Past Zone Conferences

We have gotten a little behind on posts with the blog because we have had so many wonderful works going on in the Mission that we have scarcely had time to write, but we are going to catch you up now.

Transfer cycle #6 went from Monday February 8 through Sunday, March 21.

We like to call this transfer cycle our "Earthquakes and Miracles" transfer because we experienced one of our greatest trials: the earthquake, and we also experienced some of our greatest miracles: many people coming unto Christ.

Our goals for the transfer cycle included: "Be prepared. Be Obedient. Be Organized." We started (as we always do) with a concilio de cambios (change meeting) where all missionaries who will receive a transfer, meet in a central chapel to receive instruction and learn with whom and in what area they will be serving for the next few weeks and/or months. For me, this was one of our most spiritual meetings ever. President Laycock spoke of our dear Elder McKay Burrows who had died while serving in his mission the week before. We discussed the need for all of us to be prepared in every way and introduced that we would be spending this transfer cycle getting prepared physically and spiritually. It was a very spiritual start to our transfer cycle. Our Zone Conferences focused on the need to be prepared.

After our second Zone Conference, we had all of our Sisters stay for a Sister Conference. We were able to answer their heartfelt questions and testify to them that the Lord cannot accomplish His purposes without the help of His sisters.

Our interviews also focused on being prepared, and President Laycock and I enjoyed visiting every missionary in his or her pension to inspect for physical and spiritual safety, and to share a spiritual message about the need to be prepared. Two days after the earthquake, we enjoyed a pre-scheduled, whole-mission Family Home Evening. We were able to discuss the earthquake and the miracles that we had experienced. On Sunday, March 7 we enjoyed a broadcast from Salt Lake City as our Stake Conference. President Monson and Elder Bednar spoke to us and encouraged us and expressed the Lord's love to us. What a perfect experience for us to receive their counsel right after the devastation of the earthquakes. The Lord knows and loves His Chilean children. We feel His love in all we do. We are hopeful that all of our missionaries wrote about these experiences in their journals. They have probably already shared their experiences with you. We continue to stress to them the importance of recording all of their mission experiences so that they can share them for the rest of their lives with their loved ones.

The many blessings we received during this transfer cycle are just too numerous to recount, but as a mission we know, and we will never forget that the Lord taught us in powerful ways, that "this life is the time to prepare to meet God." We will always remember the life-lessons that we learned during this transfer cycle in the Chile Santiago East Mission. We were blessed abundantly by what we learned, and we will continue throughout eternity to feel the ripples of the wonderful blessings we received.

Past Zone Conferences

We always love to get together to be fed spiritually and physically at Zone Conferences.

Flu Shots in the Mission...What a Blessing!

We are so blessed to have good health care in the Santiago East Mission. At the end of Zone Conference, our health care professionals brought flu shots (from the U.S.) for all who wanted them. Some of us were frightened, but we overcame our fears and received our vaccinations so that we can remain healthy and serve the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength!

Facing our Fears

Elder Sharp and Elder Kemp even administered some of our vaccinations. We are grateful for our health in the mission. Without our health, we cannot accomplish the Lord's work.

Missionaries and Future Missionary

We feel so blessed to have our son Landon learning from our fine missionaries...especially when it includes "How do I hold 14 cameras while taking pictures of missionaries?" We love our missionaries!

May Arrivals

We received Hermana Zundell from the airport and Hermana Florez and Elder Vargas from the CCM on May 4. They are a wonderful addition to our mission. We are so happy to have them here with us, and we can tell that they are dedicated and obedient missionaries.

Sister Conference and Zone Leader Council

We have the best missionaries in the whole world. We enjoy being with them so much. They make us happy, and we know they make the Lord happy. We are blessed to be among them and to have this opportunity to serve with them.

Elder Carroll, New Assistant to the President

Elder Carroll is learning very quickly how to be a great Assistant to the President. He and Elder Renshaw do so much to help the Mission run smoothly. We love them, and we know the Lord loves them. Landon enjoys spending time with them as we work together to serve the Lord in the Chile Santiago East Mission. They always make us happy. They work tirelessly to serve all of us and especially to serve the Lord.

Frozen Pigs?

President Laycock and our son, Landon came home from a quick trip to the gorcery store near the mission home with this picture. They were so proud of themselves because they said they had discovered a Chilean delicacy. We have not tried one of these...yet. Maybe we will get brave at some point, but I am just not sure how I would cook it.

Otono (Autumn) in Santiago

We have decided that Santiago is a delightfully beautiful place to spend Otono (Autumn). Where else on earth can you find gorgeous fall-colored trees right next to swaying palm trees? Right now the enormous leaves are displaying extraordinary, colors of crimson, gold, and burgundy, and the palm trees are still heralding their deep emerald hues. We especially enjoy visiting a ferria (street market) on a sunny fall day in Santiago.

The weather is not too hot and not too cold as it prepares to welcome in the rains of winter. Actually, yesterday officially brought the rains of Santiago. It rained all day long. We were able to spend the first really rainy day of the winter with several of our missionaries as we visited their zone and district classes. They are working hard...even in the rainy weather. They are finding their boots, and keeping dry as best they can. What a great example they are!

Elder Thatcher and Elder Trovato Left in February

We think Elder Thatcher and Trovato were sorry to have left Chile just in time to miss out on the earthquake, but we would imagine that their Mothers were very thankful to have them safely at home during our Chile tremors. We miss them, and we love them. They left a trail of good works wherever they were. It was very enjoyable for us to spend some time with them before they left.

March Good-byes!

These five missionaries left the Chile Santiago East Mission in March. Before they left, we had the opportunity to be with them and look out over our entire mission. They expressed their love for the people of Santiago. We love these fine missionaries, and we will miss them tremendously. We are eternally thankful for their faithful and wonderful service, and we have been blessed by their diligence and obedience. They have learned so much about their Savior and His love, and we have learned so much from them. They have blessed many lives and brought many of our Heavenly Father's children unto Jesus Christ.

March Good-byes!

We love our missionaries...every one of them. We wish we could keep them the whole three years we are here, but we know they need to go home and do all sorts of wonderful things with their lives. President Laycock always tells them that the mission is their University of Life. They return home with a new knowledge of how to learn and how to remain faithful throughout their mortal existence. These missionaries will remain faithful forever. We know they will because they have all been excellent missionaries. We will love them forever.

Letting Go is Never Easy!

Letting our wonderful missionaries leave the mission is never easy. They take a piece of our hearts with them when they leave. We have been privileged to enjoy many wonderful experiences with them. We have witnessed their growth and their increased capacity to love and care for our Heavenly Father's children. We can truly say that we have enjoyed every minute that we have been with these missionaries because they have strengthened and inspired us in so many ways. We will miss them tremendously, but their legacy of love and service will live on in the Chile, Santiago East Mission forever. These 10 missionaries have been exemplary in every way. They have worked every single day. They have faithfully completed their work here, and now they will begin their service all over the world in their various lives with their own families.

Hermana Hertler and Elder Maruri Head Home May 4 2010

On May 4th, we said our good byes to 2 wonderful latin missionaries.

Elder Maruri has been an excellent missionary.

He is faithful, and we love him.

Hermana Hertler is an obedient and sweet missionary.

We will miss her very much.