Zone Conference #3 (South Zones) We love Zone Conferences.

Zone Conferences are the BEST!
Every six weeks, we get the opportunity to teach and learn from one another.
During this six weeks, we are studying Chapter 13 of Preach My Gospel.
Working effectively with Leaders and Members is one of our greatest tools.

We have the best Missionaries in all the world!
We are striving so hard to be representatives of Jesus Christ in all we do and say.

We love our Missionaries!

Our Missionaries love one another. They are becoming more unified every day.
They are learning to "think outside the box."
Their only limits are "Preach my Gospel" and the Mission Manual.
They are becoming creative and finding ways to really enjoy teaching the Gospel. We are learning that the way we present the Gospel
makes all the difference in whether or not people want to listen.

Zone Conference #3 (South Zones) How we present the Gospel makes all the difference.

This cake represents the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is beautiful, inviting, and delicious!
Elder Hastings eagerly volunteered to receive the cake.
President Laycock began with a nice cold glass of milk to go with the cake.

President Laycock
carefully cut a nice serving of cake.
He lovingly placed it on a clean, white china plate.
He explained that the cake represents the delicious teachings
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He ceremoniously placed the yummy plate of cake on the table for Elder Hastings.
Elder Hastings eyes lit up. He was so excited to enjoy the cake!

Suddenly, President Laycock stuck his hand into the cake, grabbed a fistful, squished it through his fingers, and then splattered it all over Elder Hastings' face. A collective gasp of shock and disgust filled the room.

President Laycock explained that the Gospel is always the same...
...virtuous, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy...and of course, delicious.
How we serve it makes all the difference.

Zone Conference #3 (North Zones)

At the conclusion of Zone Conference,
we always sing to the Hermanas who serve us.

Missionaries love to share their individual Mission stories.
They always enjoy visiting with and teaching one another at Zone Conference!

Zone Conference #3 (North Zones)

"Working with Members" was the theme of this Zone Conference. We started with several excellent discursos (talks) by Missionaries. Each Zone Conference, every Missionary prepares a talk, and then President uses his inspiration to call upon several to deliver their talks. We love to hear from our Missionaries. They are always so uplifting. We learn so much from them. We also enjoy hearing how their Spanish has improved since the last Conference.

After they spoke, President "served" a wonderful object lesson. Poor Elder Trumbo volunteered to help and ended up having his cake and eating it, too. A beautiful cream-filled cake represented the Gospel. It rested upon a lovely setting, complete with China and a linen table cloth. Elder Trumbo sat down to take a bite of the cake, when President smashed it all over his face! Everyone was shocked! What we learned is that:

the Gospel is always the same...beautiful and inviting...
but how we serve it makes or breaks our ability to really share it.

(This was an object lesson used by President Packer in one of his zone conferences. The Assistants brought it to us to help us teach the value of planning and teaching well.)

Next, we watched a short section of the Preach My Gospel DVD about the importance of working effectively with Members. Then Elder Walker taught us about the importance of always being representatives of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Elder Perez taught us about the necessity of keeping our pensiones (apartments) clean and orderly so that the Spirit can dwell there and help us to recognize the inspiration that comes from the Lord.

Finally, Elder Martineau and Elder Rodriguez taught us to teach with love and to remember who we represent. They inspired us to have the "vision to baptize." This was a fun and informative Conference. We know that the Lord has put us together on this "team" to accomplish the work He has for us to do. We are excited, and we are humbled at this great responsibility. We will pray with all our might that the Lord will allow us to accomplish His vision. We know He will hear our prayers. Please pray with us for the Miracle of the Harvest to occur!

Zone Conference #3 (North Zones)

Zone Conferences also feed us physically. We enjoy the time we spend eating together during Zone Conferences. We have the opportunity to visit while we eat yummy food and unite as members of the Chile, Santiago East Mission Team. We feel such great love and appreciation for every Missionary. They are strong and brave and happy.

The first course was a Chilean salad and a delicious home-made roll. Then we had tacos and Mexican rice. We finished with our own lemon meringue pie. Moms...rest assured, we are eating really well.

18 New "Colors" to add to our Collection of Missionaries

This picture is taken in front of the chapel after our New Missionary training. Some of these Missionaries are new and some of them are our existing Missionaries. As we prayed about this new group of Elders and 1 Sister, we learned that they would be a "colorful" group of Missionaries. The Lord has guided us to use their individual talents and abilities to bless our Mission in unusual ways. We know without a doubt that these Missionaries will add the "color" that we need to have in order to bring to pass the Lord's vision. Estamos animados! We know that the Lord has a plan for His work here. Line upon line it is revealed to us as we work together to love and serve His children.

Isn't this a beautiful sight? A new army of fresh, excited, "colorful" Missionaries join our team. We can hardly wait to see what they do with the many talents and "colors" that they bring to the Chile Santiago East Mission!! We waited at the aiport
for them to come out of customs for many hours. We were starting to worry, but they finally made it through. It seems that little Hermana McDaniels was carrying a bag of Beef Jerky in her back pack. She was detained and fined a large amount of money. We all learned a valuable lesson: Don't try to bring food into Chile! She made it through a difficult situation with flying "colors" and several gallant Elders helped her pay her fine and kept her safe as she was questioned and searched...all in Spanish. She is strong, and the Lord has prepared all of these Missionaries to do all that He is asking of them.

We drove everyone straight to the Mission Home for some food and a brief orientation. Then their companions met them and hurried them away for their first day of true Mission work. They were so excited, even though they were tired, they could hardly wait to get out and try their Spanish skills. Can you feel the excitement! These Missionaries are ready to serve their Chilean Brothers and Sisters with great love. They have the vision to baptize! We are so thankful for them. We love them already, and we know that they will add incredible life and "color" to our Mission!

The "Color" of Tears

I used to think that tears are clear and have no color. Since I have served in the Mission I have learned that tears are not without color. When we say goodbye to our faithful missionaries, the tears always come. But our tears are "colored" with every good act of each Missionary. Looking through our tears to say goodbye is a spectacular sight. We see a rainbow of love and growth and beauty that we have not seen before. We are thankful for the tears that add meaning and "color" to our life in the Mission.

"Los Que Se Van...Those Who are Leaving"

This is the "colorful" view of Santiago that we see from Cerro San Cristobal, a huge hill that we visit with every departing Missionary.

From this hill, we can see our entire Mission. It is a spectacular view on a clear day.

Our Missionaries take time to reflect upon their service and to think about their futures and what they will do with the rest of their lives.

We really enjoy this day every change, even though we are so sad to say goodbye to these good and faithful servants. This change, we bid farewell to three Missionaries: Sister Arroyo, Sister Hodgkin, and Elder Hall. Elder Jimenez also participated because he is the only Missionary who goes home after the next change. We love these Missionaries with all our hearts. They are the best of the best!

Hermana Hodgkin and Hermana Arroyo look out over the city for the last time. We all shed tears of sadness as well as tears of pure joy. We are so thankful for good servants of the Lord. These Hermanas have blessed the lives of so many people. They will continue to serve faithfully into eternity. The "color" of their service will paint our lives forever.

They are ready to go home to their own wards and stakes and continue to be the shining examples that they have been here. They have lifted and loved every person they have served.






What a beautiful sight...the faces of faithful Missionaries preparing to leave the Mission and begin their service at home. We are confident that these four Missionaries will be strong and capable and dependable leaders wherever they decide to "color" the Lord's Kingdom. We wish we could keep them here forever, but we know the Lord has more plans for them.They will be in our hearts forever!

This picture is taken in front of Los Dominicos. A picture of this sight is found on one of the Chilean Bills. We enjoy taking the Missionaries to several cultural sights on their last day in Santiago. We want them to remember the love they have for Santiago and for the people of Santiago.

Santiago is a colorful place, and we wish they could see it all before they leave.

We love these Missionaries!!!!!





Our Mission is better and stronger and much more "colorful"
because of them!

"Colorful" Activities

We had the privilege of attending the confirmation of Gonzalo Machuca last Sunday.

President Laycock was thrilled (and surprised) when they announced from the pulpit in Sacrament Meeting that Gonzalo would be confirmed by President Laycock. What a blessing to see this wonderful man receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

These types of experiences "color" our mission service every day. It is a privilege to serve the Lord as Missionaries. We love these people with all our hearts. Brother Machuca will be our brother forever.

We feel so privileged to be invited to participate in many "colorful" activities in the Mission.

This particular activity was held in the Nunoa Stake. It was a Primary activity to encourage the children to become Missionaries. What a beautiful sight for us to watch as these young people were taught, at this young age, to kindle a desire to serve the Lord as His Missionaries.

These are beautiful children of God, and we love every one of them.

President Laycock and I got to speak to them and to have fun with them. Then I got to kiss every single one of them. What a treat for me! They are so loving and so sweet.

Missionary service comes in many different "colors."
We are absolutely loving every "color" of our opportunity to serve.

Landon's "Colorful" 17th Birthday

Landon celebrated his 17th Birthday last month!
We put as much "color" into the celebration as we possibly could for him.
We love him so much.
He is a sweet young man with so much desire to serve the Lord.

Landon "colors" our lives here in the Mission;
he always thinks of fun things for us to do. He is happy and thoughtful.
The Missionaries never forget to include him.
They invite him to teach with them, and they always send their love to him.

We absolutely love the many "colors" of Landoncito.
We enjoy every minute of having him here with us.
The people here like to touch his face, and they tell us that he is "beautiful."
They say he looks like a movie star.
That is a bit embarrassing for him...as you might imagine.
But he just smiles and says, "Gracias."

"The Many Colors of Santiago"

This fountain is beautiful in down town Santiago,
especially at night with all the "colors."

This is an example of the many "colors" of dogs in Santiago.
I am thankful that it is not my job to walk all of these dogs!

In the busy streets of Santiago near the Mission Home,
this is not an uncommon site!
Santiago is "colored" with many wonderful cultural diversities.

Zone Conference #2 "What is My Purpose As a Missionary?" Spiritual Food and Physical Food

We really enjoy Zone Conferences. Every six weeks we are able to join together and work on what the Lord wants us to learn, practice, and prepare to better serve Him. We are always fed spiritually as well as physically. We like to take pictures of the physical food so that we can share with you how well we are taken care of. We almost forgot to post these pictures, but this food was so good, we just had to share.

These pictures are of our Zone Conference during the week of the 18th of September...the Chilean celebration week. For our appetizer, we had 2 ginormous empanadas filled with meat and olives and onions and other yummy vegetables and a huge roll. Then the main course was roast beef, potato salad, and the typical onion and tomato chilean salad. Dessert was a favorite Chilean dessert...mote con huesillo which is a peach that has been soaked and boiled and boiled with a grain of some sort. It was delicious.

Landon, our son, was skeptical when he saw it because he thought it looked exactly like a monkey brain. He was really excited to taste it because he likes to be able to say that he has experienced the Chilean culture in every way possible. He liked it and ate the whole thing...except for the pit of course.

Please don't worry about your sons and daughters. They eat every day at the home of a member in their ward. The members love to feed the Missionaries. Sometimes, we are told that they even fight over who gets to feed them. The members love these Missionaries so much. They love to have them in their homes to feel their love for the Savior. We are so very grateful for good, faithful members who honor their covenants and are willing to give all they have to help build up the Kingdom of God on the earth.

"El milagro de la cosecha" The Beginning

Friday September 18 was a wonderful day. In Chile, it is the National Holiday, so the entire week is filled with celebrations of the country. School is closed, and many businesses are also closed. Santiago has a huge military parade and many activities with horses and incredible costumes and dancing and unbelievable food. It was a nice week for us with our son, Landon because he got to attend everything we did with us…including Zone Conference and the Mission Activity. It is always so much fun to have him with us. He has such a good attitude about all of it…hours of Spanish Gospel learning with parents may not be most teens’ idea of fun. He never complains. He reminds me of our son Logan when he was on his mission. We never once heard a complaint out of him. We are so thankful for our kids. They never complain that we are not there for them like we used to be.

We had Zone Conference on Wednesday, which was great! Then we had a Mission activity Friday night, and it was a wonderful time for all of us. The Mission really needed a “pick-me-up” and so we had the activity to motivate and inspire everyone. In order to get into the activity, everyone was asked to bring their Area Books (These are books each companionship keeps to keep track of everyone they are finding and teaching and to help them communicate to the Ward and Stake Leaders what they are working on and how they can best work together.) in perfect condition as their ticket to get into the activity. (We had a room where they could go and fix their books if they had not yet perfected their books…with all the supplies they needed to do that…repentance is a wonderful principle!!!)

We all entered the Chapel, and yes we had Christmas Music playing on the piano. Sister Griffith was playing and some sisters sang Christmas Carols. The Elders and Sisters were puzzled. Why Christmas music in September? President Laycock and I stood at the pulpit reverently and smiled as everyone entered. Everyone was excited, but they were very reverent. We could feel the electricity of the Holy Spirit in the air, and we could feel the Lord’s approval as we looked into the sweet faces of our Missionaries. They work so hard, and they are learning so much.

"El milagro de la cosecha" The Activity

We began by expressing our gratitude to everyone for all they are doing to be obedient and to accomplish the Lord’s work. Then President Laycock explained that, “one of the most important things we do as Missionaries is to plan, “so tonight,” he said, “we are planning a miracle. This miracle is not going to simply happen. Instead, we 150 of God’s children (under God’s direction and with His power) will help to create this miracle.”

He explained that the Laycock family loves to plan something special for Christmas every year. “As it is my right to do,” he explained, “I have seen the vision of what this Mission can do. Our gift for the Savior this year, will be to create a Christmas miracle, and we will call it The Miracle of the Cosecha.”

"El milagro de la cosecha" The Vision

We gave everyone a beautiful hand out (thanks to Sister Kimber) of the way we will accomplish our Christmas Miracle. The hand out has the wise men and shepherds looking toward the star with words on it that tell us what we will do and how we will do it.

Then President Laycock explained the vision of The miracle of the cosecha.

Here is a very brief summary of the Lord’s plan for His garden here in the Chile Santiago East Mission:

C osechar (Harvest…we will baptize 1 person per missionary per month.)

O rar (Pray…we will pray with everyone we possibly can so they feel the spirit.)

S aludar (Greet…we will greet everyone we meet with happiness and love.)

E ensenar (Teach… we will teach with boldness, and clarity, in members’ homes.)

C ontinuar (Continue…we will go one more door.)

H ermanar (Fellowship…we will fellowship/friendship all we meet. “Permanaced”)

A mar (Love…we will love our Heavenly Father, our Savior, everyone we meet.)

President Laycock committed every Missionary to be willing to help with this Miracle. They were happy and excited to help! We are very excited! It is really remarkable how the Lord guides this work and brings to pass exactly what He wants to have happen. If we are just willing to act upon the promptings of the Holy Ghost, even when the promptings seem unusual or strange, soon it is revealed to us exactly why He wanted the work done in His way. We are so blessed to be a part of this great work!