fairbourne from Shelley, Idaho and Elder Cruz from Curacao. The happy day is always followed by a sad day when we have to say goodbye to those missionaries finishing their term in the mission. Included in this great group of missionaries are some exceptional leaders including a former assistant, zone leaders and district leaders. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Coles one of our assistants, Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah, Elder Pereira from Chile, Elder Muñoz from Chile, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Cisternas from Chile, Elder Moyano from Ecuador and Elder Hansen our other assistant. I can´t say enough about the great impact these missionaries have had on the mission and in our lives. Also finishing their mission this past cambio was Elder Razón who would have left with this group but was allowed to leave a few weeks early to begin his studies. Elder Razón from Chile was a former mission secretary and a wonderful young man. In spite of his unique talents at imitating me and other missionaries, I will personally miss this missionary very much. What a talented and faithful young man.

With this cambio come some changes in the office staff. Pictured above (l-r): Elder Rodriguez from Uruguay the mission financial secretary, Elder Bastian from El Dorado Hills, California who will train to become the new mission secretary, Elder Davis from Soda Springs, Idaho who has been the mission secretary for the past five cambios and Elder Dunford from Sugar Land, Texas our mission historian.

The Biddulph´s Arrive . . .

We welcomed the arrival today of Elder and Hna Biddulph who will be joining the mission as a new senior couple. They are from Centennial, Colorado and served an earlier mission in the Santiago Temple. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny fall day. We enjoyed a nice lunch and interview with the Biddulph´s before sending them off to get oriented by Elder and Sister Hamilton. The Hamilton´s are scheduled to complete their mission on May 20th. We have enjoyed serving with the Hamilton´s and are now looking forward to getting to know the Biddulph´s. We have been blessed with wonderful senior missionaries in the mission and will always be grateful for their service and strength.

Final Visit to Puerto Cisnes . . .

This past weekend we visited our missionaries in the Coyhaique Zone and took the opportunity to visit the Puerto Cisnes Branch one last time. This is one of my favorite places in the mission and we love the members so much. This is truly a special place in all of God´s creations. They average between 35 and 40 members attending and they are just the sweetest most faithful saints.

We have two Elders serving in Puerto Cisnes and we took our assistants along with us on the trip. Pictured above (l-r) Elder Coles our assistant from SLC, Utah, Elder Nelson from Lindon, Utah who is serving in Cisnes, Elder Hansen from Connecticut our other assistant, and Elder Beletanga from Ecuador who serves in Cisnes.

As you can imagine, Susie loves to engage with all the primary children and youth in these branches. She is pictured above with a small group that stayed after to visit with her. Hna Olga Soto is the Mamita for the missionaries in Puerto Cisnes and does such a wonderful job providing them with lunch and support. She and her husband partner with her sister and brother in law to run an hospedaje and tour business in Cisnes. We stay at their place when we visit and we feel like family with them. They hold a special place in our hearts and we are grateful for their love and service. If you want to see this beautiful place in the world, check out their website at: tourbellavista.cl We were blessed with the most beautiful weather on this trip for the 4-hour drive between Coyhaique and Puerto Cisnes. They´ve made much improvement on the road since my first visit several years ago. The picture above illustrates to some extent the incredible beauty of the drive. It is incredible and unforgettable. We will be back!