Hermana Heywood

Kaitlynn in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Evening Call with You (Coyhaique, First Week), December 8, 2025

December 8, 2025 · Coyhaique

Evening call same day as the morning one. Three big threads: tech support (you wanted me to walk you through Google Chat spaces because Juncker is trying to set one up for her family back home and Juncker's mom won't make a Facebook account); a real-world money problem (Juncker's mission card is locked, the mission office has gone silent all day, and you've been bankrolling everything from your own ~$300 monthly stipend - down to about $50 and genuinely stressed); and a virtual Christmas tree tour from the home side, with Mom showing every ornament including your "in loving memory" photo positioned at the very top of the tree.

Google Chat tech support

Hermana Juncker wants to make a group chat for her family using Google Chat - her mom won't create a Facebook account. You asked me to walk you through creating a "space." I shared screen, walked you through making one called "space jam," invited you, then walked you through creating one yourself from the Chrome OS interface (Juncker uses a Chromebook). We worked out the invite flow successfully, and you closed by reciting the steps back so Juncker could follow.

The money problem - Juncker's card locked

Substantive. Hermana Juncker's mission card is locked. The card has money on it visible in her balance, but she can't access it. You have been paying for everything yourself out of your ~$300 monthly stipend: $20 ATM withdrawal fee + $20 cab + $20 Uber to the airport, on top of food for both of you. You started the month with $300, withdrew $250 of it as cash, kept $50 as emergency. Down to a few dollars cash plus about $50 in account. You and Juncker texted the mission office that morning but the contact has been silent all day even though he's been responsive about other things.

My coaching: - "It's no big deal if you need money - there's ways we can get you money." - Tomorrow morning, call the mission office (don't text). Get someone on the phone. Get an actual response. - Even if no fix comes immediately, knowing they're actively working on it changes the felt experience. - I framed it: write me an email with bulleted concerns, and I can write back with context and ideas.

Your reframe: "He's trying to teach me that I'm going to be dirt poor in a couple years when I get married, and that I have to trust him, and that I'm not going to be able to buy Oreos." I said: "I think the Lord is pretty much telling you that is the worst, so just get used to it."

Sunburn and brutal spring UV

70 degrees F day; you forgot mate because you were fasting in the morning and then had terere instead. You got sunburned. The spring UV in Coyhaique is much higher than you're used to.

Hermana Juncker's family problems

Juncker is privately stressed because of family problems back home. You don't know how to help. I said: there isn't much you can do beyond just be kind and loving; my trainer's parents got divorced on his mission and the thing that brought peace was the gospel itself.

"Hookered" by flaite teens

You and Juncker walked past a group of "flaite" (Chilean equivalent of gang-adjacent / sketchy) teens. They called out greetings; you played along in Spanish. The teens insisted you weren't from Chile; you insisted you were - first Santiago, then Punta Arenas. They asked your age; you dodged. Eventually you told them you were missionaries. You also messed with them on names. I said: "That's dangerous." You said: "They weren't, like, flaite-flaite. They were just random teenagers."

Wins list - I redirect

You said: "I feel like such a failure today, Dad."

I said: zoom out, count blessings. You got to see your area, you got to see how pretty things were. The weather was good. Pause when it gets to be too much; text in the chat; we can hop on a video call. That's okay.

Monica + Jose - investigators

The local chapel is small - "you could fit it inside the gym at the stake center." You and I talked about how the branch chapels in Chile, while small outside, look the same as any other LDS chapel inside. ("It's the same as every other church.")

"We live on top of a house"

I found your apartment on Street View. The unit is built on the roof of another house. You confirmed: "Because we're Chileans. Everything is changai." The Coyhaique chapel is about a 30-minute walk away. No mission cars in this mission.

Christmas tree tour from the home side

Mom pulled the phone around the tree. Your "in loving memory" photo is at the very top in the place of honor. Various ornaments highlighted including Bryson's mission ornament tradition continuing, the family penguins, the "made on purpose to be poop" piece Mason and Natalie added, the ornament with Bryson's friend Isaac Leacha's oldest son's wedding photo from last year, and an "Amazon Christmas" gag. You said: "There's no Christmas without you. You can just put all the decorations away."

Hermana Snowder, briefly - the running memory

Discussing exercise time with Juncker, you mentioned that during your training with Hermana Snowder, you had felt bad and worthless on mornings when Snowder wanted to exercise - Snowder was a runner who wanted to go, you were slow and were holding her up during planning. Snowder never said anything, but you could tell. Now you are worried about being the same kind of trainer who silently pressures her trainee.

Closing - email the president

Reminder to email Presidente Mackay (the Monday tradition). You said: "Oh, I forgot that I do that on Mondays." Brief revisit of the pre-mission peer email - my standing direction: just be honest when you do reply. Sign-off.

Cleanup Notes