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.