Cambio Week Again...Already???

This past week was cambios: new missionaries arriving, many missionaries being transferred and a group of missionaries going home. There is much work involved in planning and executing "crazy" week but we finished yesterday and are now relaxing in our home watching General Conference and hoping all of our missionaries are happy with all the changes. I think I gain 5 pounds every cambio week (and then work if off the rest of the time) because we feed the missionaries 6 times during the week. I've cooked enough food to feed a small country and eaten my way through each meal. But I must say the crock pot mac and cheese was Yummo; I figured out how to make Gulliver's Creamed Corn with Chilean ingredients and had delicious pasta with crock pot spaghetti sauce from scratch. Thank heavens for the American crock pot. Even Nery (my helper) is loving my gadgets and tools from home. By the way, Cilantro Pesto is delicious when made with walnuts instead of pine nuts, in case you can't find pine nuts like me.

Anyway, this is a picture of La Portada, the symbol of our mission and a national landmark here in Antofagasta. This rock formation is plastered on every city bus, government building and all mission correspondence. It really is pretty and is a place where we take pictures with our new missionaries. Never mind that it smells like fish and bird poo at the picture taking spot. You know it couldn't be the "perfect" spot.

I thought I would tell you how our week goes through pictures. On the Thursday and Friday before cambio week Leland works with his assistants to decide on who will be transferred and who the new trainers will be for incoming missionaries. After all the changes have been decided, the assistants call every missionary involved to inform them of their new areas (sectors).

On Tuesday morning our nuevitos arrive from Santiago. The gringos have flown all night from the United States and are exhausted and the latinos, who are in the MTC in Santiago, are nervous but not tired. After all of the nuevitos have retrieved their luggage they are greeted by Presidente, Hermana and the two assistants with our mission banner and lots of hugs and handshakes. Then we take the honorary picture with the banner.

Don't know why I included two pictures of the banner. Oh well...

We get all the luggage in the three mission vehicles with all the missionaries and head to La Portada for more pictures. First a group picture and then an individual picture of each nuevito with me and Presidente. This cambio we had 15 new missionaries, including four hermanas.

After breakfast in the mission office and some visa paperwork the Nuevitos are taken into town for their first door approach. This is just another photo opportunity because the door is actually one at the base of the clock tower in the centro. Pictured is Elder Johnson.

The rest of Tuesday is spent with interviews with the President, check in at the hotel across the street from the mission office and then training and dinner at the mission home. After dinner the nuevitos are split up among the office Elders and taken out to work for an hour. This really pumps them up for missionary work because all seem to have success making a real contact. Leland and I meet them afterwards at the hotel for a group prayer and then it's off to bed. By this time all of the missionaries (including me) are ready for a good night's sleep.

Wednesday morning all of the trainers have arrived from throughout the mission (many of them having traveled all night by bus) and the each nuevito is matched up with his/her trainer with an honorary shoe shine. Pictured are Elder Lovell (whose Dad's name is Leland) with his trainer Elder Diaz (who was a clown in the circus back home in Columbia).

One more picture with the nuevito, trainer and the two of us. Then it's time to get all the companionships on buses to their sectors. Good luck dear Elders and Hermanas. Pictured here are Hermana Nique, the trainer, with Hermana Platero from El Salvador.

The week isn't over yet. After the Nuevitos are sent on their way we head to the office where the Viejos have arrived for their last day in the mission. They eat breakfast and then have exit interviews with Leland. The rest of the day they are free to visit families in Antofagasta or shop for souvenirs. But that night we all meet at the mission home for dinner and a testimony meeting. And plenty of photos. There is always a group photo for my memory book and this time we took a goofy picture too. Then Thursday morning we take the Viejos to the airport for their flights home. This is a very emotional morning saying good-bye to so many missionaries that we love so much. It is extra difficult to say adios to the Latin missionaries because we're not sure we will see them again. I have a feeling this is going to get harder as the mission progresses.

One of the things that Leland tells the trainers is he wants them to "kill" their nuevitos by working them really hard. We got this photo last week from Elder Ramirez telling us that his mission is accomplished because he "killed" his companion, Elder Koons. Poor Elder Koons is exhausted but loving the mission.

I've discovered the best way to get the Assistants to work hard is to provide them with a constant supply of Pizookie's, which they had never tasted. Here is Elder Mortensen getting ready to enjoy his Pizookie during cambios. I of course am just having a diet coke.

Leland and Elder Skene enjoyed their Pizookies also. I think the cambios went much smoother with this sweet treat.

Well, now cambio week is over and we're back on the road Monday afternoon with a road trip to Iquique and Alto Hospicio for interviews and apartment inspections. I'll have plenty of photos of missionary apartments next week. I'm a little scared about what I'm going to find.