Chile Osorno Mission July 2008 to July 2011

Arrival of the Rappleye's. . .

2011-07-06T22:23:00.003-04:00

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 . . .

2011-06-25T10:30:00.004-04:00

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 . . .

2011-06-23T10:28:00.003-04:00

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 . . .

2011-06-05T14:42:00.003-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-30T15:47:00.003-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-30T15:28:00.002-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-25T18:30:00.003-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-25T18:09:00.002-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-23T15:16:00.002-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-19T11:03:00.002-04:00

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 . . .

2011-05-05T15:01:00.003-03:00

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!

2011-04-30T17:56:00.001-03:00

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

April Miscellaneous . . .

2011-04-30T12:10:00.004-03:00

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 . . .

2011-04-08T19:01:00.005-03:00

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 . . .

2011-04-07T14:21:00.003-03:00

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 . . .

2011-04-01T17:28:00.004-03:00

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 . . .

2011-04-01T16:01:00.004-03:00

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!

Visit to Porvenir Branch . . .

2011-03-23T10:59:00.002-03:00

Last Sunday was a very special day when I had the opportunity to visit the Porvenir Branch on Tierra del Fuego. This is the island at the very tip of South America and is half Chile and half Argentina. Porvenir is a 2-3 hour ferry ride across the Magellan Strait from Punta Arenas. We had about 35 members at church on Sunday and I will forever be grateful to them for changing their meeting times so I could visit. They hadn´t had a visit from a mission president in over 10 years. And now having been there, I only wish I could go back. This is obviously a very isolated region and the members, though few, are very faithful.

Above is a photo of President Carcamo, the branch president and his beautiful family. He and his wife are both paramedics and Pte Carcamo is also the assistant fiscal, which is a local government elected official. They are truly a blessing to the church in this region.

This is the Elder´s little home that was built for them by Pte Carcamo in his back yard. It is probably the nicest house in the mission where missionaries live. Safe, clean and natural gas heating. It is further evidence of the Carcamo family´s love for the work.

A view of Porvenir from the ferry arriving from Punta Arenas. Unfortunately, Susie wasn´t able to make the trip because of the risk for sea sickness. The trip can be a little bumpy at times, but I was pretty lucky and enjoyed smooth sailing.

Zone Leader Council . . .

2011-03-03T09:40:00.005-03:00

We had zone leader council this week at the mission home. This is always a hightlight of our month as we get to spend some time with these wonderful leaders in the mission. Kneeling in the front (l-r) are: Elder McGowan from Mississippi, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder Miner from Utah and Elder Jefferson from Utah. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Nikolaus from Arizona, Elder Pereira from Chile, Elder Cornejo from Chile, Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Cook from Idaho, Elder Andia from Argentina, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Cortéz from Nicaragua, Elder Helgesen from Utah, Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Razón from Chile, Elder Coles (AP) from Utah, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Hansen (AP) from Connecticut, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming and Elder Amezcua from Minnesota. Not pictured are our zone leaders in Coyhaique and Punta Arenas, Elder Muñoz from Chile, Elder Hamblin from Utah, Elder Welling from Oregon and Elder Olmedo from Paraguay.

We´ve been blessed with the best missionaries and it is such a pleasure to serve with them. But these leaders are just truly exceptional. As a group they are faithful, obedient and committed to this work. And we love them very much.

They not only work hard, they are truly fun to be with. Thanks to all their parents and family for sharing them with the Lord and us during this time.

February Cambios . . .

2011-02-24T11:55:00.003-03:00

Cambios came in two shifts because the group coming from the USA did not make their connections. So we first welcomed three young Chileans to the mission field. They are (l-r) Elder Urrutia from Santiago, Chile, Elder Contreras from Valparaiso, Chile and Elder Olavarria from Valparaiso, Chile. They will be wonderful young missionaries.

Later that evening our group from the USA arrived. First row (l-r) are: Elder Winsor from Payette, Idaho, Elder Smith from Preston, Idaho, Elder Carmen from SLC, Utah and Elder Williams from Midland, Texas. Next to Susie on the second row is Hermana Hunt from South Jordan, Utah. They are excited to learn Spanish and adapt to mission life. We are confident they will all succeed wonderfully in the mission.

While only eight new missionaries arrived this cambio, we had to say goodbye to ten excellent and experienced missionaries. And this group also included some exceptional leaders and powerful missionaries. Sitting (l-r) are: Hna Aponte from Argentina and Hna Bourne from SLC, Utah. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Hansen our new assistant from Connecticut, Elder Castaneda from El Salvador, Elder Barra from Chile, Elder Araneda from Chile, Elder Schubert from Canada, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Malca from Peru, Elder Silva from Honduras, Elder Gimenez from Argentina and Elder Coles our other assistant from Utah. When I think of when these missionaries arrived in the mission and the growth and impact they have had it is just incredible. We really suffer when they leave, but we are so proud of their faithful service.

We always take a silly photo with the missionaries that does a better job of reflecting the playfulness of these wonderful young men and women. We will miss them so much.

With this cambio we will make a change among our assistants. Elder Riches has served with us for 6 months and will complete his last cambio in Rio Bueno. We welcomed Elder Hansen from Connecticut, our newest assistant. From left to right are: Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Hansen from Connecticut and Elder Riches from Utah. We love these great young men and are so grateful for their service and help.

Osorno, Chile . . .

2011-02-17T19:04:00.000-03:00

Nice video showing sights of Osorno that I found on YouTube. Enjoy.

Member and Missionary Combined Christmas Choir . . .

2011-02-17T18:47:00.003-03:00

Found this video on YouTube of our December Christmas Choir. This was a combined choir of missionaries with members from the Osorno and Osorno Rahue Stakes. The concert was held in the Osorno Stake Center on Sunday evening and then outside in the Osorno Plaza on Wednesday evening. We were so proud of our missionaries and all the members that participated. It was incredible.

Mission Tour with Elder Amado . . .

2011-02-15T10:04:00.003-03:00

Each year a member of the Area Presidency does a mission tour and speaks in conference with all our missionaries. This year, Elder Amado a member of the First Quorum of Seventy and Area President came to tour the mission with his wife. Over a period of nine days we took them around the mission and were blessed with their counsel and guidance. These visits are always a great blessing as it isn´t often that you have the opportunity to receive counsel directly from a General Authority of the church.

Meeting in Valdivia with the Villarrica, Los Lagos, Valdivia and Calle Calle Zones.

Meeting in Osorno with the La Union, Osorno and Rahue Zones.

Meeting in Puerto Montt with the Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt and Chiloé Zones.

Meeting in Coyhaique with the Coyhaique Zone.

Meeting in Punta Arenas with the Punta Arenas Zone.

Zone Leader Council . . .

2011-01-26T11:25:00.003-03:00

As you know, each month we hold zone leader council at the mission home. Pictured above (l-r) are: Elder Malca from Peru, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming, Elder Andia from Argentina, Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Cortéz from Nicaragua, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Hansen from Connecticut, Elder Helgesen from Utah, Elder Jefferson from Utah, Elder Araneda from Chile, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Barra from Chile, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Razón from Chile, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder Muñoz from Chile, Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Riches from Utah, Elder Miner from Utah and Elder Pereira from Chile.

During January we planned to bring in the zone leaders from Coyhaique and Punta Arenas. Unfortunately, there were strikes in Punta Arenas and so they were the only ones that weren´t able to attend. Not pictured then are Elder Welling from Oregon and Elder Olmedo from Paraguay. In fact, cambios from Punta Arenas took several days to accomplish because there were blockades preventing people from getting to and from the airport. Eventually, the missionaries had to walk between the barricades and haul their bags to the airport on foot. Gratefully, there were many members that watched over them in the process. The strikes are over now, but not in time for those two zone leaders to make the conference.

"Completos" (Chile´s version of a hot dog) is the meal of choice at our zone leaders council. The chilean version is a lot more mayonaise and avocado with a little bit of hot dog in there somewhere. And nobody eats like missionaries eat. Need I say more.

Mini-Cambio . . .

2011-01-26T10:41:00.004-03:00

We received a wonderful Sister Missionary last month out of cycle with the other cambios. Hna Fernandez is from Lima, Peru and she arrived all by herself. Unfortunately, Susie and I were in Coyhaique when she arrived so we were´nt able to be at the airport to recieve her. It was the following week before we were able to meet her and take pictures. She is the tiniest but most wonderful young missionary and we are very excited to have her. And as tiny as she is, she is maybe an inch taller than her trainer, Hna Contreras from Chile. What a great companionship!

January Cambios . . .

2011-01-13T10:14:00.002-03:00

This months cambio was obviously very small. Only two missionaries arrived this week from the Provo MTC. Fortunately, it was a bright sunny day in Osorno for their arrival at the airport.

Pictured above at the mission home are the new missionaries. Pictured from l-r are: Elder Coles one of our assistants, Elder Riches our other assistant, Elder Wirthlin from Spanish Fork, UT and Elder Drake from LaVerkin, UT. We are excited to welcome them to the mission. They will both be excellent missionaries.

Two of our missionaries finishing this cambio actually went home on December 31st so that they could be home in time to start school. Pictured above are Elder Service from Salt Lake City, UT and Elder Olsen from Logan, UT. These are two of the finest young men and we will miss them very much. They´ve been leaders in our mission and have been extremely faithful.

Last night the remaining five that completed their mission were in the mission home. Seated on the couch with us is Elder Poujol from Honduras. He served for a time as one of our assistants and then was sent to help in a sector with particular needs. Standing l-r are: Elder Riches our assistant, Elder Vargas from Honduras, Elder Castillo from Honduras, Elder Rivas from Panama, Elder Moncada from Honduras and Elder Coles our other assistant. I cannot say enough about this group. They´ve all been zone leaders and exceptional missionaries. The four from Honduras are some of the best missionaries we have ever had in the mission. As a group they have had a dramatic influence on the success of our mission and their influence will continue for a long time. It has been such a privilege to serve with all seven from this group.

Eathquake Jan 2, 2011 . . .

2011-01-02T20:18:00.003-03:00

Happy New Year!

As some of you will have heard, there was a 7.1 earthquake here in our region this afternoon. It was centered north and west of Temuco and was felt as far south as Puerto Montt. Susie and I are in Pucón and we felt the earthquake very strong. It lasted about 30-40 seconds and was strong and sustained but not violent. According to the local news, there is no major damage anywhere, but these are initial reports. However, we are confident that our missionaries are all fine and parents need not worry.

We´ve advised the area presidency and missionary department that all appears well here in our mission. We are in the process of trying to reach each and every companionship to confirm their status. This is the part of our emergency plan.

Zone Leader Council . . .

2010-12-05T17:43:00.003-03:00

At the first of each month we bring in our zone leaders for training and planning. It is such a great day to be with these strong missionaries. Above (l-r) Elder Christensen from Arizona, Elder Coles from Utah, Elder Walker from Idaho, Elder Cortez from Nicaragua, Elder Pereira from Chile, Elder Evans from Utah, Elder Castillo from Honduras, Elder Andia from Argentina, Elder Malca from Peru, Elder Rivas from Panama, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder LeBaron from Arizona, Elder Jefferson from Utah, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Hansen from Connecticut, Elder Moncada from Honduras, Elder Vargas from Honduras, Elder Riches from Utah, Elder Razon from Chile and Elder Barra from Chile. Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming and Elder Muñoz from Chile that are serving in Coyhaique and Elder Araneda from Chile and Elder Welling from Oregon that are serving in Punta Arenas were not in attendance.

There is a great love among these missionaries and it doesn´t take much to bring out the craziness in them.

December Crazy Cambios . . .

2010-12-02T16:03:00.003-03:00

December was supposed to be a fairly simple cambio. We had five missionaries leaving and five new missionaries arriving. Then the five new missionaries became 4 when a sister was delayed until December 21. On Monday the 4 became 3 when an Elder in Provo was delayed until December 14. So we were very surprised when the plane arrived and only 1 Elder stepped off the plane. Above is Elder Johnston from St George, Utah. He arrived by himself and we are grateful to have him.

The other two missionaries did their mission training at the Guatemala MTC and they missed their connecting flight to Osorno in Santiago. Fortunately, they arrived later that day and we were grateful to welcome them to the greatest mission in the world. Above is Hna Turcios from Honduras and Elder Camarena from Panama. They were exhausted from their trip, but they both have a great attitude.

With this cambio we released Elder Poujol as one of our assistants so that he could finish the mission working in a sector that needed some special help. Unfortunately, he completes his mission in January and we will miss him. Above are pictured with him the other assistants (l-r) Elder Coles from Salt Lake City, Utah, Elder Poujol from Honduras and Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah.

As always, new missionaries mean we are losing older missionaries and this is a small but powerful group. All five have been wonderful missionaries and they will be greatly missed by Susie and I, as well as the other missionaries and members. Seated (l-r) are Elder Coles our assistant, Elder Aguilera from Honduras and Elder Riches the other assistant. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Uceda from Tampa Bay, Florida, Elder States from Salt Lake City, Utah, Elder Cuesta from Ecuador and Elder Aitken from Brigham City, Utah.

We just love these young missionaries. You cannot imagine the impact they have had on our lives.

Mission President´s Seminar 2010 . . .

2010-11-26T09:24:00.002-03:00

Once each year, the mission presidents in Chile meet with the Area Presidency for training. This year the meeting was held in Pucón which is at the north end of our mission. It is a beautiful location on the edge of Villarrica Lake and at the foot of the Villarrica Volcano. Pictured above are members of the Area Presidency and their wives, as well as the Presidents and wives of the nine Chilean missions and the Santiago Mission Training Center.

When Susie and I arrived in Chile in June 2008, we arrived with two other couples who also began their mission service. We have loved and admired these two couples since we met them in the Provo MTC and it has been a privilege to serve with them. Pictured above (l-r) are: President and Sister May of the Santiago North Mission and President and Sister Swenson of the Concepción South Mission. It is hard to believe this was our third and final seminar. I still feel like the new kid on the block.

Zone Conference Ugly Tie Contest . . .

2010-11-25T18:02:00.002-03:00

As part of this last cambio´s zone conference, we had an ugly tie contest. In Punta Arenas, the winner was Elder McGowan from Clinton, MS. Pictured (l-r) are: Elder Figgins, Elder McCormick, Elder Elmer, Elder Richardson, Elder Hansen, Elder Quispe, Elder McGowan, Elder Lux, Elder Araneda, Elder Olmedo, Hna Aponte, Elder Hezeltine, Hna Bertagnole, Elder Gomez, Hna Campos, Elder Schubert, Hna Baum and Elder Barbosa.

Not to be excluded, the sisters participated in the ugly "bufanda" (kneck scarf) contest. Susie was in the running at every zone, but at Valdivia it was a tie between Hna Smith and Hna Tauteoli. Above (l-r): Hna Smith, Hna Tauteoli, Hna Thompson and Hna Nakayama.

At the Coyhaique Zone Conference, Elder Martinez was the winner. Above (l-r): Elder Ashby, Elder Amezcua, Elder Grover, Elder Martinez, Elder Rodriguez, Elder Frost, Elder Hunsaker, Elder Ramirez, Elder Nickel, Elder Gonzalez, Elder Jefferson and Elder Muñoz.

It was a close race in Valdivia with the Elders and eventually it was called a three-way tie. Pictured above with Susie (l-r) are: Elder Gimenez, Elder Razon and Elder Pierson.

Mid-Cambio Cambio . . .

2010-11-24T09:38:00.004-03:00

We received a call a couple of weeks ago asking if we would be willing to accept the transfer of a sister missionary from another mission. The correct answer to that question is always "of course". Hna Fuentealba transferred from the Santiago West Mission and arrived last week. She is from Chillán, Chile and will be a wonderful addition to our mission.

October Cambios . . .

2010-10-21T09:33:00.003-03:00

We received 16 new missionaries this week. 11 Elders and 5 Sisters. All from the US except for one from South Africa. First row (l-r) are: Hna Nakayama from Kaunakakai, HI, Hna Gebara from Irvine, CA, Hna Moss from Woodland, WA, Hna Skinner from Lindon, UT, and Hna Grimes from Modesto, CA. Second row (l-r) are: Elder Mason from Huntington Beach, CA, Elder Pugh from Mapleton, UT, Elder Crane from Logan, UT, Elder Reeder from North Logan UT, Elder Himes from Brigham City, UT, and Elder Williamson from Roodepoort, South Africa. Third row (l-r) are: Elder Poujol and Elder Riches our two assistants, Elder Purser from Tuscaloosa, AL, Elder Fonda from South Jordan, UT, Elder Turner from Oakwood, GA, Elder Nelson from Lindon, UT and Elder Mangelson from Dublin, OH.

We will only lose six missionaries, so the addition of 10 missionaries to our total number will allow us to open 5 additional sectors. They will be: Volcán II, Panguipulli II, Purranque II, Frutillar II and Porvenir. We are excited to have this new group and they appear to be an exceptional group of missionaries. We are confident they will make a powerful contribution to the work in our mission.

This was a very unusual cambio in that all of the missionaries leaving are sister missionaries. Seated (l-r) are: Hna McMaster from West Valley City, UT, Hna Burningham from Centerville, UT, Hna Perez from Panama City, Panama, Hna Gonzalez from Bariloche, Argentina, Hna Whisenhunt from Las Vegas, NV and Hna Stout from Plainfield, Indiana. It would not be enough to say that this is an exceptional group of talented sister missionaries. In truth, they define in many ways what a faithful sister missionary should be. They worked hard, they were obedient and they touched so many lives. It has been such a blessing to serve with them and see their incredible growth and progress. We will miss them very much. We already do.

Sadie Beth Gardner Sydenham . . .

2010-10-19T11:56:00.006-03:00

Susie´s Mother, Sadie Beth Gardner Sydenham passed away yesterday, October 18, 2010. She had unfortunately been very ill for some time and Susie had the opportunity to visit with her by phone recently and sing songs and express love and appreciation to her. We are sorry to not be able to be with the family in these moments, but our love and prayers are with them and they support our efforts in serving the mission. Above is a picture of Susie´s parents with our family in the weeks prior to our leaving for Chile.

Sadie Beth is survived by her husband, Cameron Sydenham and her children pictured above: kneeling l-r: Alisa Sydenham and Connie Holman; standing l-r: Janean Peterson, Curt Sydenham, Karen Leatham, Steve Sydenham, Susie Lovell, their spouses and lots of wonderful grandchildren.

Sadie Beth was the most wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and mother-in-law. She had the most playful personality and radiated love and kindness to all. She will be greatly missed and we give thanks for the knowledge we have of the Lord´s plan for our salvation and the great and marvelous blessings of the temple. We know where Sadie is and we know where we all can be. Families really can be eternal!

Visit to Santiago . . .

2010-10-19T11:13:00.003-03:00

We had a special training conference in Santiago this past Saturday with all the Stake, District and Mission Presidents in Chile. I took Susie with me and while I was in the meeting she was able to attend the temple and visit with some of our former missionaries in the area. After the meeting we were all able to get together and enjoy a wonderful visit. Some of the missionaries brought their girlfriends and wives. The group included Hna Butler and Hna Bond from the U.S. that were here visiting members. And our dear friend Camilla who is in law school in Santiago also came over. We love these young men and women so much and it was great to be with them. These are unforgettable moments.

And it doesn´t take much to get them in a playful mood.

Above is Elder, now Rodolfo, Vergara with Susie in the MTC in Santiago. Elder Vergara and Elder Rivera both teach in the MTC and are a great influence for those latin missionaries coming to our mission.

Baptism of Vanessa Gallardo . . .

2010-10-03T09:34:00.005-04:00

In April 2010, three young girls came to the Mission Home to interview Susie in English as part of a school assignment. Two of the girls, Vanessa and Camila fell in love with Susie right off the bat and continued to come by to visit, sew and cook. They began to attend church with us and soon started taking the discussions from the missionaries. When they graduated from high school, both left home to study with full ride scholarships at their respective universities. Camila is studying law at the University of Chile in Santiago. Vanessa is studying Special Education at the Catholic University in Temuco. Camila was baptized several months ago and last night Vanessa was baptized and confirmed. We have been so grateful for the opportunity to know these two young ladies and to witness their marvelous conversion.

We were especially happy that Vanessa´s parents and brother came to the baptism. They are a wonderful family and we obviously hope they will follow in thier daughter´s footsteps.

A playful picture of Susie with Vanessa and Camila on one of their visits before leaving for college. In many ways, they´ve become like daughters to us and we are grateful for their continued visits when they have a break from their studies.

September Cambios (Part C)

2010-09-30T16:19:00.004-04:00

We got a surprise call last week that a new sister would be arriving in a few days outside of the normal cambio cycle. This happens occassionally and we are always happy to welcome new missionaries. In this case, Hna Donoso from Santiago, Chile arrived today to serve in our mission. We´ve enjoyed meeting her and are excited to have her in the mission. We have six sisters scheduled to leave in a couple of weeks and had only five scheduled to replace them, so this sister is an answer to our prayers. The next cambio will be 5 Sisters and 11 Elders.

Hna Donoso will be assigned to serve in a trio for only a couple of weeks. Above she is pictured with her new companions: Hna Stout from Plainfield, Indiana who finishes her mission in a couple of weeks and Hna Byam from Lethbridge, Canada. They will serve in the Ovejeria Ward in the Osorno Stake.

New Grandbaby and Zone Leader Council . . .

2010-09-11T10:20:00.002-04:00

His name is William Kenneth Brooks. He was born Thursday, September 9th in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Darin (our daughter) and Mike Brooks. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 8 oz. When we left on our mission we had 3 grandchildren. When we return next year, they will be 7 (6 beautiful granddaughters and now a handsome grandson). Darin, Will and the family are doing great and should be home today. Needless to say, we feel very, very blessed. Does it get any better than this!

On Friday, we had Zone Leaders Council here at the mission home. This meeting is held every month and give us an opportunity to meet with these great young missionaries for training and reporting. Pictured l-r are: Elder Poujol from Honduras and Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah who are our two assistants; Elder Rivas from Panama, Elder Evans from Layton, Utah, Elder Malca from Peru, Elder Coles from SLC, Utah, Elder Pereira from Chile, Elder Christensen from Thatcher, Arizona, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Welling from Beaverton, Washington, Elder Uceda from Tampa, Florida, Elder States from Midvale, Utah, Elder Aguilera from Honduras, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Cuesta from Ecuador, Elder Moncada from Honduras, Elder Vargas from Honduras, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Castillo from Honduras, Elder Service from SLC, Utah, Elder Barra from Chile and Elder Silva from Honduras. It is such a great opportunity to serve with such fine missionaries.

After more than 33 years of marriage, Susie is still light as a feather.

September Cambios (Part B) . . .

2010-09-09T09:47:00.004-04:00

We received our new group of missionaries on Tuesday, which happened to be my birthday. We couldn´t ask for a better birthday gift than 19 enthusiastic young missionaries. First row (l-r) Elder Garlaza and Elder Coria from Argentina, Elder Beletanga from Ecuador and Elder Key from Burleson, Texas. Second row (l-r) Elder Poujol from Honduras, one of our assistants, Elder Vilorio and Elder Martinez from Honduras, Elder Gomez from Argentina, Elder Broadhead from Burley, Idaho, Elder Barben from Junction, Utah, Elder McCormick from Fredonia, Arizona. Third row (l-r) Elder Seager from Utah our outgoing assistant, Elder Rainey from Avondale, Arizona, Elder Tyus from Arvada, Colorado, Elder Frost from Orem, Utah, Elder Bastian from El Dorado Hills, California, Susie, Elder Thorup from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and Elder Oakden from Logan, Utah. Top row (l-r) Elder Ruz from Shedden, Canada, Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah our incoming new assistant, Elder Seegrist from South Jordan, Utah and Elder Aston from Orem, Utah.

Here is the classic formal picture of the new missionaries in the mission home. It is an exhausting day for those coming from the United States. They arrive in Osorno after about 24 hours of travel and then we put them through training and interviews before feeding them and sending them off to work.

The second group of those leaving this cambio also left the mission yesterday. In total, 20 missionaries completed their service, with 11 leaving 2 weeks ago and the remaining 9 leaving yesterday. I can´t say enough about the influence that this group has had over the past two years in the mission. They were an exceptional group of missionaries and Susie and I love them all very much. We are grateful for their faithful service and will miss them. Among them were two former assistants, Elder Seager and Elder Opazo and Hna Bustos from Bolivia. She is quite simply one of the most faithful and diligent sister missionaries we have ever seen.

With the departure of Elder Opazo and Elder Seager, we have a new assistant to serve with Elder Poujol. That will be Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah. We are grateful to associate with such great young missionaries. Pictured above from l-r are: Elder Seager, Elder Poujol, Elder Riches and Elder Opazo.

September Cambios (Part A) . . .

2010-08-26T13:05:00.003-04:00

We have 20 great missionaries scheduled to leave on our September 8th cambio. Because several of them begin classes next week in school, we will be sending them home in two groups. Eleven left last night and are on their way home now. Seated above (l-r) are: Elder Seager one of our assistants who will be leaving in two weeks, Elder Moser from Missouri and Elder Poujol our other assistant. Standing (l-r) are: Elder Larsen from Utah, Elder Robinson from Arizona, Elder Salguera from Nicaragua, Elder Simons from Utah, Elder Bateman from Oregon, Elder Nash from Utah, Elder Hogan from Texas, now Georgia, Elder Fuentes from Chile, Elder Haderlie from Utah and Elder Montano from El Salvador.

This group of twenty has had a powerful influence on the mission since they arrived and it is hard to see them start to leave. Among this group of 11 are six that have served as zone leaders and 3 that served as district leaders. They are truly a remarkable group of young men. We already miss them.

Visit of Elder Scott and Elder Corbridge . . .

2010-08-25T10:34:00.005-04:00

We are blessed to have Elder Scott from the Quorum of the Twelve in Chile this week. He came to visit our mission yesterday and was accompanied by Elder Corbridge of the First Quorum of Seventy and a counselor in our Area Presidency, and his wife. We had a 4-hour mission conference yesterday them and it was truly remarkable. What a blessing to have these brethren visit our mission. Today they are in Punta Arenas where they will meet with our missionaries there and later have a conference with the members. There are firesides also planned in Valdivia, Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt this week as well as training this Saturday and conferences on Sunday in Osorno and Puerto Montt. It will be a wonderful week.

Yesterday we had Elder Scott and the Corbridges in the Mission Home for dinner and truly enjoyed the opportunity to be with them. I am amazed at Elder Scott´s energy and stamina. He is constantly on the go and so anxious to be with the members and missionaries.

Above is a picture of the Punta Arenas Zone with Elder Scott, Elder and Sister Corbridge and President Acevedo, the stake president. What a wonderful experience for such a small group of missionaries to get to spend more than 4 hours in training with Elder Scott and Elder Corbridge. As I´ve spoken with them, it is clear that it was an unforgettable experience.

The four sisters above (l-r) Hna McMasters (Utah), Hna Thompson (Virginia), Hna Smith (California) and Hna Aponte (Argentina) especially enjoyed the conference. The apostolic blessing pronounced upon them will be something I am sure they will share with their family.

Zone Leader´s Council

2010-07-31T16:56:00.005-04:00

This past Friday was zone leaders council in the Mission Home. This is always a great event and being with these wonderful missionaries is the highlight of our month. They bring such great enthusiasm and love to the work. We are truly blessed with great leaders and when some complete their missions, there are always other missionaries ready to step up and do their part.

First Row (l-r) Elder Castillo-Honduras, Elder Hogan-Texas, Elder Silva-Panama, Elder Moser-Missouri, Elder Aspitia-Argentina, Elder Malca-Peru, Elder Navarro-Peru, Elder Uceda-Florida, Elder Barra-Chile, Elder Silva-Honduras
Second Row (l-r) Elder Bateman-Oregon, Elder Araneda-Chile, Elder Nash-Utah, Elder Coles-Utah, Elder Walker-Idaho, Elder Riches-Utah, Elder Cuesta-Ecuador, Elder Moncada-Honduras, Elder Service-Utah, Elder Gimenez-Argentina, Elder Diaz-Chile, Elder Vargas-Honduras, Elder States-Utah, Elder Welling-Washington, Elder Poujol-Honduras (AP) and Elder Seager-Utah (AP).

July Cambios . . .

2010-07-29T19:27:00.006-04:00

We had two groups of missionaries arrive this past week. The group of latin missionaries arrived on Tuesday, as planned, but the missionaries from the United States were delayed until Wednesday.

In the first group are Hna Nava from Mexcio (seated on the couch). Standing (l-r) are: Elder Romero from Ecuador, Elder Seager one of our assistants from Santaquin, UT, Elder Poujol our new assistant from Honduras, Elder Opazo from Chile who is leaving as our assistant and Elder Gomez from Columbia. Hna Nava is an incredible young sister with a great story. She is actually 37 years old and is one of 7 sisters ranging in ages from 39-22 that are serving from her family. All seven submitted their applications together and their calls arrived on the same day. One is serving in Guatemala, and another is serving in Honduras. Two of the sisters came to Chile, including our sister. The other sister is serving in the Chile Rancagua Mission. Two other sisters report to the MTC in September and will both be serving in Argentina. The youngest of the sisters reports to the MTC in October and will be serving in Costa Rica. Their story is so great and I hope to get it to the Church News for consideration. It is so inspiring.

In the second group that arrived on Wednesday is Hna Herbert from Boise, Idaho (seated on couch). The others are (l-r) Elder Jones from Cooperas Cove, TX, Elder Seager and Elder Poujol our assistants and Elder Epperson from Arlington, VA. They were exhausted when they got here having been delayed in Dallas for a day and getting into Santiago at 2:00 am and then getting into Osorno at 1:30 pm. They were delayed at almost every turn. The important thing is that they arrived and are out in their sectors working.

As always, we have to say goodbye to some excellent missionaries, and this cambio was no exception. Seated with us from l-r are Hna Earl from Mount Pleasant, UT and Hna Guevara from El Salvador. Standing l-r are: Elder Seager our assistant, Elder Shumway from Mesa, AZ, Elder Riquez from Santiago, Chile, Elder Campozano, Elder Zhunio and Elder Castelo all from Ecuador, and Elder Poujol the other assistant. We love these missionaries so much and will miss their powerful influence in our mission. Hna Earl comes from a great missionary family. She has a sister serving in Guatemala, a brother in the Philipines and her parents are serving in Lima, Peru. Thankfully, she has a grandfather and friends to welcome her at the airport when she returns home.

Elder Opazo has served as an assistant for six months and only has one more cambio left in the mission, so he left this week to finish his mission as a district leader in Purranque. He has been such a wonderful leader in the mission since he first got here and I will miss him very much. He will be a future leader for the church in Chile. Elder Poujol from Honduras was called to take his place and will serve with Elder Seager as the new assistant. Besides being a great missionary, Elder Poujol speaks great English and plays the piano incredibly well. Elder Seager goes home next cambio, so this will be his last cambio as an assistant.

Record snow in Coyhaique . . .

2010-07-26T15:12:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago they had record snow in Coyhaique. Apparently, it was the strongest storm in over 30 years. It was obviously a great adventure for the all the missionaries, but especially for those from Honduras, Peru and Uruguay, who had never seen snow. In spite of the snows, which came on Friday and Saturday, many of the members showed up for church meetings. It is great to see their faithfulness. The following week, the missionaries had lots of service opportunities clearing the roofs of members and investigators. To add to the adventure, the water pipes froze and they went without running water for several days.

Zone Conference June . . .

2010-07-23T10:38:00.009-04:00

We took pictures of each of the zones in our past zone conference. They didn´t turn out very well, but you can get a good idea of how wonderful our missionaries really are.

2010-06-30T20:18:00.003-04:00

In our Zone Conferences this month, we have been focusing on the importance of the Book of Mormon in missionary work and in our individual lives.

We are taught in "Preach My Gospel" that "The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion." We are therefore challenging our missionaries to be more skilled at teaching and testifying with this marvelous book of sacred scripture.

To this end, we have also challenged all of our missionaries to read the Book of Mormon together as a mission with the goal of finishing the book by August 25th. All have accepted the challenge with enthusiasm and the reading is underway. In August, each missionary will also write his/her testimony of the Book Mormon and these will be collected into a mission notebook to share with all the missionaries. Even our former missionaries that have already completed their service have been invited to participate.

We want to extend this invitation to those that follow the blog, both family members and friends. Please join us in reading the Book of Mormon and looking for ways to more effectively apply its power and teachings in our lives.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, and we testify of its truthfulness, that "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." The book testifies and teaches of Christ in such a clear and powerful way. The blessing of having this sacred companion to the Bible is wonderful. We are excited for all of our mission to experience this great blessing. We hope you will too.

June Cambios (2) . . .

2010-06-28T18:34:00.002-04:00

We received an extra sister this week which was a wonderful surprise. Hna Byam is from Alberta, Canada and was originally called to serve in Argentina. While waiting for her visa she has been serving in Independence, MO. Fortunately for us, her assignment was changed and we received notice last week that she was on her way. Susie and I were in Coyhaique when she arrived yesterday, so our senior couple, the Hamiltons, and our assistants picked her up and gave her some training and orientation. We were able to have her over to the mission home today to meet her and have lunch. She is a wonderful young lady and will be a great missionary. We are very happy for this extra gift for the mission.

Seated above l-r are: Hna Earl from Mt Pleasant, Utah who will be Hna Byam´s trainer, Hna Byam and Hna Contreras from Santiago, Chile who will also be her companion. Hna Contreras has been out for only one cambio and unfortunately, Hna Earl finishes her mission in July. This trio of Hermanas will be powerful.

One of our typical photos of the new missionaries is with their companions showing where they will be serving in the mission. These three sisters are assigned to the Ovejería Ward in the Osorno Stake.

June Cambios . . .

2010-06-17T10:37:00.003-04:00

Our new missionaries arrived this week. It was a small cambio for June, only 7 missionaries leaving and 3 missionaries arriving. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough for them to enjoy some pleasant weather on their first day in the mission.
After interviews and a nice lunch, they were prepared to meet their trainers and start to work. Pictured above are the new missionaries. Seated with Susie from l-r are: Hna Tauteoli from SLC, Utah and Hna Baum from Heber, AZ. Standing l-r are: Elder Opazo one of our assistants, Elder Seager the other assistant and Elder Barbosa from Columbia. Hna Tauteoli is of Tongan descent and it will be so nice to have another Polynesian in the mission since Hna Moemai left. Hna Baum is from the same ward in Arizona as Hna Porter who recently finished the mission. And Elder Barbosa is from the same ward as Elder Trejos who finished the mission last year. They will all be excellent missionaries and we are excited to have them as part of the mission family.

The group leaving this cambio is special for many reasons. The North American missionaries were in the MTC in Provo when Susie and I began our mission and we were able to meet with them before we left for Chile. Having witnessed their progress from the MTC to the end of their mission has been a great blessing. Seated with us is Elder Haun from Payson, Utah. Elder Seager and Elder Opazo, our two assistants are seated on the arms of the couch. Standing l-r are the following: Elder Cook from Colorado, Elder Davis from Utah, Elder Noble from Arizona, Elder Sonntag from Utah, Elder Darrington from Nevada and Elder Vilasau from Santiago, Chile. Elder Vilasau finished his mission here with us having started in Colombia. Most missionaries gain weight in the mission, but Elder Haun and Elder Darrington lost a lot of weight here, with Elder Darrington losing over 100 pounds.

Perhaps this picture is more representative of the fun and loving nature of this great group of missionaries. We love them very much.

Miscellaneous May 2010 . . .

2010-06-04T10:03:00.005-04:00

Three cambios before a missionary finishes his mission, he receives what is called his "Moroni Letter." The letter requests updated information from home so that his travel plans can be made and the necessary letters prepared for his release. Above is a photo of three Elders finishing together in September with a Moroni Letter: l-r: Elder Seager (Nevada, now Utah), Elder Nash (Utah) and Elder Opazo (Chile). Elder Seager and Elder Opazo are my two assistants. Elder Nash is a zone leader in Chiloé.

Quite often we invite the missionaries to teach their investigators at the mission home so that we can participate. The family above is a wonderful family from the Rahue Bajo Ward. The mother is an inactive returned missionary and her daughter Karen was baptized last year. The missionaries are working hard to activate the family and hopefully baptize the twins and Walter. We love this family and have been working with them since Karen was taking the discussions.

Above are Elder Darrington (Nevada) and Elder Poujol (Honduras), the zone leaders in Punta Arenas at a baptism in the Patagonia Ward. Susie and I attended their ward last month and they have some wonderful investigators. Unfortunately, Elder Darrington finishes his mission this month. He holds the record for weight loss in the mission, having lost almost 100 pounds over the course of his two years in Chile.

I have no idea what the Sisters intended with this picture, but they are both wonderful anyway. Pictured l-r are Hna Neubert (North Carolina) and Hna Gonzalez (Argentina). Hna Neubert is an incredibly strong young missionary. She was stricken with Bells Palsy in the MTC so that one half of her face is affected. Rather than delay her mission, she showed up suffering from the setback but continues to work with such strength and faith. The condition appears to be improving, but I just can´t get over the miracle of her faith and courage. I just can´t get over it.

Another baptism photo with the zone leaders in the Puerto Varas zone, Elder Aspitia (Argentina) and Elder Riches (Utah). Elder Riches mother is from Barcelona, Spain, so he also speaks with the Spanish theta, as I do. He takes a fair amount of ribbing from the other missionaries for speaking like I do, but he´s got more of a right to do it than me. He´s half Spanish.

May 2010 Zone Conferences . . .

2010-06-03T10:16:00.005-04:00

This past month was a special Zone Conference in the mission. We were joined in our travels by Elder and Hna Limburg who are serving as the Area Medical Director in Santiago. Their home is in Fillmore, Utah and Elder Limburg is a retired physician and Hna Limburg is a nurse. They will serve for 18 months in Chile and are in charge of all the medical needs of the missionaries in the 9 Chilean missions. They are an incredible resource and help for us. They came to our mission in May to help vaccinate our 168 missionaries against the flu and made a presentation on health to all our missionaries. It was great fun being with them and we are so grateful for their help.

Above are a few of the Elders attending the Valdivia Zone Conference. They are from l-r: Elder Welling (Oregon), Elder Fuentes (Chile), Elder Amezcua (Minnesota) and Elder Rodriguez (Uruguay).

Above are members of the Coyhaique Zone who braved their flu shots. From l-r are: Elder Vidal (Chile), Elder Silva (Honduras), Elder Adlard (Missouri), Elder Bravo (Chile), Elder Castillo (Honduras), Elder Patton (Idaho), Elder Miner (Utah), Elder Benitez (Uruguay), Elder Lund (Utah), Elder Seabrands (Utah) and Elder Evans (Utah). Elder Silva is the bravest of the lot as he allowed me to give him his shot.

Abover are a few of the many attending the Osorno Zone Conference. The are from l-r: Elder Lebaron (Arizona), Elder Robinson (Arizona), Elder Larsen (Utah), Elder Osborn (Colorado), Elder Zhunio (Ecuador), Elder Pierson (Utah) and Elder Bevan (Wyoming).

Susie walked the walk too in Punta Arenas and we both allowed Elder Coles (Utah) to give us our shots. He wants to study medicine after the mission.

Zone Leader Council . . .

2010-05-09T15:58:00.005-04:00

Following transfers this past week, we had the zone leaders to the mission home for our Zone Leaders Council meeting. Unfortunately, the zone leaders in Coyhaique and Punta Arenas were not able to attend. To minimize costs, they only attend a couple of times during the year. We love being together with this group. Seated with Susie and I are Elder Malca from Peru and Elder Larsen from Centerville, UT. Our two assistants Elder Seager from Santaquin, UT and Elder Opazo from Santiago are seated on the arms of the couch. Standing l-r are: Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Moser from Neosho, Missouri, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Davis from Orem, Utah, Elder Moncada from Honduras, Elder Araneda from Chile, Elder States from Midvale, Utah, Elder Nash from Provo, Utah, Elder Bateman from Salem, Oregon, Elder Hogan from Mansfield, Texas, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Shumway from Mesa, Arizona, Elder Aspitia from Argentina, Elder Riches from Grantsville, Utah, Elder Haderlie from Spanish Fork, Utah, Elder Sturm from Rexburg, Idaho, Elder Vargas from Honduras and Elder Campozano from Ecuador. Not pictured from Coyhaique are Elder Silva and Elder Castillo, both from Honduras. Not pictured from Punta Arenas are Elder Darrington from Nevada and Elder Poujol from Honuras.

A look at the right side of our conference room in the basement of the mission home.

A look at the left side of our conference room in the basement of the mission home. When the basement is full of these missionaries, it becomes like a temple to us. What great young men these are!

One final picture. The family of Elder Bigelow who has been serving as one of our assistants for the past six months, came to pick him up. They ended up bringing about 8 suitcases with over 400 pounds of candy and treats for our missionaries. The missionaries will either love this candy over the next few zone conferences, or Susie and I will gain about 200 pounds between us in the coming months. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity.

May Cambios . . .

2010-05-06T12:15:00.004-04:00

Our new group of missionaries arrived on a typical rainy day here in Osorno on Tuesday of this week. Eight are in this new group, including 4 new hermanas. One of the nice things about this cambio is that it is a relatively smaller group and much easier to manage than the large groups we´ve recently received.

Above is a group picture of the new missionaries. Seated from l-r are: Hna Larkin from Snowville, Utah, Hna Bertagnole from Olathe, Kansas, Hna McShane from Richland, Washington and Hna Contreras from Chile. Standing l-r are: Elder Bigelow from Mesa, AZ who is finishing his mission and has been serving as one of our assistants, Elder Seager from Santaquin, Utah who will be the new assistant, Elder Vaquerano from El Salvador, Elder Correa from Santiago, Chile, Elder Ramirez from El Salvador, Elder Flores from Honduras and Elder Opazo from Santiago, Chile our other assistant. This will be an excellent group of missionaries. They come with such enthusiasm and desire to serve.

As always, we say good-bye to those missionaries completing their service and whom we have grown to love so much. This was somewhat of a milestone in the mission in that the two Elders completing their mission are the last of those missionaries who were already in the mission when Susie and I arrived. They are representative of the wonderful missionaries who were here with President and Sister Faulkner when we arrived in June, 2008.

Seated above l-r are: Hna Demers from New Hampshire, Hna Moemai from Provo, Utah, Hna McClellan from Fallbrook, California, Hna Porter from Heber, Arizona and Hna Wade from Mesa, Arizona. Standing l-r are: Elder Seager our new assistant, Elder Bigelow from Mesa, Arizona, Elder Opazo our other assistant, and Elder Huaman from Lima, Peru.

Thought you might be interested in seeing a picture of our mission assignment board. It shows the 12 zones of the mission and each of the companionship/sector assignments. The companionships at the top of each group are the two zone leaders. On those occasions that we are in the mission home office, I just cannot take my eyes of this board. It is truly an inspiring site. I remain convinced, that this mission is blessed with the best missionaries on the planet!

Miscellaneous April 2010 . . .

2010-04-25T23:06:00.006-04:00

Baptism in Futrono with Elder Aguilera and Elder Day

Baptism in Lago Ranco with Elder Moser and Elder Turner

Baptism in Villarrica with Hna Smith and Hna Gonzalez

Visit to Santiago this past week and several of our returned missionaries: Elder Pinto, Elder Vergara, Elder Rubio, Elder Salvatierra, Hna Vergara (Elder Vergara´s Mother), Hna Retamal, Elder Rivera and Elder Aravena

Elder Vergara and his mother at Temple Square in Santiago

Julio Otay, who is serving a mission with his wife at the Santiago Temple. Brother Otay is from Puerto Varas and served for 18 months as my first counselor in the Mission Presidency. He and his wife are such wonderful saints.

While in Santiago for meetings this past week, I also got to meet the parents of Elder Cisternas who were there attending the temple. Bishop Cisternas and his family live in Constitucion, Chile which was one of the areas most affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Fortunately, their house in on a hill just above where the water level destroyed the city. They were truly blessed.

Watchin General Conference in English in Osorno. Going around the table from l-r: Hna Earl, Hna Thompson, Elder Larsen, Elder Helgesen, Elder Hansen, Elder Cottle, Elder Hunsacker, Elder Walker, Elder Bevan, Elder Pierson, Elder Valentine, Elder McGowan, Elder Riches, Elder Shumway and Elder Bigelow

Chiloé Zone Activity in Castro: l-r Elder Sebrands, Elder Barra, Elder Nash, Elder Silva, Elder Araneda, Elder Ashton, Elder Jefferson, Elder Muñoz, Hna Aponte and Hna Wade

Calle Calle Zone activity in Valdivia: Seated l-r: Elder Campozano, Elder Blotter, Hna Kelley, Hna McMaster, Elder Schubert and Elder Dean. Standing l-r: Elder Aguilera, Elder Moncada, Elder Richardson, Elder Simons, Elder Day and Elder Olmedo

March Cambios (3) . . .

2010-03-25T18:38:00.004-03:00

Our group from the U.S. arrived on Wednesday evening which presented us with some wonderful challenges. We were in the middle of our interviews and dinner with those missionaries finishing the mission when we left for the airport to pick up the new ones. We weren´t able to conduct interviews with them, but we spoke for awhile and then left them to the training given by our assistants and office staff. We felt bad shorting them on this, but felt a greater need to be with those who had completed their service and were heading home.

Seated above in the first row l-r are: Elder Bigelow our assistant, Hna Bleuler from Raleigh, North Carolina, Elder Opazo our other assistant. Second row l-r are: Elder Cross from Allen, Texas, Elder Hamblin from Orem, Utah, Elder Dean from Highland, Utah, Elder Richan from St. George, Utah, and Elder Williams from Charlotte, North Carolina. Third row l-r are: Elder Hafen from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Elder Blotter from Batavia, Illinois, Elder Fabrizio from Bountiful, Utah, Elder Hezeltine from Murray, Utah, Elder Turner from Cary, North Carolina, Elder Davis from Soda Springs, Idaho and Elder Grover from Kennewick, Washington.

As always, with new missionaries arriving we have to say goodbye to those that have finished their service. And as with other cambios, we are losing some of the finest missionaries anywhere. Included in this group are a former assistant, 5 zone leaders, one of our senior couples, the Westovers and 3 of the most wonderful and faithful sister missionaries in the church. Seated with Susie and I from l-r are: Hermana Rivas from El Salvador, Hermana Valdez from Panama and Hermana Harper from Blackfoot, Idaho. Standing from l-r: Elder Bigelow one of our assistants, Elder Rosas from Argentina, Elder Meneses from Chile, Elder Villanueva from Peru, Elder Dudley from Idaho, Elder Matorell from Alaska, Elder Correa from Chile, Elder Castro from Bolivia, Hermana and Elder Westover from Idaho and Elder Opazo our other assistant. Saying that we will miss these missionaries just does not adequately refect what we feel in our hearts. We love them so much and will miss them greatly.

March Cambios (2) . . .

2010-03-25T18:25:00.003-03:00

Cambios were a little more complicated this week. All 18 missionaries were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, but those traveling from the U.S. were not able to get out until the following day, so only the 5 latinos from the Santiago MTC made it here on Tuesday. Pictured standing l-r are: Elder Faúndez from Chile, Elder Silva from Chile, Elder Retamal from Chile, Elder Bravo from Chile and Elder Cardona from Colombia. Elder Retamal is the younger brother of Hermana Retamal who served in our mission and returned home last year. She was an incredible missionary and we can already tell her brother will be just as strong. Sitting on our left is Elder Bigelow our assistant and on our right is Elder Opazo, our other assistant.

Visit to the Quellón Branch . . .

2010-03-18T17:05:00.003-03:00

Above are members of the Quellón Branch with Elder Ashton from SLC, Utah and Elder Hogan from Mansfield, TX.

Above is a view of the beautiful fishing village of Quellón. They say it rains on the island of Chiloé 13 months out of the year, so we were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather.

Just south of Quellón the Pan-American Highway ends. Above is the monument marking this spot. The Pan-American Highway runs from Alaska to Quellón, Chile.

Overlooking the port of Quellón in the evening with a view of the Andes and several volcanoes across the Gulf of Corcovado.

Last month, Susie and I were finally able to visit the Quellón branch which is located on the far southern tip of the island of Chiloé. This was the last of all the branches in the mission districts that we had not visited, so we´ve been anxious to get there. (There are still some branches belonging to stakes that we have not visited, and we hope to get to them as well.) It was a wonderful trip. The weather was beautiful and the members are just terrific. We love visiting with these small, isolated branches. The faith of the members is so strong.

March Cambios (1) . . .

2010-03-18T16:54:00.003-03:00

Seated l-r above are: Elder Bigelow, one of our assistants, Elder Torres from Santiago, Chile and Elder Opazo, our other assistant.

We received another missionary this week that began in another mission but will finish in our mission. He is Elder Torres and will be with us for almost his entire two year period. We are confident he will be an excellent missionary and we are excited to have him serve with us.

Next week we have another large group of 18 more missionaries arriving. 13 of them will be North American and 5 will be Latinos. We will have 170 missionaries after this cambio, the largest number to date, and we will be opening 4 additional sectors.

Mission Tour with Elder and Sister Zeballos . . .

2010-03-05T16:35:00.005-03:00

Above are missionaries currently serving in the Villarrica, Los Lagos, Valdivia and Calle Calle Zones.

Above are missionaries currently serving in the La Union, Osorno and Rahue Zones, including our two senior couples the Hamiltons and Westovers.

Above are those missionaries currently serving in the Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt and Chiloé Zones.

Above are those missionaries currently serving in the Coyhaique Zone.

Above are those missionaries currently serving in the Punta Arenas Zone. The Zeballos left the following morning on Friday while Susie and I stayed behind to interview the missionaries. Our plan was to leave Saturday morning, but the earthquake near Concepción changed those plans. We were not able to get back to Osorno until the following Tuesday.

At least once a year, a member of the Area Presidency visits our mission. Last year we had Elder and Sister Corbridge and this year it was Elder and Sister Zeballos. Elder Zeballos is a member of the First Quorum of Seventy and 2nd Counselor in the Area Presidency. We love our Area Presidency and are grateful for their guidance and counsel. It is a special blessing for our missionaries to get to hear from them as they direct each of our zone conferences. We took advantage of this trip to take pictures of each zone with the Zeballos.

One last item: in February, the Area Presidency held a one day training meeting for all Stake and District Presidents and Mission Presidents in Santiago. It was a great opportunity to be together with these great leaders. Below is a copy of the group photo. Those seated in front include members of the Area Presidency and Area Seventy.

Earthquake Update . . .

2010-02-28T21:06:00.002-03:00

Just wanted to update that all missionaries in our mission have been contacted and are safe and sound. The quake was obviously felt in our mission and there is some damage, but nothing like happened in Concepción. Our mission has been greatly blessed and work continues. It will be interesting to see in future days if food and gasoline supplies become an issue.

We are especially pleased that all of the missionaries in Chile´s nine missions are safe and accounted for. We have also contacted almost all of the families of our Chilean missionaries and confirmed that they are okay. We have still been unable to contact two of our returned missionaries that live in the area of Concepción, Elder Cuadra and Elder Cordero. I have heard from Elder Cuadra´s sister that the family is okay, but I´m anxious to talk to him and Elder Cordero. We worry about them like they were our own children, so we have some sense of how you missionary parents feel.

You may be interested to know that the temple and temple grounds held up well. The only notieceable damage was Moroni losing his trumpet. Susie commented that this means the missionaries have to work even harder to make up the difference.

We are grateful for your prayers and invite you to participate with our mission in praying for those missionaries in the Concepcion missions. They will have a real challenge. We will be praying too for the members and people in this region.

Earthquake

2010-02-27T09:47:00.002-03:00

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.

February Cambio (3) . . .

2010-02-17T15:10:00.005-03:00

We received one more Elder this month outside of the regular cambios. This Elder has been serving in the Bolivia La Paz mission but will finish in our mission. We are happy to receive him and are confident that he will be able to finish the mission strong here in Southern Chile.

Pictured above from l-r: Elder Bigelow one of our assistants, Elder Ríquez from Chile and Elder Opazo our other assistant. Elder Ríquez could not have come at a better time, because today we lost one of our great Chilean missionaries who had to return home due to a family situation. We are grateful for the Lord´s assistance in our mission.

Zone Leaders Council . . .

2010-02-14T16:04:00.003-03:00

Seated above are the leaders at this cambio´s Zone Leaders Council. Seated from l-r are: Elder Opazo one of our Assistants from Chile, Elder Villanueva from Peru, Elder Sturm from Idaho and Elder Bigelow our other Assistant from Arizona. Standing l-r are: Elder Haderlie from Utah, Elder Vargas from Honduras, Elder Moncada from Honduras, Elder Araneda from Chile, Elder Riches from Utah, Elder Poujol from Honduras, Elder Nash from Utah, Elder Dudley from Idaho, Elder Bateman from Oregon, Elder Correa from Chile, Elder Seager from Nevada, Elder Silva from Honduras, Elder States from Utah, Elder Matorell from Alaska, Elder Davis from Utah, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Aspitia from Argentina and Elder Meneses from Chile. Not pictured are our zone leaders from Coyhaique: Elder Larsen from Utah and Elder Diaz from Chile and from Punta Arenas: Elder Shumway from Arizona and Elder Darrington from Nevada. They come to the council only a couple of times a year in order to minimize travel costs.

To give you an idea of how much change we´ve experienced in the mission, only three of these leaders, Elder Matorell, Elder Haderlie and Elder Bigelow were part of our zone leaders and assistants just 4 months ago.

Several times during the year we meet for training with our Zone Leaders. Usually this is at the mission home and we meet in the conference room in the basement. It is great to be with these young leaders and they are certainly wonderful examples of strength and commitment. It is their responsibility to motivate and inspire our young missionaries in their service. We couldn´t ask for any better and we are grateful for their dedication.

February Cambios (2) . . . .

2010-02-11T10:06:00.003-03:00

A group of 21 new missionaries arrived this week. 14 of them are from the U.S. and 7 are from various countries in Latin America. We are very excited to have them here. Below is a picture of their arrival at the Osorno Airport.

Because of the size of this group, we took the picture at the stake center in Osorno where we also held the training meeting with their trainers. Front row l-r are: Elder Bigelow one of our Assistants, Elder Opazo from Chile our new Assistant, Hna Thompson from Roanoke, Virginia, Hna Campos from Chile, Hna Smith from Mission Viejo, California and Elder Miner our outgoing Assistant. Second row l-r are: Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Murphy from Farmington, Utah, Elder Rodriguez from Uruguay, Elder Jimenez from Costa Rica, Elder Metcalf from Pittsburg, Texas, Elder Nickel from Meridan, ID, Elder Amezcua from Woodbury, Minnesota, Elder Bevan from Smoot, Wyoming. Third row l-r are: Elder Jones from Bountiful, Utah, Elder Galovich from Thermopolis, Wyoming, Elder Mussi from Argentina, Elder Dunford from Sugar Land, Texas, Elder Ashby from Taylorsville, Utah, Elder Figgins from Payson, Utah, Elder Day from Logan, Utah and Elder Carsey from Apple Valley, California. Not pictured at the chapel are Elder Riquelme from Chile who was sent on to Coyhaique and Elder Vidal from Chile who was sent on to Punta Arenas. They do however appear in the airport picture.

Unfortunately, we lost 12 wonderful missionaries this week. Included in the group are 1 Assistant, 6 zone leaders and 2 district leaders. Seated from l-r are Elder Bigelow one of our Assistants, Hna Biggs from Oregon, Elder Opazo our new Assistant. Standing l-r are: Elder Anderson from Arizona, Elder Carter from Utah, Elder Erickson from Utah, Elder Cabezas from Argentina, Elder Reeder from Arizona, Elder Merrill from California, Elder Close from Utah, Elder Miner from Utah, Elder Scurr from Arizona, Elder Spitzer from Texas and Elder Pedraza from Colombia. We love all of them so much and will miss them.

Calbuco Branch Remodel . . .

2010-02-06T12:14:00.005-03:00

Calbuco Chapel after Remodel

Below is looking out through the new entry way.

Below is the inside of the chapel looking towards the back.

Below is looking towards the front of the chapel. Note the heaters located against the walls. There are five in the chapel. This will be very nice for the members as it was always cold before.

Below are the pictures of the chapel before being remodeled.

We have completed the remodel of the Calbuco Branch building. Calbuco is an independent branch that is part of the mission and had the distinction of having the most unattractive church building in the mission. But the remodel changed all that and the result is fantastic. We are very excited for the members. What a blessing.

February Cambio (1) . . .

2010-02-06T11:45:00.003-03:00

Cambio Week is next week and we lose 12 wonderful missionaries and get 21 new missionaries, including 3 sisters. But we had a surprise transfer this week when Elder Fuentes arrived from another mission. He had been serving in Argentina, but was reassigned to finish his mission here in Chile. He is from Santiago, Chile and we are happy to have him here and are hopeful he will be able to finish his mission well. We will only have him until August.

Punta Arenas Trip . . .

2010-02-02T10:41:00.004-03:00

On a recent trip to Punta Arenas, Susie and I had time to take the sister missionaries to Fuerte Bulnes. This is a restored Spanish Settlement from 1843.

I´m taking a rest under the watchful eyes of Hna McClellan and Hna Earl.

Her is Susie and the Hermanas near the fort. From l-r are: Hna Earl from Mt. Pleasant, UT, Hna Bustos from La Paz, Bolivia, Hna Demers from Mesa, AZ and Hna McClellan from Fallbrook, CA.

December Cambios . . .

2010-01-01T15:06:00.006-03:00

Our new group of 19 missionaries arrived in Osorno on Tuesday, December 29th. As you can see, they are all North Americans.

Seated from l-r: Elder Bigelow from Gilbert, AZ one of our assistants, Hermana Kelley from Montgomery, Alabama, Elder Miner from Bountiful, UT our other assistant; standing from l-r: Elder Ballard from Riverton, Utah, Elder Patton from Gooding, Idaho, Elder Lux from Highland, Utah, Elder Pierson from Highland, Utah, Elder Osborn from Longmont, Colorado, Elder Bluth from Gilbert, Arizona, Elder Lund from American Fork, Utah, Elder Grotenhuis from Fremont, New Hampshire, Elder Helgesen from Kaysville, Utah, Elder LeBaron from Mesa, Arizona, Elder Ashton from Salt Lake City, Utah, Elder Elmer from Joseph City, Arizona, Elder Sebrands from Salt Lake City, Utah, Elder Booth from Centerville, Utah, Elder Wideman from San Antonio, Texas, Elder Palmer from Shortsville, New York, Elder Richardson from Logan, Utah and Elder Haug from Vancouver, Washington.

With this cambio we lost 14 of our finest missionaries, including 10 that had been zone leaders and 3 that served as district leaders. They leave a gap that will be very, very difficult to fill, but we are confident that the young missionaries that follow them will be up to the task. Seated from l-r are: Elder Wallace from Utah, Elder Calderón from, Hermana Aguilar from El Salvador, Elder Cuadra from Chile; standing from l-r are: Elder Bigelow one of our assistants, Elder Sumrall from Florida, Elder Ellis from Utah, Elder Noel from Utah, Elder Catmull from Utah, Elder Hernandez from Chile, Elder Hansen from Arizona, Elder Billin from New Hampshire, Elder Cordero from Chile, Elder Portillo from New Mexico, Elder Strawn from California and Elder Miner our other assistant.

I cannot tell you how important these young missionaries have been and will be in our lives. We have had such wonderful experiences with each one of them. Susie and I arrived in Osorno on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Hermana Aguilar arrived the following Tuesday and so she will forever be the First ("La Primera"). We will miss her as well as all these fine Elders that have been so faithful. It just gets harder and harder every cambio.

We have a member who helps us bus the missionaries to and from the airport for their flights or bus station. We often send the missionaries by bus to Santiago for their flights home, but we didn´t want them on the road for New Years, so they flew from Osorno to Santiago and beyond. The picture above is in front of the mission home before boarding the bus. As usual, it was raining, but after this much time in the mission, these missionaries don´t even notice it.

Sister Sleepover at the Mission Home . . .

2009-12-26T10:18:00.002-03:00

After the Christmas Choir Concert in Osorno, Susie invited the sisters that had participated to a sleepover at the Mission Home. They are a great group of missionaries, but I don´t think they slept very much. I finally went to bed at midnight and they were still making lots of noise and being silly. I know they had a lot of fun.

In a more sedate moment we took a picture the following morning. From l-r are Susie, Hna Burningham from Layton, UT, Hna Stout from Plainfield, IN, Hna Rivas from El Salvador, Hna Bourne from SLC, UT, Hna Aguilar from El Salvador, Hna Guevara from El Salvador, Hna Aponte from Argentina, Hna Porter from Heber, AZ, Hna McClellan from Fallbrook, CA and Hna McMasters from West Valley City, UT.

Christmas Choir in Osorno . . .

2009-12-24T11:21:00.004-03:00

Every year the missionaries in the Osorno area participate with the local members in a Chritmas Choir concert in the Osorno town plaza. It is an exciting opportunity for greater exposure for the church in our community and the missionaries enjoy the experience. We are blessed with such wonderful musical talent in the mission and in the church here, so it is always well received. We were afraid it might rain, but the weather cooperated and the concert was a great success.

After the concert was over our missionary group gathered for a final photo. What a talented group of missionaries.

The stage in the photo above is set with the combined missionary and member choir.

Hna Porter from Heber, AZ and Hna McClellan from Fallbrook, CA sang the Spanish version of my favorite Primary Hymn: "I Wonder When He Comes Again." It was beautiful. Elder Poujol from Honduras is playing the piano.

Elder Noble from Mesa, AZ and Hna Burningham from Layton, UT also presented a special musical number. Two wonderfully blended voices.

The missionary choir. Two young ladies, Vanessa and Camilla, who are friends of ours that are now taking the discussions also participated in the choir. They are in the lower center next to Hna McMasters with the bagpipes.

How many missions are blessed with someone who can play the bagpipes, and play them so beautifully. From l-r: Hna Harper from Blackfoot, ID, Susie, and Hna McMasters from West Valley City, UT.

Talented Missionaries . . .

2009-12-09T22:13:00.005-03:00

Our Sister Missionaries are not only diligent and inspired, but talented too. This is Hna McClellan from Fallbrook, CA and Hna Burningham from Layton, UT. Enjoy!

November Cambios . . .

2009-11-19T08:45:00.003-03:00

We had a wonderful group of 10 new missionaries arrive this week. The picture above was taken after their arrival at the Osorno Airport. Fortunately, it was a sunny day. The rain waited until it was time for them to leave to work the next day.

These are our new missionaries. Seated from l-r are: Elder Guillén from Peru, Elder Amaya from Mexico, Elder Andía from Argentina and Elder Muñoz from Chile. Standing l-r are: Elder Matorell one of our AP´s, Elder Quispe from Peru, Elder Navarro from Chile, Elder Cornejo from Chile, Elder McGowan from Mississippi, Elder Cooper from Utah, Elder Meza from Peru, Elder Miner one of our AP´s and Elder Bigelow from Arizona who will replace Elder Matorell as our second Assistant.

Unfortunately, as always we had to say good-bye to those missionaries finishing their mission. They were only 5, but they were 5 of the best missionaries anywhere. Included in this group are zone leaders, district leaders, a branch president and a true Angel. It just breaks my heart having to say good-bye to these exeptional missionaries. On the other hand, I am so proud of their faithful service and know that they will be a great blessing when they return home. We hope so much to see them again. Seated with us is that wonderful angel, Hna Alvarez from Argentina. Standing l-r are: Elder Bigelow, one of our AP´s, Elder Ribera from Bolivia, Elder Rodriguez from Panama, Elder Gobetti from Argentina, Elder Messer from Centerville, Utah and Elder Miner, our other AP.

As mentioned above, after serving for 7.5 months, Elder Matorell has been released as one of our Assistants. He has been assigned as one of the Zone Leaders in the Puerto Montt Zone. He has been so helpful. We will miss him very much. Our new Assistant will be Elder Bigelow from Gilbert, Arizona. He will serve with Elder Miner from Bountiful, Utah.

Mission President´s Seminar . . .

2009-11-16T14:59:00.004-03:00

Susie and I with Elder Bednar and his wife.

Susie and I with Elder Snow and his wife.

Susie and I with the others who arrived with us back in June, 2008. Left to Right: Pte Joe Swenson and his wife (Concepción South Mission), Pte Michael May and his wife (Santiago North Mission). We will always be connected because of our service together.

As you can see, the conference was held in a nice setting. Viña del Mar is a beautiful place and we are grateful to be able to see this part of Chile.

Each year there is a Mission President´s Seminar for all the Mission Presidents in Chile with the Area Presidency and other visiting authorities. This year the conference was held in Viña del Mar, which is a beautiful location on the ocean. Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy and their wives were here, as well as our Area Presidency and their wives. (last year we had Elder Scott of the Twelve and Elder Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy)

This conference is a great blessing for us. We love being with the other mission presidents and their wives and receiving such inspired training and counsel from these great leaders. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to be taught be Elder Bednar. He and Elder Snow, their wives and the Area Presidency gave us four days of inspired instruction. We will never forget it. What a wonderful blessing for us and for our mission.

Trip to Santiago . . .

2009-11-16T14:47:00.003-03:00

Left to Right: Elder Rubio, Elder Pinto and his wife Maria José, Elder Didier, Hna Retamal, Elder Vergara, Elder Salvatierra and Elder Riviera

Left to Right: Elder Riviera, Elder Quezada, Elder Leal, Elder Torres and Elder Serradell

Left to Right: Elder Vergara, Elder Leal, Hna Iribarra, Elder Salvatierra and Elder Quezada

Susie and I went to Santiago this past week for our annual Mission President´s Seminar. (I´ll post more on this later) We enjoyed the opportunity to get together with several of our former missionaries. The highlight was being able to enjoy a temple session with a few of them. Four of our former missionaries are currently serving in the temple, and it was an unforgettable experience being with them in the temple. We love these missionaries and I can´t tell you how much it meant being able to be with them again.

Second Round of October Cambios . . .

2009-10-28T01:11:00.003-03:00

We received a couple of extra missionaries this cambio out of cycle. We were very excited to get them as we lost a couple of missionaries who had to go home early. This was a real blessing for us. Pictured above l-r are Elder Miner our assistant, Elder Muñoz and Elder Pereira, both from Santiago, Chile and Elder Matorell our other assistant. Both of these Elders had originally been called to serve in Venezuela, but Visa problems resulted in their being reassigned to our mission.
And today we welcomed Elder Gatica from Rengo, Chile. He was scheduled to come so we had been planning on his arrival. It is especially nice to get a group of Chileans to help in the missionary work in Chile. Our number of Chilean missionaries is now up to 20.

The current contingent of missionaries is as follows. This is quite a change from a year ago when our USA missionaries made up only one-third of our missionaries.

Argentina - 9 ........................... Bolivia - 4
Canada - 1 ................................ Chile - 20
Colombia - 2 ............................ Ecuador - 5
El Salvador - 5 ........................ Honduras - 8
Nicaragua - 2 .......................... Panama - 4
Paraguay - 1 ........................... Peru - 5
Uruguay - 2 ............................ USA - 78

P-Day with the Sisters . . . .

2009-10-20T17:55:00.003-03:00

Yesterday was Preparation Day in the Mission and Susie invited the Sister Missionaries in the Osorno area over to enjoy baking in the kitchen and having fun. I was able to get a few pictures of them enjoying the day together. We have 22 sister missionaries in the mission now and it was fun to have these 10 at our home for a few hours. Those on the bottom from l-r are: Hna McClellan from California, Hna Stout from Indiana, Hna Whisenhunt from Las Vegas, and Susie. On the second row from l-r are: Hna Aguilar from El Salvador, Hna Alvarez from Argentina and Hna Bourne from Salt Lake City. On the third row from l-r are: Hna Aponte from Argentina and Hna Rivas from El Salvador. On top is Hna Burningham from Utah and standing to the left is Hna Porter from Arizona. (note the school girls next door laughing as they watch our missionaries play) We are blessed with great missionaries and our sister missionaries are the best.

October Cambios . . .

2009-10-08T11:16:00.003-04:00

We have a new group of missionaries that arrived this week. All of them are from the United States and they seem like the most wonderful group of young men and a wonderful sister. We are very excited to have them in our mission and we expect big things from them.

Here are the new missionaries. Seated from l-r are: Elder Lugo - McAllen, TX, Hna Bourne - SLC, UT, Elder Jefferson - SLC, UT. Standing l-r are: Elder Matorell one of our assistants, Elder Miner - Morgan, UT, Elder Christensen - Thatcher, AZ, Elder Welling - Beaverton, OR, Elder Hansen - Hamden, CT, Elder Sheahan - Hamilton, MT, Elder Coles - SLC, UT, Elder Walker - Idaho Falls, ID and Elder Miner our other assistant. Elder Welling is one of triplet brothers who all came to Chile at the same time to serve their mission. I believe his brothers are in the Santiago East and Rancagua Missions.

Unfortunately, with new missionaries arriving it means we will be losing missionaries who have completed their service. We lost some incredible missionaries in this cambio and I just can´t express how difficult their leaving is for us. Seated from l-r are: Elder Trejos - Columbia, Hna Vallejos - Peru, Hna Torrico - Bolivia, Elder Villanueva - Peru. Standing l-r are: Elder Bleuler - Argentina, Elder Cudahy - Washington, Elder Bazan - Argentina, Elder Callaú - Bolivia, Elder Miner and Elder Matorell our assistants, and Elder Wohlfart - Germany. There are not words nor sufficient space to express my love and appreciation for these wonderful missionaries.

Additional changes this transfer include releasing Elder Dudley from Boise, ID as our mission secretary. He has been such a wonderful blessing to our office and to me personally. He will be one of our zone leaders in Valdivia now. We will miss him but are grateful for his continued service.

Zone Leader´s Council September 2009 . . .

2009-09-25T09:31:00.004-04:00

Every other transfer we hold a Zone Leader´s Council with the Zone Leaders in our mission. Unfortunately, we are only able to bring up the 4 Zone Leaders from Punta Arenas and Coyhaique a couple of times during the year. Yesterday we held the council at the mission home and spent the day with these great young men.

August Cambios . . .

2009-08-27T08:51:00.005-04:00

Sorry that the airport picture didn`t turn out very good. It was a typical rainy day. We were hurrying so they wouldn`t get too wet and it looks like the lens was steamed a bit.

Here is our wonderful new group of missionaries. Seated with us is Hermana Aponte from Argentina. Standing l-r are: Elder Matorell one of our assistants, Elder Hunsaker from Wyoming, Elder Nikolaus from Arizona, Elder Jensen from Alaska, Elder Evans from Idaho, Elder Valentine from Utah, Elder Cook from Utah, Elder Urias from Honduras, Elder Sanford from Idaho, Elder Gonzalez from Chile, Elder Ciquero from Peru, Elder Carrizo from Chile and Elder Miner our other AP.

This was an incredible group of missionaries to lose from the mission. Every one of the Elders is either a district leader or zone leader and the sister is simply one of the most humble and dedicated sister missionaries anywhere. Seated with us is Hermana Rojas from Bolivia. Standing l-r are: Elder Matorell our assistant, Elder Ortiz from Chile, Elder Millan from Argentina, Elder Lopez from Peru, Elder Smith from Arizona, Elder Viti from Argentina, Elder Aravena from Chile, Elder Galindo from Bolivia, Elder Saade from Argentina, Elder Palmer from Washington, Elder Chavez from Peru and Elder Miner our other Assistant.

I cannot on this blog go into the details of the faithful service of each one of these missionaries. They`ve been so faithful and helpful in the work. They will be missed, but are now more prepared to continue to serve in their homes and move on with their education and families. We love them very much and pray for their continued success. I know the Lord will bless them.

We will make some changes in the office this cambio. Elder Campozano from Ecuador (left) will become the new Financero of the mission and Elder Adlard from Missouri (right) will begin training with Elder Dudley to become the new Mission Secretary.

While we were in Utah, Elder and Sister Hamilton began their service in our mission. They are from Colorado and will be here for two years. They both speak Spanish and are very familiar with the country. They have owned a summer home in Llanquihue for some time and have a great love for the Chilean people. Their son is married to the daughter of Elder and Sister Allen who finished their mission service here in June. They will be a great addition to our mission and we are so grateful for their help.

Recuperating with Family and Friends . . .

2009-08-19T19:45:00.012-04:00

Most of you know that our recovery is well on track and Susie and I are back in Chile, anxious to serve and excited to be back home with our missionaries. We loved being with our family and friends and are so grateful for prayers and visits that helped us get better and feel of your love. Here are some pictures of some of those visits.

With Emmy at the airport for our return trip.

With Alison at the airport for our return trip.

Everyone loves ice cream. Here are Alison, Katie and Emmy enjoying a summer treat in aprons that their Aunt Karen brought back from Hawaii.

Karen, Cameron and Sara made the trip up from AZ. It was our first time to meet Sara. What an angel. She does have her Moma`s voice, though.

Joshua Poulter was one of our missionaries who is now attending BYU. Family forever.

Brother and Sister Burningham are the parents of Hermana Burningham, who is serving in our mission. What a great family.

Dennis and Dana Waggoner are dear friends from Oklahoma that now own the Escalante Outfitters in Escalante, UT. Be sure and stop by if you`re down that way. Here they are holding Darin`s youngest, Carly.

With some of our dear neighbors, Judy and Elizabeth.

Brother and Sister Moemai`s daughter is serving in our mission. She is the only Polynesian that we have and she is such a joy.

Here is Hna Butler who finished her mission in July. She and her family were nice enough to come by and visit.

Elder Zirkle served in our mission and has been home for some time. He is attending BYU and working at the MTC. Here is he with his mother.

Elder Shallenberger finished his mission in July and came by for a visit with a friend. Janessa is a very sweet girl and Elder Shallenberger will be missed in the mission. He served as mission secretary for 7.5 months and as an assistant for 6.

Hna Croook and Hna Wood also came by for a visit. Hna Crook lives in Centerville and Hna Wood lives in St. George.

Here we are with the Darrington family from Nevada. Their son is serving in our mission. Their daughter is getting ready to start at BYU.

This is the Simons family from Provo. Their son is also serving in our mission. Their other son pictured above recently returned from his mission.

Here are some of our former missionaries: Elder Shipley from Georgia, Elder Shallenberger from Orem, Hna McBride from Chicago, Hna Butler from Santaquin and Hna Crook from Centerville.

This is Brother and Sister Miner from Bountiful. Their son is serving in our mission and is currently one of our assistants.

This is the Cuadra family from Chile. Their brother is serving in our mission and is currently a zone leader. He spent 7.5 months as the mission secretary and is a great young man. His brother, sister in law, and daughter, along with his sister and her boyfriend were nice enough to come by.

What a blessing to have this time with our family. It was an unexpected surprise to be able to visit with some of our former missionaries and meet the families of some serving and others who have served. It is easy to see why our missionaries are so strong and faithful. Clearly, it all starts at home.

Surgery in Utah . . .

2009-07-21T13:48:00.005-04:00

As most of you know by now, I have experienced great pain in my left arm and neck for the past two months. As these MRI images show, I had a herniated disc in my neck that was pinching the nerves for my left arm.

The herniated disc is between the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and surgery was required in order to repair this. On July 16th we left Chile to return to the United States for the surgery. Dr. Yonemura at the University of Utah Medical Center was my surgeon and the procedure, known as a Posterior Lamino Foraminotomy was performed yesterday morning. In this surgery entry was made from the back left side of my neck. Some bone is removed to make a larger space for the nerve and then the ruptured portion of the disc is shaved away. As a bonus, he removed several bone spurs that formed due to my arthritis.

The surgery took approximately 3.5 hours and went well. I am now recovering at home. The doctor estimates 2-4 weeks for recovery. Interestingly, the most painful part of the procedure was a large second degree burn to my right arm that occurred during surgery from the carterization tool. As I woke from the anesthesia I wondered why my right arm was so painful and that is when they discovered the burn.

It is certainly nice to be home for a few weeks and to see many family and friends, especially our granddaughters, but we miss the mission and our missionaries very much. We are hopeful that the recovery will go quickly so we can get back to the greatest mission in the world: Chile Osorno!

In our absence, Elder Stephen Boyden and his wife are watching over the mission. Elder Boyden is the Executive Secretary for the Chile Area and previously served as a mission president in Mexico and president of the MTC in Spain. It is wonderful to know that they are available to help through this process. They will be a great blessing for our mission.

July Cambios . . .

2009-07-16T08:04:00.003-04:00

This was an interesting month for cambios. During the month of July, including this weeks cambios, we lost 15 missionaries. Only two missionaries took their place, so we had to close 7 sectors: Niebla, Futrono, one in Panguipulli, one in Rio Bueno, one in Alerce, Puerto Cisnes and Porvenir. Fortunately, the two missionaries that arrived this week are great young men. We are excited to get to know them better and witness their progress and service.

Pictured above are our two new missionaries. Pictured l-r Elders Shallenberger and Matorell, our two assistants, Elder Gonzalez from Uruguay and Elder Aros from Santiago, Chile.

As I´ve said many times, watching these missionaries leave is very painful. In this group we lose one assistant, 5 zone leaders, two district leaders and a great sister missionary. Seated l-r are: Elder Carreño-Chile and Hna Butler-Utah. Standing: Elder Matorell-one of our AP´s, Elder Hernandez-Chile, Elder Martinez-Bolivia, Elder Lucas-Paraguay, Elder Alvarado-Columbia, Elder Morales-Chile, Elder Cubillos-Columbia, Elder Didier-Chile, Elder Diaz-Chile, Elder Shallenberger-Utah, Elder Benitez-Paraguay, Elder Miner-our new AP and Elder Perez-Argentina.

Seeing their faces and knowing their names does nothing to convey the wonderful service and great influence of these exceptional missionaries. They have forever marked our lives and forever blessed this mission. We will miss them very, very much.

Zone Leader´s Council . . .

2009-07-05T17:44:00.003-04:00

The current zone leaders: Seated with Susie and I are Elder Shallenberger and Elder Matorell, the current assistants. Standing l-r are Elder Pedraza (Columbia), Elder Cubillos (Columbia), Elder Strawn (California), Elder Millan (Argentina), Elder Cuadra (Chile), Elder Benitez (Paraguay), Elder Viti (Argentina), Elder Wallace (Utah), Elder Gobetti (Argentina), Elder Lucas (Paraguay), Elder Callaú (Bolivia), Elder Aravena (Chile), Elder Palmer (Washington), Elder Rodriguez (Panama), Elder Ortiz (Chile), Elder Cudahy (Washington), Elder Diaz (Chile), Elder Spitzer (Texas), Elder Alvarado (Columbia) and Elder Bigelow (Arizona). Not pictured are Elder Miner (Utah) and Elder Wohlfart (Germany) in Coyhaique, and Elder Merrill (California) and Elder Hernandez (Chile) in Punta Arenas.
We can´t have a meeting with the missionaries without having food. You would be amazed how much food 22 young men can put down. These missionaries can eat a lot and they love it.

In this picture, 5 tribes of Israel are represented: Elder Shallenberger (Ephraim), Elder Cuadra (Benjamin), Elder Matorell (Judah), Elder Rodriguez (Levi) and Elder Benitez (Manasseh). Not pictured is a sixth tribe represented in our mission by Elder Chavez (Asher).

This past week we had the zone leaders in the Mission Home for a training council. This happens about every other cambio and will generally include all the zone leaders except the ones from Coyhaique and Punta Arenas. Because of travel costs, they attend about twice a year.

It is wonderful having these great young missionaries in the mission home. This council we focused on clarifying the vision of our leadership and working hard to ensure that every missionary understands what is expected and becomes a willing and active participant in this great work. Our goal is to improve our planning and increase our faith and diligent. Then we will strive to be more constant in applying these principles.

Elder and Sister Oaks and Elder Amado visit . . .

2009-06-25T01:23:00.005-04:00

We were blessed to have Elder Dallin H Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife visit Osorno this past week. He was accompanied by Elder Carlos H Amado of the First Quorum of Seventy and President of the Chile Area. They spoke at a two hour fireside with all of our missionaries, with the exception of Coyhaique and Punta Arenas, and they spoke later that evening at a singles fireside in the Osorno Stake Center. It was a wonderful opportunity for our missionaries and members. What a great experience!

I love this picture with all of the missionaries (except Coyhaique and Punta Arenas Zones). Have you ever seen such a great group of young men and women? Seated from l-r are Pte and Hna Otay (my first counselor), Susie and I, Elder and Sister Oaks, Elder Amado, and Pte and Hna Carcamo (my second counselor).

Susie and I were blessed to be able to host them in the mission home for lunch and some relaxation between meetings. We enjoyed being able to spend time with them.

In August, Elder Scott came to Chile. In October, Elder Nelson came to Osorno. And now Elder Oaks has come to Osorno. I know the Lord loves this country.

San José de la Mariquina . . .

2009-06-07T18:42:00.003-04:00

Branch building in San José de la Mariquina

President & Sister Salas and their two daughters Paula and Pamela

Susie and I with some of the branch members. Wonderful people.

Susie and I spent Saturday in Villarrica conducting interviews with members and leaders. For Sunday, we attended church in the small branch of San José de la Mariquina which is in the Los Lagos District. We had a wonderful day with these great members. The branch is blessed with an exceptional branch president (Pte Salas), two great missionaries and some excellent families. Several of the recent converts have added significant strength and several are preparing to go to the temple. We were fortunate to be there when a young husband was confirmed a member of the church, having been baptized yesterday and on the same day seeing his new baby boy blessed. In a year this family will be going to the temple to be sealed. It was very nice.

June Cambios . . .

2009-06-04T20:20:00.002-04:00

This was cambio week again and we received 10 new missionaries. Above is a picture taken at the Osorno airport upon arrival. The sisters in front with Susie include (l-r) Hna Stout from Plainfield, IN, Hna Burningham from Layton, UT, Hna McMaster from SLC, UT and Hna Whisenhunt from Las Vegas, NV. The new Elders from l-r are Elder Jaita from Bolivia, Elder Benitez from Uruguay, Elder Riches from Grantsville, UT, Elder Paris from Santiago, Chile, Elder Cortez from Nicaragua and Elder Olmedo from Paraguay. They are a great bunch of missionaries and we are grateful to have them here.

After interviews, dinner and training, here are the new missionaries in the mission home. Sisters l-r are Hna Stout, Hna McMasters, Hna Burningham and Hna Whisenhunt. Elder l-r are Elder Shallenberger (AP), Elder Paris, Elder Riches, Elder Benitez, Elder Olmedo, Elder Jaita, Elder Cortez and Elder Matorell (AP). On Wednesday the met their new companions and left for their areas. This will be an excellent group!

The hardest part of cambios is seeing the missionaries we love so much leave the mission to return home. This is one of those great groups and we will miss them so much. The sisters l-r are Hna Apaza from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Hna Crook from Centerville, UT, Hna Koontz from San Diego, CA and Hna Wood from SLC, UT. The elders l-r are Elders Matorell and Shallenberger, out Assistants, Elder Escobar from Costa Rica, Elder Aranda from Bolivia, Elder Alves da Costa from Uruguay, Elder Pizaro from Chile, Elder Lainez from Honduras and Elder Gomez from Argentina. Also leaving this week are Elder and Hna Allen, our senior couple. These are all exceptional missionaries and we will miss them. We will especially miss the Allen´s who have been such a wonderful blessing. They´ve served for two years and have been such a big help. They were especially helpful for Susie and I when we arrived last year. They will be returning to their daughter´s home in Oklahoma, so it will be nice to know they are in Oklahoma. I think their kids live in Mustang, OK.

I can´t emphasize enough what a blessing these senior couples are. If any of you are considering this, please serve. You will love it.
In this picture before dinner, Susie, Hna Allen and Hna Westover join with the departing sisters for one last picture.

Fresia Branch Conference . . .

2009-05-24T18:13:00.004-04:00

Sister Lovell with Hna Allen and Hna Westover

Some of the members from the Fresia Branch

Elder Hernandez from Santiago, Chile who is serving as the Branch President and his companion, Elder Bateman from Salem, OR

Fresia Branch Chapel

Susie and I visited the Fresia Branch today for their annual Branch Conference. Elder and Sister Allen were there (they finish their service next week) as well as Elder and Sister Westover who are the new missionary couple that recently arrived.

Fresia is a wonderful branch that struggles in a small and isolated area of the mission. The branch does not belong to a stake or district, and is therefore an independent branch belonging to the mission. The branch president is a missionary, currently Elder Hernandez from Santiago, Chile. His only counselor is his companion, Elder Batemen from Salem, OR.

We had excellent turnout today with over 45 in attendance and it was wonderful to be able to see them again and speak to them. We originally attended Fresia on our second Sunday in the mission, so we were anxious to get back to them. I love the Spirit in these small branches and am inspired by the faithfulness of these members.

April/May Zone Conference . . .

2009-05-09T10:47:00.006-04:00

This past zone conference was especially nice because we were joined by two senior couples from Santiago that are serving as the Area medical and pyschological support for the missionaries. In the picture above with Susie and I are Elder and Sister Davis and Elder and Sister Dixon. Sister Davis, a psycholgist, provides counseling support for missionaries in all of Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. (Now that´s a tough mission) Elder Dixon is a medical doctor providing medical support for the nine missions located in Chile. This is his 4th mission, having served first as a proselyting missionary 60 years ago to Japanese speaking people in Hawaii. He and his wife have also served medical missions for the church in California, Spain and now Chile. They are such a wonderful resource and help to us in the mission. It was nice to have them accompany us on the conference tour to provide additional training and instruction to our missionaries.

Above you see members of the Coyhaique zone modeling the new rain gear we will be using in the mission. We are hopeful this will keep them drier as the winter rain season arrives. They are actually trying to imitate a "Charile´s Angel" type pose that the Sister have done. From l-r are Elders Rivas (Panama), Hogan (Texas), Nash (Utah), Ribera (Bolivia), Saade (Argentina), Aspitia (Argentina), Wohlfart (Germany) and Opazo (Chile).

Here is Susie at the mission home with several of our sisters after the conference in Osorno. From top to bottom are Hermanas Biggs (Oregon), Guevara (El Salvador), Bustos (Bolivia), Aguilar (El Salvador), Koontz (California) and Crook (Utah).

At the Osorno Zone conference, Sister Davis leads the missionaries in a stress relieving "hand dance". At least the missionaries can do this dance. It was a lot of fun.

At some time during our zone conference in Valdivia, an Elder took this picture. I can´t even think of an adequate caption for this photo, so I´ll leave it to your imagination. Pictured with Susie from l-r are Hermanas Moemai (Utah), Torrico (Bolivia), Perez (Panama), McClellan (California), Butler (Utah) and that is Hermana Wood from Utah in front. She is actually a very accomplished Ballet dancer, so I can only guess that is where this got started.

In the spirit of equal opportunity, we have some of the Elders from the Coyhaique Zone with their own interpretation of the sister´s dance pose. Here are Elders Aspitia, Wohlfart, Ribera, Saade, DeGroot and Nash. Fortunately, I was in interviews at the time and was unavailable.

May cambio . . .

2009-05-09T10:34:00.002-04:00

We had an unexpected transfer this past week when we were informed of a missionary from Santiago, Chile that would be sent to our mission. Elder Vilasau has actually served some 10 months in another mission before being reassigned to serve in Chile Osorno. He seems like a great young man and will be an excellent addition to our mission. He will be serving in a trio in Llanquihue with Elders Lopez and Adlard.

April Cambios . . .

2009-04-23T08:36:00.005-04:00

A new group of missionaries arrived on Tuesday of this week. Here they are arriving at the airport in Osorno. In the front row are Hna Perez from Panama, Susie, Hna Gonzalez from Argentina and Hna Earl from Utah. In the back is Elder Vergara one of our Assistants, Elder Moyano from Ecuador, Elder Schubert from Canada, Elder Ospino from Columbia, Elder Navarro from Peru, Elder Shallenberger our other Assistant, Elder Razón and Elder Cisternas from Chile.

At the mission home after interviews, orientation and a nice meal, they are exhausted, but still ready to get to work. Seated are Susie, Hna Perez, Hna Earl and Hna Gonzalez. Standing are Elder Vergara, Elder Shallenberger, Elder Razon, Elder Ospino, Elder Cisternas, Elder Navarro, Elder Schubert, Elder Moyano and Elder and Sister Allen.

Unfortunately, with cambios, we must say good-bye to some excellent and much loved missionaries who have finished their term of service in the mission. This was an exceptional group and we will miss them all. Seated are Susie, Hna Claros from Columbia and Hna Fuertes from Bolivia. Standing are Elder Shallenberger an Assistant, Elder Smith from Florida, Elder Lowry from Canada, Elder Leal, Elder Vergara and Elder Pinto all from Chile and Elder Matorell from Alaska, our new Assistant.

It is a testament to the divinity of this work that it moves on seamlessly through the great efforts of these young missionaries. Whether they are new or experienced, they bring a great attitude and devotion to preaching the gospel. We love them so much and will forever be grateful for their sacred service.

Zone Leader Council . . .

2009-04-17T10:12:00.003-04:00

Current Zone Leaders: Back L-R Elders Spitzer, Pinto, Cubillos, Ortiz, Callaú, Pizaro, Aravena, Gobetti, Wallace, Bazan, Lucas, Millan, Leal, Miner, Matorell, Wohlfart, Pedraza, Rodriguez, Gomez, Merrill, Escobar and Benitez. Front L-R Elders Vergara and Shallenberger our Assistants, Susie and I, and Elder and Sister Allen, our senior couple. Unfortunately, the Allens finish their 2-year mission in June. They have been such a blessing. It will be hard to see them leave.

Our three Zone Leaders from Santiago, Elders Aravena, Leal and Pinto. Elders Lean and Pinto finish their mission next week.

The past 4 secretaries of the Mission. L-R Elder Benitez from Paraguay, Elder Shallenberger from Orem, UT, Elder Cuadra from Concepción, Chile and incoming Secretary, Elder Dudley from Boise, ID. He doesn´t know it yet, but Elder Cuadra leaves the office next week to become the companion of Elder Benitez as Zone Leaders in the Calle Calle Zone.

Here is Elder Cuadra with his favorite companion, Elder Elmo. I kidnapped this Elmo of his and Susie made the missionary outfit for him. Elder Cuadra loves Elmo. I think he has at least six.

Here is Susie and her Spanish tutor and friend, Claudia, making cookies. Susie shows here American cooking in exchange for Spanish lessons.

March Zone Conference . . .

2009-04-12T16:39:00.004-04:00

Thought you might be interested in some pictures from this last month´s round of zone conferences and interviews. Below is a picture of Susie and I from the overlook above the city of Coyhaique. This is a beautiful and picturesque city about an hour and a half flight south and east of Osorno. We have two branches in the city as well as two other branches in neighboring Puerto Aisen and Puerto Cisnes.

This is a picture down by the river in Coyhaique with our two assistants, Elder Vergara from Santiago, Chile and Elder Shallenberger from Provo, Utah. These are the finest young men and are such a great help for us in the mission. Unfortunately, Elder Vergara leaves to go home this next cambio. We will miss him a great deal.

While I am conducting personal interviews, Susie is always instructing the group and having them answer certain questions or write some thoughts. Here she has the Villarrica Zone writing down a recent spiritual experience. The picture includes Elders Carreño, Rodriguez, Montano, Close, Leal and Nash and Hermanas Crook and Torrico.
She also always has a treat for the missionaries and this month it include s´mores. The latinos weren´t too sure about this, but the North Americans were excited. Here in the Valdivia Zone are Elders Merrill, Cudahy and Billin from the U.S., Elder Callaú from Bolivia and Elder Gimenez from Argentina.

Elder Saade from Argentina had been our mission financial secretary for 7 months before finally being transferred to Coyhaique. Here he is being welcomed to the zone by Elder DeGroot.

The flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas leaves at 10:15 p.m. after a full day of zone conference and interviews in Puerto Montt. Here are Elders Vergara and Shallenberger preparing for our next day´s conference in Punta Arenas.

Susie´s presentation at Zone Conference often includes scripture chase segments or other trivia questions. Here is the Puerto Montt, Chiloé and Puerto Varas Zones getting ready to answer the questions. In the front row are Hermanas Demers, Porter, Vallejos and Biggs.

Out of Cycle Cambio . . .

2009-04-04T09:56:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share this picture of our four sisters in Punta Arenas, Hna Wade, Hna Aguilar, Hna Fuentes and Hna Alvarez which was created by Elder Meneses.

We received a new missionary this past week out of our normal cambio cycle. Elder Barra from Arica, Chile arrived in our mission from the Santiago MTC on March 31st. There were 54 in this group at the MTC and only one of them came to our mission and even he arrived outside of the normal cambios. It really turned into a great blessing because one of our expected missionaries from the U.S. in the last cambio cycle was not able to come and so Elder Barra is an answer to our prayers. He will be an excellent missionary.

March Cambios . . .

2009-03-13T09:52:00.004-03:00

Every six weeks is cambio week and they seem to come every three or four days now. New missionaries arrived on Tuesday and our older missionaries leave on Thursday. It is a hectic and crazy week filled with lots of work and tears. We love the new ones that come and we love the older ones that are leaving. It is really both a joyful and difficult time.
Above are the 9 new missionaries that arrived this cambio. Seated with us is Hna Bustos from Bolivia. In back from left to right: Elders Vergara and Shallenberger our AP´s, Elder Olsen from Logan, UT, Elder Gomez from Honduras, Elder Diaz from Chile, Elder Castaneda from El Salvador, Elder Gimenez from Argentina, Elder Malca from Peru, Elder Service from Salt Lake City, UT, Elder Araneda from Chile and Hna and Elder Allen, our senior couple. These new missionaries are all very humble and excited to serve. We are grateful to have them in this wonderful mission.Above are the 13 missionaries that completed their service and are returning home. Seated on the couch with us is Hna Begay from Arizona and Elder Vergara one of our AP´s. The others, from left to right are: Elder Shallenberger (AP), Elder Rubio from Chile, Elder Centeno (seated) from Peru, Elder Quezada from Chile, Elder Mamani from Peru, Elder Inga and Elder Fuentes from Argentina, Elder Alarcon from Chile, Elder Burnett and Elder Dunn from Salt Lake City, UT, Elder Lopez (seated) and Elder Aracena from Chile, and Elder Carlson from California. Among this group are some of our best missionaries, including 7 Zone Leaders. We will miss them all, but are grateful that there are others in the mission ready to step into their shoes.

I suppose you can´t blame them for being a little silly after two years in the mission field and knowing that they are headed home after such a long and faithful service. We will truly miss them and the spirit they brought to our mission. Can anyone look at these faces and not recognize that they are some of the best missionaries anywhere?

Visit to Castro in Chiloé . . .

2009-03-09T19:28:00.005-03:00

Susie and the view of Castro, Chiloé Los palafitos - homes built on stilts out over the water
Susie and I at the palfitos San Francisco Church on the main plaza

This past weekend Susie and I traveled to Castro on the island of Chiloé. Castro is the capital of the island and is home two great branches, Juan Soler and Gamboa. We also have branches in Ancud and Quellón. We haven´t been to Quellón yet, but will hopefully get there soon.

Castro is a beautiful town on the water and life here is centered around the fish industry, especially salmon. The branches have great members and exceptional leadership. We had visited here before in November for a District Conference, but this was our chance to get to know the members in the two branches.

Trip to Santiago . . .

2009-03-02T19:03:00.003-03:00

The Santiago Temple

This past weekend, all the Chilean Mission Presidents were brought into Santiago for a one day training seminar. I flew in Friday evening so that I could go through the temple. Several of our missionaries from Santiago that had already finished their missions surprised me by showing up for the temple session. It was such a wonderful surprise. Being with them in the Celestial Room is something I will never forget. After the session we took some pictures and set in the garden area to visit and get caught up to date. I can´t tell you how much we love these missionaries. I also got to meet the group of Santiago MTC missionaries that will be coming to our mission next week. They all seem great and we are excited to get them here.

Elder Salvatierra, Hna Iribarra, Hna Retamal, Hna Garate (Conce Mission) , and Elder Riviera (Elder Serradell is taking the picture)

Elder Rivera, Elder Salvatierra, Hna Retamal, Hna Iribarra, Elder Torres, & Elder Serradell

Busy days . . .

2009-02-26T06:03:00.004-03:00

We had an unexpected new missionary arrive this past month. Elder Silva from Honduras arrived from the Santiago MTC all by himself. When we were advised of his arrival, it came as a surprise, but when we lost one of our newest missionaries to health issues, we understood why he was sent. The Lord clearly is in charge of this work. He is an excellent young man and will be a great missionary. It is interesting that he came from the same stake as the missionary that had to go home. We now have 4 different missionaries from that stake in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

This past week was also special as we celebrated Susie´s first birthday in Chile. We were in the process of holding Zone conferences so Susie was serenaded by each zone to mark this important day. A sister in Coyhaique prepared a birthday cake and used proper discretion in selecting the number of candles.

This month´s zone conferences were especially nice due to the particpation of Elder Lawrence Corbridge and his wife. Elder Corbridge is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and is also the First Counselor in the Chile Area Presidency. He and his wife gave important and inspiring instruction to our mission. It will be a great help in our work.

January Cambios . . .

2009-01-29T19:00:00.007-03:00

Another six week cycle has started with cambios. We received 9 new missionaries this week, 4 from Honduras, 2 from Utah, 1 from Panama and 1 Sister from El Salvador. The 8 Elders arrived on Tuesday from Santiago, but Hermana Guevara arrived on Wednesday evening. She did her MTC in Guatemala rather than Santiago. They are a great group of missionaries and we are excited for their growth and progress in the mission.

In the picture, the new missionaries are standing in the back from L-R, Elders Vargas, Poujol, Rivas, Moncada, Castillo, Aitken, Montoya and States. Next to Susie is Elder Ruesta one of our AP´s who left this week to return home to Peru. The other missionary to her right is Elder Vergara the other AP. On my left is Elder Shallenberger, our new AP, who will be taking Elder Ruesta´s place.

As I said, Hermana Guevara arrived Wednesday evening and Susie and I picked her up at the Osorno Airport while the departing missionaries were getting ready for our dinner. She is an excellent young woman of great faith and enthusiasm. We are so grateful to have her in the mission.

Unfortunately, we lost 14 missionaries this cambio. And the worst part is they are all exceptional missionaries. Included in the group are 2 former AP´s, 2 former Branch Presidents, 7 former ZL´s and 10 former District Leaders and 2 sisters that are nothing short of perfect. They have all had an important impact in the mission and in my life personally. We love all the missionaries and each cambio becomes more difficult. I suppose this was difficult because Elder Wanner and Elder Ruesta were the Assistants when we got here and helped so much to guide us in those early days. We will miss them all.

In the picture they are, from l-r Elders Vergara (current AP), Wanner (former AP), Galati, Briggs, Ruesta (former AP), Shipley, Port, Guzman, Zamorano, Salvatierra, and Elder Allen of our Senior Couple. Seated from l-r are Elders Serradell, Rivera, Torres, Susie, Hermana Retamal and Hermana Iribarra, me, Hermana Allen of our Senior Couple and Elder Shallenberger the new AP. The returning missionaries are from Chile (7) US (5) Peru (1) and Bolivia (1).

Lago Ranco . . .

2009-01-25T20:50:00.004-03:00

This Sunday, Susie and I visited the Lago Ranco Branch in the La Union District. Lago Ranco is a small town of around 12,000 people in the area. We have a small branch where about 25 members attend regularly. One of our missionaries is the branch president and we made a change there today because of transfers happening this coming week. After meetings we drove up the mountain above the town to take pictures of the town and the lake. It is a beautiful place and the members are just wonderful. We can´t wait to go back, but truthfully we feel that way about all the branches.

Christmas with Katie & Carly . . .

2009-01-20T09:37:00.000-03:00

December was a fun and busy month for us in the mission. Darin, Mike, Katie and Carly were able to come down to Chile and spend the month with us. We had a wonderful time and they brought so much life to the Mission Home. Mike served his mission in Argentina so he was excited to be in South America and he enjoyed going out with the missionaries a couple of times. Katie fell in love with so many missionaries and warmed up to each of them immediately. She was so funny in the mission office looking at the mission board pictures saying: "That one´s my favorite. No that one´s my favorite." She never could make up her mind as she loved them all so much. It was clear that the missionaries loved them as well. Carly was a trooper and we loved meeting her for the first time.

We were grateful to have them here and were able to take a few days to show them the wonderful beauty of Southern Chile. We miss them now that they are gone, (I especially miss Darin´s homemade bread) but there is a lingering light in the mission home that reminds us they were here.

First Weekend in Chile at the District Conference in Castro, Chiloé

Visiting the Saltos de Petrohue below the Osorno Volcano

The rapids below the Saltos de Petrohue

Swimming at the Termas de Puyehue at Aguas Calientes

Ocean overlook on Chiloé before our visit to see the Penguins

Member children at District Conference in La Union with Katie and Carly

Resting while Susie and Darin shop in Puerto Varas

December Cambios

2009-01-03T09:43:00.001-03:00

We had eight new missionaries arrive in the mission last month. They include (front row l-r) Hna Demers from New Hampshire, Hna Moemai from Utah, Hna McClellan from California, Hna Porter from Arizona and Hna Wade from Arizona; (back row l-r) Elder Aguilera from Honduras, Elder Uceda from Florida and Elder Cuesta from Ecuador. My two assistants, Elder Vergara and Elder Ruesta are next to Susie.

This looks to be a wonderful group of missionaries and we are excited to have them. We were able to open one new sector for Hermanas with this new group.

As always, some of our missionaries completed their service and returned home in December. Pictured below (back row l-r) Elder Matos, Elder Ortoguerin and Elder Gonzalez from Peru, and Elder Munns from Utah. Seated (l-r) are Hna Diaz from Panama, Hna Halling from Virginia and Hna Bond from Oregon. I can't tell you what an excellent group of missionaries this is and it was so hard to say good-bye to them. As we serve longer and get to knows these missionaries better, it is becoming harder and harder to see them leave. We love them so much. The saving trade off are the new ones that arrive to take their place in the mission.