New Missionaries Arrived on Tuesday, June 28 2011

We were so thankful to welcome so many wonderful, sweet, excited missionaries on Tuesday June 28 2011. Half of them arrived from the CCM in Chile, and the other came from the United States. We picked up the North Americans at the airport amidst a thick, gray fog. We were concerned that their plane would be late because of the fog, but everything turned out well. We were very thankful once they were safely on the ground, and we could see their smiling faces. They were alert and happy and ready to serve. They had hundreds of questions as we drove to the Las Condes Chapel where we met with our new Latin missionaries who were equally happy and smiling. It was a fantastic day with orientation, a huge spaghetti dinner, and the implementation of our new training program that we just received from Salt Lake. These Elders and Sisters will be the first group to participate in the new training, so it is a special time for the mission. Actually, we invited others who arrived in the last two changes to participate in the new training as well, so we are looking forward to many good times to come as we learn together to do the Lord's work in the Lord's way. We are so excited to see the progress that these missionaries will make as they work together with their trainers to become fabulous gospel teachers. We had a wonderful time getting to know this new little army of missionaries. They are delightful and full of the Spirit. We can hardly wait to see all that they will be able to do in the Chile, Santiago East Mission.

Volcano in Chile!

Some of you have asked about the volcano that erupted near Osorno, Chile, so we "borrowed" these pictures and the following information from President and Sister Lovell's Blog. They preside over the Chile, Osorno Mission.

"Puyehue Volcano Erupts . . . SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011

Some of you will have heard that the Puyehue Volcano, which is near Osorno began erupting on Sunday June 5, 2011. 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.

Posted by Ken and Susie Lovell "

Luke Sorenson's Baptism

President and Sister Laycock were privileged to attend the Baptism of Luke David Sorenson on Saturday June 11, 2011 in the La Dehesa Chapel. It was a marvelous blessing for us to see Luke choose to follow the example of our Savior!

Baptisms

Special Baptisms of Special People!

New Missionaries Arrived on Tuesday, May 17 2011

Sister Howe, Santiago Airport

Six wonderful new missionaries arrived on Tuesday May 17, 2011. We loved them instantly. They are dedicated and happy. They speak Spanish really well already. Sister Howe lost her jacket on the plane, so President loaned her his jacket to stay warm.

Church Office Building Orientation With New Companions!

Santiago Temple

New Missionaries Arrived on Tuesday, May 17 2011

Elders Romero, Ramirez, President Laycock, Sister Laycock

Church Office Building

Elders Martin, Romero, Ramirez, Powell

Church Office Building

11 Faithful Missionaries Returned Home May 16 and 17

President Laycock, Sister Matos, Sister Laycock

Santiago, Airport

Sister Matos served faithfully in many assignments.

We will miss her tremendously.

Elders Cuevas, Caligari, Sister Laycock, President Laycock, Sister Matos,

Elder Tello, Elder Deviaggi, Elder Ortega

Santiago Airport

Each one of these missionaries has been a huge blessing to our mission.

We love them dearly.

Sister Matos and Sister Laycock, Santiago Airport

11 Faithful Missionaries Returned Home on May 16 and 17

Saying good-bye is always a tough time for us.

President Laycock, Sister Laycock, Elders Wassom, Hasler, Burton

Santiago, Airport

We will always love these obedient, happy, loving missionaries!

They have served faithfully and done all they have been asked to do.

Santiago

The La Dehesa Ward will be getting a new Bishop this week.

We will miss Bishop Ponszach and his dear family.

Ferrias are fun places in Santiago to visit.

Street vendors gather and sell food and other items.

We enjoy shopping through the ferrias.

The fruits and vegetables are really amazing and beautiful.

Bishop and Sister Araya

It's always nice to run into other Mission Presidents and their wives at the airport.

President and Sister Bruce serve in the Chile, Antofogasta Mission.

We love being with parents of our faithful missionaries.

Bishop and Sister Araya are a blessing to our Mission. We love them.

Elder Mondalgo and Elder Medina

Saying good-bye to faithful Elders such as Elder Mondalgo and Elder Medina was a bittersweet experience. We will miss them. They are both wonderful and faithful missionaries.

Finding Joy in the Journey

The joy of missionary work is a blessing to all of us. We met together on Monday, May 9 for a devotional all about the Love of the Lord. After, we had popcorn, empanadas, and watched an uplifting movie about missionary work. We absolutely love being with our missionaries. They always lift us and inspire us. They are wonderful people, and it is a privilege for us to serve with them.

Finding Joy in the Journey

We believe that we should strive to enjoy the entire experience of serving together in full-time missionary service. We always look for ways to enjoy what we are doing as we do the Lord's work in the Lord's way. We want our missionaries to find joy in their mission journey.

Elder Zuniga and President Laycock

Elder Zuniga and President Laycock

in the Chile, Santiago East Mission Office

As he completed his mission service in Chile, Elder Zuniga came to say good-bye to President Laycock. President Laycock baptized Elder Zuniga's father's family many years ago as a young missionary in Bariloche, Argentina. Elder Zuniga completed his mission as an assistant to President Bruce in the Chile, Antofogasta Mission.

Hermana Palmer Arrived in the Chile, Santiago East Mission in April 2011

President Laycock, Sister Zundel, Sister Palmer, Sister Laycock

Santiago Temple Garden

Sister Palmer arrived at the Santiago Airport all alone.

She was scheduled to come one week earlier with her group,

but due to health issues, she arrived a little later.

When we found her, she was visiting with the Chilean people...in Spanish!!!

We knew immediately that she would be a tremendous blessing to our Mission!

Sister Palmer and President Laycock in Santiago.

Sister Palmer is another sweet angel to add to our Mission.