Wednesday, November 2, 2011

El Barrio, Consistorial

Sister Kemp with Sister Laycock and three Sisters at the CCM who will be coming to our Mission all joined in the activity in the Consistorial Ward. It was fantastic!

One of the dear Sisters made a missionary doll for President Laycock. What a treasure! We love our Chilean brothers and Sisters so much. They are always so loving and sweet. We are so thankful for their kindness and charity.


The Consistorial Ward had a wonderful Missionary activity. The Elders and Sisters from the Chile MTC all participated in a joint Missionary activity and then later attended Sunday meetings. President and Sister Laycock presented a devotional during the third hour of the block meetings.

President and Sister Laycock also had the opportunity to attend the Javiera Carrera joint Stake Mission activity during October. In this activity, the missionaries joined with the Stake Youth who served a mini mission, including personal and companionship study, language study, and proselyting activities throughout the afternoon. The activity culminated in a Stake Devotional in which a special video presentation containing the testimonies of the majority of the missionaries who have served from the Javiera Carrera Stake. The video presentation also included a slide presentation of pictures of Santiago East Missionaries. President Laycock, President Faundez, and Sister Laycock spoke during the fireside. What a marvelous and wonderful blessing it was to be with the Javiera Carrera Stake.

During October, President and Sister Laycock also attended the La Florida 1 Noche de Hogar. President Laycock spoke on the topic of eternal families and related mission topics, and then delicious food was served.

During October President and Sister Laycock also visited the Tobalaba Ward where President spoke on the important mission of pioneers. It was a wonderful evening with refreshments and a video, "Seventeen Miracles."

We enjoyed each of these activities tremendously, and know that those who attended and participated were blessed. Our missionaries were instrumental in making these activities happen. We are so thankful for faithful missionaries who work so hard to serve the members of their respective wards.

Day of Good-byes




We were grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with our Elders and Sisters completing their missions. We attended the Temple together and then travelled to various cultural sights in Santiago. We ended our day with a dinner and time for advice from President and Sister Laycock. The meal was delicious, and the day couldn't have been more perfect.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

We Always Enjoy Meeting the Parents and Family Members of Our Missionaries


It was a great pleasure for us to meet the fathers of Elders Measom and Jacobs along with Elder Jacobs brother. When we met the dear fathers who raised these two fine Missionaries and then unselfishly shared them with the Lord for two years, we could immediately understand how these young men have become such devoted servants of the Lord. We are very thankful for wonderful parents who teach and lead their sons and daughters to serve the Lord with all their heart, might, mind, and strength.

In October, 2011 We Bid a Fond Farewell to 15 Excellent and Faithful Missionaries

President and Sister Laycock were so grateful for this sweet and thoughtful gift prepared for us by Sister Tilley and all of our Missionaries. We will wear these special aprons with gratitude and happiness, and each time we put them on we will remember our wonderful missionaries...all of our missionaries whose signatures, you can see, filled every available space.



We will miss the influence of these fine missionaries in our Mission. They have served so faithfully and have completed every task that the Lord asked them to do with charity and determination. Their influence will be eternally remembered in the Chile, Santiago East Mission. Our hearts will always be filled with love and gratitude for all that these fine young people have become.

13 Elders and Sisters Arrived in the Santiago East Mission November 1, 2011


We were thrilled to receive 13 new missionaries on November 1, 2011. Five Elders and 1 Sister came from the United States. Four Elders and three Sisters came from the Chile MTC. We could immediately feel the love that they brought with them from all over the world, and we were so thankful to have them join us in the Lord's Chile, Santiago East Mission. We traveled to the Las Condes Stake Center where we had a short orientation, introduced them to their first companions, fed them lunch, and then sent them off to their sectors for their very first day of teaching and preaching to their Chilean Brothers and Sisters. They were filled with joy and wonder as we drove through the streets of the city. Today was a National Holiday in Chile, so the city streets were quiet and peaceful. The weather was foggy and a little bit Chilly, but by the end of the afternoon, the sun was shining and welcoming these dear Elders and Sisters to beautiful Santiago. We loved each one of them immediately, and we could feel their deep desire to serve the Lord as His missionaries.

We enjoyed seeing President and Sister MacArthur at the airport. They were there to pick up their Missionaries going to the Chile, Rancagua Mission. We love them very much and are grateful for their faithful examples.




One special part of our orientation was when President taught us the parable of the Geese. We enjoyed every minute of learning together with these new Missionaries. They are intelligent, happy, brave, and loving.

13 Elders and Sisters Arrived in the Santiago East Mission November 1, 2011





We enjoyed lunch together after we had our orientation. The lunch was delicious fettuccini, salad, and wonderful Chilean bread. What a great blessing it was to have so many wonderful new missionaries!

13 Elders and Sisters Arrived in the Santiago East Mission November 1, 2011

Elders Deaver and Stark, our Assistants, shared Alfajores to welcome the Elders and Sisters at the airport. Alfajores are always a welcome, special Chilean treat!


Monday, October 3, 2011

Another Fond Farewell






We said farewell to Elder Boyce, Elder Nieves, and Elder Matthews on September 5, 2011. We will miss these fine Missionaries so much. They have served and blessed our Mission in so many ways. They have brought many Souls unto Christ. They have been faithful and loving and full of Charity. We love them very much, and we look forward to seeing them again and to hearing of their many successful life endeavors.

Mission Miracle

We want to share a miracle with you. During July and August, we had a mission-wide fast to help us find new investigators to teach. We wanted to find many more people to teach, and we knew we needed the Lord's help to do so, so we initiated a fast. Each companionship of missionaries took a day to fast, and so the fast lasted forty days. We want to share with you just one of the many, many miracles that took place during that fast.

Our Assistants started their day of the forty day fast for the mission on Thursday, August 7 after lunch. They were fasting with a special purpose: to find someone to teach and baptize, to be able to be more obedient to the Lord, and to completely dedicate themselves to Him. The next day, after having finished their fast, they sat down, prayed to the Lord to please hear their prayer, and then they ate their lunch. Here is their account of their miracle.

"As we finished our meal, we sat in silence for a few minutes. The phone rang as we sat, pondering what we had learned from our fast. It was a man who identified himself as a member of our ward. He explained that his daughter had been going to church for years, and that he had not felt that he wanted her to be baptized. But he said that now his heart had changed, and that he would like her to be baptized the very next day.

She had been taught the lessons, and had accepted the truth, but she had never received parental permission from him until that moment. After the call, we sat in awe as we thought about how very much the Lord loves all of His children and will bless us as we choose to follow Him and plead for His help. The very next day, Saturday the 9th, the daughter was baptized by Elder Amado of the First Quorum of the Seventy and confirmed a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."

We testify that this is the Lord's work. He loves his missionaries. He works beside us every minute of every day. The great gathering of Israel is taking place all over the earth, and we see miracles like these happening every day in our Mission, and we know that they take place in every Mission all over the world. We are so thankful to be a small part of this wonderful work. We are thankful for the opportunity to see people change their lives and come unto Christ. We know that the Gospel changes lives in miraculous ways. With the help of the Gospel, people are able to make their lives better. Families are able to love one another more, and young Missionaries are able to become men and women of God who will be forever faithful and courageous and strong.

Our hearts are filled to overflowing with all of the wonderful blessings that Heavenly Father gives us, His children. Listening to General Conference was a wonderful treat this weekend for all of us. We were especially touched by so many of the messages to and for the Lord's Missionaries. Of course, we know that we were so touched by these messages because of where we are right now, and because of the fact that we get to know and see so many of the Lord's faithful Missionaries as they work and serve every day. It is also because of our dear Missionary Son, Elder Landon Laycock who is working so hard to teach and preach the Gospel to his brothers and sisters in Uruguay. It is really a wonderful blessing for us to get to be Missionaries at the same time that Landon is serving. When he tells us what is happening in his Mission, we know exactly what he is experiencing. And all of the Mission language actually really makes sense...transfer week, Zone Conference, District Leader, Pension Inspections, Companion Exchanges, etc. When he tells us what is happening in his Mission, we just know, and we can picture it all in our mind. We love it! We are thankful for this year that we will serve while he is serving.

We are preparing for the celebration of the Anniversary of the 50th year of the Church in Chile. It will be a gigantic celebration that will be held in one of the big soccer stadiums in our mission. All of the country of Chile will be here for the celebration, and all Missionaries who have ever served here are invited. Our Missionaries get to participate. We will focus on bringing inactive members and investigating members to the celebration. One is on Saturday the 8th of October, and the other is on the 15th of October. The week between the 8th and the 15th will be filled with activities commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Church in Chile. It will be a fabulous week for missionaries to find new people to teach! A film crew from Salt Lake City came to our mission and asked to be able to accompany our missionaries so that they could film them as they go about their daily missionary work last week. They have been impressed by the spirit they have felt as they have been with our Missionaries, and our Missionaries are so excited!!!

We know that the work we are doing here is the Lord's work, and we are thankful to be a small part of it all. Thank you for your love and your prayers. Keep praying for Chile!


Feed my Sheep


Our son, Elder Landon Laycock (Landoncito) is serving his Uruguayan brothers and sisters. We were happy to receive this picture this week. We know that Elder Laycock is feeding the Lord's lambs in Uruguay, just as our missionaries are feeding the Lord's sheep in Santiago. This photo is taken at an investigator's home where he was teaching and learning. He reports that the people of Uruguay are happy and helpful and humble. He loves them all very much. We are so thankful for the missionary program. It blesses our lives in so many ways every single day!

Blessings in Santiago

Elder Maxfield and President Laycock


Elder Maxfield sent us this beautiful picture of Santiago that he took as his plane flew away from Santiago on the night that he completed his mission service. We thought that it looked much like a treasure trove of jewels, sparkling in the night. That is how we think of Santiago. Her people are jewels that sparkle and glisten in the light of the Lord.


We love going to the airport! We always enjoy those we meet there. We saw Presidente and Hermana Humphrey, from the Concepcion Mission. They always inspire us! We are grateful for their examples.

September 18, Chilean National Holiday Celebration


We understand the National Pride that Chileans feel for this beautiful country! As we watched these breath-takingly beautiful Chileans perform through music and dance on September 19, we were filled with emotion and love. The Chilean people are stately and majestic. We love them, and we honor their culture and heritage. We feel so blessed to be able to get to know them and to feel of their royal birthright. They are truly wonderful in every way.

During the week of the 11th through the 19th of September, we were able to see and participate in many beautiful celebrations of this amazing Country. We pray for the Lord's choicest blessings to be upon this Country and her dear people.

Celebration of the Chilean National Holiday

September 18 Chilean National Holiday