Hermana Heywood

Kaitlynn in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Events

Kaitlynn Enters the Mexico CCM

February 20, 2025 · Mexico City CCM (Centro de Capacitación Misional)

Snapshot

February 20, 2025 was Kaitlynn's departure day for the Mexico City CCM, the start of her mission training before entering the Chile Puerto Montt Mission field. The family saw her off at the Salt Lake airport that morning. She spent roughly five weeks at the CCM (Feb 20 to Mar 25) learning Spanish and missionary teaching before flying to Chile.

Details

Departure (Thursday, Feb 20) - Up at 5 AM, to the airport by 6. The family waited at the TSA window to wave goodbye one more time. Bryson Heywood drove from Logan the day before to see her off. - Delta DL 628, SLC to Mexico City, departing 9:40 AM, arriving 2:45 PM (booking ref GUV58X). Window seat. Mexico City: "gorgeous and crammed and terrifying."

First days at the CCM - Arrived to parrots and palm trees; third-floor apartments, no elevator. She carried multiple large suitcases up the stairs (heaviest 75 lbs solo). - Led "Llamados a Servir" [Called to Serve] at the opening devotional. - Called as house leader (informal "hermana mom" role). - Saturday teaching activity: assigned a non-member, Spanish-only couple and felt prompted to speak; the Spanish came easily. She tied it to the gift of tongues (2 Nephi 32:2-3).

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Kaitlynn Enters the Field at Punta Arenas

March 25, 2025 · Punta Arenas, Chile (Chile Puerto Montt Mission)

Snapshot

Kaitlynn left the Mexico CCM on March 25, 2025 and entered the Chile Puerto Montt Mission field over three days: Santiago on the 25th, the mission HQ in Puerto Montt on the 26th, and her first area, Punta Arenas, on the 27th. Punta Arenas, at the far southern tip of Chile, was that first area. She was paired with her trainer Hermana Snowder and started contacting the same day she arrived.

Details

Travel (Mar 25-27) (dates per Kaitlynn's May 11 timeline dictation) - Mar 25: roughly nine-hour Aeromexico flight (AM 10) from Mexico City to Santiago, arriving about 9 PM. Met missionaries from the Brazil CCM. - Mar 26 (Wed): arrived at the Chile Puerto Montt Mission HQ; met President and Hermana Gervic. Spent the night in a hotel (incoming missionaries don't stay in the mission home). - Mar 27 (Thu): flew to Punta Arenas, where she received her trainer and first area.

First area: Punta Arenas - "Genuinely the bottom of the world." Apartment behind a member's house. - Street contacting her first day: five contacts, bore testimony in Spanish. - Understood ~90% of spoken Spanish but could not yet respond fluidly. Rule: Spanish only outside the house. - Ward members nicknamed her "Hermana Ewok" and "Hermana Madera" after introductions.

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Baptism of Rodrigo and Yasdiel

May 19, 2025 · Punta Arenas, Chile

Snapshot

Rodrigo and Yasdiel were baptized in Punta Arenas, the first confirmed baptisms from Kaitlynn's own work. She reported it in her May 19, 2025 weekly email (the baptism occurred over the preceding weekend) and called it "the best day of my life." Carmen, Rodrigo's aunt, attended in all white with tears streaming and kept telling Kaitlynn, "It's going to be me next!"

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Argentina Visa Trip and Buenos Aires Temple

June 2, 2025 · Buenos Aires, Argentina

Snapshot

In late May / early June 2025 Kaitlynn left Chile temporarily for Buenos Aires, Argentina so her Chilean visa could process, a standard missionary procedure. She traveled with Hermana Garcia and, while there, attended the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple and performed ordinances. Reported in her June 2, 2025 weekly email.

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Mission President Transition (Gervic to Mackay)

July 1, 2025 · Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Snapshot

Around mid-2025 the Chile Puerto Montt Mission changed presidents: Cristian J Gervic, who welcomed Kaitlynn into the field and complimented her Spanish in her first months, concluded his tenure, and Presidente Mackay began (mission presidents are released and called effective July 1). Mackay would go on to extend Kaitlynn's Hermana-Líder and Hermana-Líder-Viajera callings; she later described him as "a second dad."

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Transfer to Puerto Montt

July 28, 2025 · Puerto Montt, Chile

Snapshot

In late July 2025 Kaitlynn left her first area, Punta Arenas, when the mission closed the sector. She transferred north to Puerto Montt and was paired with a new companion, Hermana Pehrson. The transfer also marked the end of her time with Hermana Bird, who finished her mission and went home that same week.

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100 Years of the Church in South America (Stake Celebration)

August 24, 2025 · Puerto Montt, Chile

Snapshot

In late August 2025 Kaitlynn's stake in Puerto Montt held a celebration marking 100 years of the Church in South America. There was dancing, food, and music (the band played 80s music), plus a broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir during which the Spirit was strong. The missionaries sang "Called to Serve." Reported in her August 25, 2025 weekly email; the exact celebration date is approximate.

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Volcán Osorno Hike

October 6, 2025 · Volcán Osorno, near Puerto Varas, Chile

Snapshot

On the General Conference P-day in early October 2025, Kaitlynn hiked Volcán Osorno (an active stratovolcano near Puerto Varas) with the Puerto Varas zone. They played in the snow and hiked to a waterfall. She wrote home, "I miss hiking so if you're reading this go on a hike for me."

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Baptism of Yilver

November 1, 2025 · Puerto Montt, Chile

Snapshot

Yilver was baptized on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in Puerto Montt, the third confirmed convert baptism from Kaitlynn's mission. Reported in her November 3, 2025 weekly email. Kaitlynn's companion at the time was Hermana Soares.

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Transfer to Coyhaique

December 4, 2025 · Coyhaique, Chile

Snapshot

In transfer 6 (early December 2025) Kaitlynn left Puerto Montt for Coyhaique, in the mountains of southern Chile near the Argentine border. The assignment was significant: hermanas had not served in Coyhaique in about eight years, so she was "pink-washing" a sector previously worked only by elders, and she was assigned to train her first hija. She and her new companion flew down on Thursday, December 4, navigating the travel logistics on their own.

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Mackay Interview - Named as Hermana-AP Candidate

December 29, 2025 · Coyhaique, Chile

Snapshot

In her Christmastime interview with Presidente Mackay (late December 2025), Mackay confirmed Kaitlynn would stay in Coyhaique with Hermana Juncker another transfer, then told her something he said he probably shouldn't: every time the mission leadership council discussed who might be the next hermana AP (assistant to the president), her name came up. This was the first signal of the leadership trajectory that led to her becoming a hermana líder in February and Hermana Líder Viajera in May.

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Cerro Mackay District Hike

January 20, 2026 · Cerro Mackay, Coyhaique, Chile

Snapshot

On a P-day in January 2026 the whole Coyhaique district hiked Cerro Mackay, the mountain that overlooks Coyhaique (named unrelated to Presidente Mackay). It ran from about 10 AM to 5 PM and never reached the top, a slow climb because several missionaries could not move fast. The group adopted a tired stray dog partway up and carried it down in 30-minute shifts.

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Granite Spire Summit Hike

February 9, 2026 · Coyhaique, Chile (3,280-ft granite spire, possibly Cerro Castillo)

Snapshot

On a P-day in February 2026 Kaitlynn and three others hiked a roughly 3,280-foot granite spire above Coyhaique, reaching the top in about an hour and a half. She had attempted a similar long version of this hike around New Year's that took six hours and did not summit; this faster group of four (all strong hikers) made it. She took selfies with a tattered Chilean flag at the windy summit.

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Baptism of William (Triple Baptism)

February 15, 2026 · Coyhaique, Chile

Snapshot

William was baptized in Coyhaique on Sunday, February 15, 2026, one of three people baptized in a single service that ran over its time slot. William had been in and out of contact with missionaries for roughly seven years (his partner is a member) before deciding "now or never." Kaitlynn and Hermana Juncker met with him daily in the week leading up to the baptism. Reported in the February 16, 2026 family call.

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Transfer to Valdivia and Becomes Hermana Líder

February 23, 2026 · Valdivia, Chile (Calle-Calle, Martínez de Rosas sector)

Snapshot

On February 23, 2026, at the end of her year-plus in the far south, Kaitlynn transferred from Coyhaique to the Calle-Calle Valdivia area (Martínez de Rosas sector) and stepped into a sister-leadership role (hermana líder) for the first time. Her new companion was Hermana Artieda (Cristal Artieda), a native-Spanish-speaking Latina she trusted immediately. Valdivia is wetter and rainier than Coyhaique, which she had braced for.

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Kaitlynn Mission Extension Decision

March 16, 2026 · Valdivia, Chile

Snapshot

On March 16, 2026, during her interview with Presidente Mackay in Valdivia, Kaitlynn committed to extending her mission by one transfer (approximately six weeks). New return date: approximately September 2026 (the September 23, 2026 date that surfaces in later sources is likely the extended date, not the original - flagged for confirmation). The decision was prompted by an open "how are you" question from Mackay; Kaitlynn felt the quiet-thought-to-extend (which had been surfacing on and off for weeks) come back, and said it out loud. Mackay then revealed that he and Hermana Mackay had been talking about future leadership assignments and her name had been coming up, but the timing of her original release didn't quite fit; her extension resolved that. Kaitlynn is 95% sure of what comes next: one more transfer in Valdivia with a new companion (Hermana Artieda will transfer out), then probably three transfers in Puerto Montt as hermana AP (assistant to the president).

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Baptism of Rood

March 21, 2026 · Valdivia, Chile

Snapshot

Rood, a 13-going-on-14-year-old Haitian boy Kaitlynn and Hermana Artieda taught in Valdivia, was baptized in late March 2026 (reported as "this week" in the March 23 call and recapped in full on March 30). His grandmother had brought him from Haiti / the Dominican Republic to Chile about two years earlier; his mother was the family's main contact with the missionaries. The bishop performed the ordinance. (Exact date approximate, the weekend of ~March 21.)

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Baptism of Mauricio

March 28, 2026 · Valdivia, Chile

Snapshot

Mauricio, an adult convert Kaitlynn found her first week in Valdivia, was baptized in late March 2026 (about four weeks after they met) with Hermana Artieda. He had been smoking 30 cigarettes a day; with a step-down plan from the hermanas he quit entirely. By April 26 he passed the sacrament for the first time. Kaitlynn described his change from "darkness and sadness" to "a little ball of shy light." (Exact baptism date approximate, late March 2026.)

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Brad Wilcox Visit at Mission Leadership Conference

April 2, 2026 · Chile Puerto Montt Mission (zone leaders conference)

Snapshot

Brad Wilcox visited Kaitlynn's mission for a zone-leaders conference. He spent approximately 45 minutes with the zone leaders on Thursday morning, April 2, 2026. He spoke in Spanish, having served as a missionary in Chile himself. The visit fell within a broader mission-wide zone leadership conference that drew zone leaders from across the mission (Coyhaique, Valdivia, Castro).

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Kaitlynn Becomes Hermana Líder Viajera

May 18, 2026 · Puerto Montt, Chile

Snapshot

May 18, 2026 was the official start of Kaitlynn's calling as Hermana Líder Viajera (HLV) - the Chile Puerto Montt Mission's female analogue to assistant to the president. The role was announced to the mission the night before (Sunday May 17). Kaitlynn left her sector in Valdivia on Saturday May 16, traveled three and a half hours alone by bus to Puerto Montt, and arrived at the mission home compound on Sunday. She is in a trio with her trainer Hermana Snowder (who is two days from going home) and her new companion Hermana Figueredo (Eleonora Belén Figueredo) until Snowder departs.

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What the Role Entails

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Cross-references

Elder Costa Mission Tour and Zone Conferences

May 28, 2026 · Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Snapshot

Visiting authority Elder Costa, with Hermana Costa, conducted a mission tour of the Chile Puerto Montt Mission, anticipated across the May 25 and June 1 family calls (referred to then only as "the area Seventy") and reported as having happened in Kaitlynn's June 1 weekly email. Because the mission's 202 missionaries are spread very far apart, the multi-zone conferences were split into 2-3 separate conferences; as Hermana Líder Viajera, Kaitlynn attended both/all of them. She also had dinner with the Costas.

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Chiloé Day Trip

June 4, 2026 · Chiloé (Chile)

Snapshot

Kaitlynn took a day trip to the island of Chiloé, south of Puerto Montt, sometime the week before her June 8, 2026 call, recapping it as "I finally went to the island place." They traveled by bus and then crossed by ferry. She said the water was gorgeous and showed photos of the market, the bus driving onto the boat, and the crossing. The exact date was not captured; June 4 is an approximate placeholder within the June 1-8 window.

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Coyhaique / Aysén HLV Exchange Blitz

June 15, 2026 · Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén, Aysén Region (Chile)

Snapshot

As Hermana Líder Viajera, Kaitlynn flew into the Aysén Region for a multi-day exchange blitz with the sister leaders in Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén, beginning June 15, 2026. This was her first documented return to Coyhaique since she served there, and her first visit to Puerto Aysén. She had planned to be there only a couple of days and to fly back Wednesday, but the Wednesday flight was delayed and then canceled, with no flights available Thursday, so the companionship was stranded from Monday through Friday and returned to Puerto Montt on Friday (~June 19). The trip pushed back several other intercambio blitzes they had scheduled. The June 15 day was captured across four calls with Jason and Kristi, and Kaitlynn recapped the whole trip on the June 21 Father's Day call, where she said the upside was getting to see Carlos and Victoria again in the area where she had served.

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HLV Emergency Travel - Companionship Rescue (Punta Arenas and Coyhaique)

June 29, 2026 · Punta Arenas and Coyhaique

Snapshot

In late June 2026 (roughly June 26-29), President Mackay sent Kaitlynn and her companion Hermana Figueredo on emergency travel back to the south of the mission (Punta Arenas and Coyhaique) to keep a struggling sister and her companion from separating and to keep that sister from going home. The travel landed right at the end of a transfer cycle: the transfer call had already happened (June 28) and transfers were the next day (June 30). Kaitlynn reported the trip on the June 29 morning call from a Coyhaique pharmacy and again on the June 30 evening call after returning to Puerto Montt.

What happened

The struggling sister had been set on going home because she and her companion were not doing well. The companion training her was Hermana Artieda (a prior companion of Kaitlynn's), who Kaitlynn said had trained the sister harshly, treating her like a daughter incapable of doing anything. Artieda was ending her mission, so Kaitlynn framed it as short-term: the sister needed to hold on a few more days and give her new companion a chance. By the June 30 call Kaitlynn confirmed the sisters were going to stay in the mission, which had been the goal.

The trip doubled as a return to Kaitlynn's earliest areas. She revisited Punta Arenas, the first area of her mission, at the beginning of the week and had lunch with a member from the ward she started in, noting it had been about a year since she served there ("it feels like a lifetime ago"). In Coyhaique she went to church with her old ward, played the piano, attended a family home evening with the ward, and went again to a dinner with Carlos and Victoria. She and Figueredo flew back to Puerto Montt on June 29 (flight at 5:30 p.m., lunch with a member beforehand).

During the travel Kaitlynn met a German-Chilean man (Nicholas / Wilhelm) on a shuttle bus who became an interested gospel contact; see his People-Met note for that thread.

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Volcán Osorno Trip Turned Back by Wind

July 13, 2026 · Volcán Osorno, near Puerto Varas, Chile

Snapshot

On P-day, July 13, 2026, Kaitlynn went up Volcán Osorno with her companion, driven by a member. It was her third time on the volcano. They attempted a hike, reached the crest of the hill, and turned back because the wind was strong enough that it, in her words, genuinely almost carried them off the edge of the cliff. Afterward the member took them to a buffet lunch.

Details

Lead-up

On the morning call the same day, Kaitlynn told Jason and Kristi the trip was planned for that day: a member was driving, so the only cost was transportation, and they would be picked up around 10 and drive roughly halfway up the volcano before taking one of the trails. She said she had done Osorno twice before and that she wanted to see snow badly.

The trip

On a later call the same day, Kaitlynn reported the trip was done. She said she went to the volcano and went around, that they tried doing a hike, but that when they got to the crest of the hill the wind was so strong they had to go back, because it almost carried them off the edge of the cliff.

She did not say whether there was snow.

The lunch

Afterward they ate a late lunch at a buffet, paid for by the member. Present were Kaitlynn, her companion, the member, and a man who was part of the member's family but is not, because they broke up.

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