It's dieciocho time!  Barrio Centro had a pre-holiday

activity to celebrate with red, white and blue decorations

and lots of amazing food and entertainment!

Hermana Teeples and Hermana Call

 Elder Moreno and Johnson getting in on the fun

 Some of the kitchen crew

 Elder Goodman demonstrating the fine art of

making empanadas

 Sister Goodman getting in the act (with Helma's supervision)

 The grill chefs - Dino, Luis, and Huajupe

 Cecilia and an anticucho or brocheta.  Yummmm!

 The food was a hit!

 On your mark, get set, go . . .

 Rocio, Matias, and Emily showing off their

costumes for the cueca -- the traditional Chilean dance

 Sandra in Chilean dress

Elder Moreno ready to show his moves

 Paola and Annelore, our English students, helping

me make a "diaper cake" for a baby shower

 The fininshed product

 The baby shower for Paolina.  The cake was a hit!

Pancake breakfast, anyone?  Elders Moreno,

Johnson, Kandare, Gongora, Virhuez, and Brown

 Elder Kandare set a new record of 21 pancakes.  Whew!

 Post-breakfast siesta

 You would think we laced their pancakes with melatonin

Mirta, the mission home cook/housekeeper, has

served with six mission presidents and has cambios 

down to an art.  She will be leaving soon and we will miss her!

 A diversion day with the Erickson's at Las Cascadas

 Some more great missionaries homeward bound --

Elder Klinkefus, Elder Abel, and Elder Sprenkle

 It only seems right that we should see these two off at the

airport.  They were two of the missionaries who met us

at the airport when we arrived in Chile

 Another group of missionaries ready to go to work

in the Chile, Osorno Mission -- a little bit animated

and a little bit anxious

 Elder Crosby and Elder Gongora tasting the

treat that was named after Elder Crosby -

"crosbitos"

 It was tough to let Elder Balbuena go home.  We just hope

there is an amazing young woman in Mexico who is preparing

herself for this remarkable young man

Elder Goodman and Elder Cowley preparing to enjoy

chocolate mint Girl Scout cookies and chocolate milk --

Yum!!!

 Daybreak in Osorno from the back windows

of our apartment building

 Home sweet home!

 A view of Ancud on Chiloe Island

A view of Chiloe from the ferry

 The beginning of our midday p-day trip to

El Parque Nacional Puyehue near the

Argentine border

 A beautiful sight after the mists cleared

 We enjoyed an afternoon of hiking to six

different waterfalls

 The trails through the forests were beautiful

Salto Los Novios

 Salto Indio

Salto Princesa

 Salto Repucura

 A few hours in nature is a great

way to recharge our batteries

Salto Pudu

 Elder Kandare (office historiador) on his 19th birthday

Elders Simmons, Mason, Hoybjerg, and Anderson

(all zone leaders headed home to attend school),

pictured with AP's Balbuena and Brown

 Barrio Centro noche de hogar -- a fun

evening with a great attendance

The "men's team"

 Elder Llauce, the Peruvian chef, preparing one of his 

specialties for us -- lomo saltado y taco taco

 So fun to watch a chef in action!

 Elder Llauce with his companion, Elder Sprenkle.

Elder Sprenkle is more than happy to be the

recipient of the chef's creations

 Yummmmmm!!!

 Are we working the mission secretary too hard?

 The Osorno Zone Conference

 The paparazzi at the Osorno Zone Conference

 The Erickson's "on the trail" to Las Cascadas

 Elder Goodman and Elder Erickson

 Elder Klinkefus, Elder Abel, and Elder Sprenkle

on their way home

Saying goodbye to Elder Abel and Elder Klinkefus -- the

elders who met us at the same airport when we 

arrived in Chile