Hermana Heywood

Kaitlynn in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Coyhaique Shopping + Reimbursement Call with You, December 22, 2025

December 22, 2025 · Coyhaique

Long Monday call. You walked me through your morning (a 6-mile run with the elders that landed you at a hilltop "Indian rock" and back, then a Mall Chino shopping trip for Christmas gift-exchange items). You had four baptismal dates this week and all four fell through. You framed it as a learning experience: "we're here, not to force people to get baptized; we're here to find the people who are ready." You have mastered sopaipillas, are obsessed with the local roscas / calzones rotos, and named a black street dog "Sheblon" - after the son of Alma the Younger, not the Antichrist (I looked it up).

Sopaipillas, roscas, and the activity

You now make sopaipillas without a recipe. Showed me a tray of roscas / calzones rotos - Chilean fried pastry treats - that were your contribution to a recent activity. Also showed video of an hermana who had to sing at the activity and dressed as an angel for it.

Sheblon the street dog

You and Juncker have named a black street dog Sheblon. You thought you had named him after one of the Antichrists in the Book of Mormon; I looked it up - Shiblon is actually a son of Alma the Younger, a good one. Sheblon followed you around tracting at first. By this call he had gotten beat up by other street dogs in the area, had wounds on his face, and was lying listless at a bus stop when you passed by - you went over to check that he was alive.

Four dropped fechas

All four baptismal dates this week fell through. Your framing:

"We're here, not to force people to get baptized. We're here to find the people who are ready to be baptized. So if they're not ready for just baptism, then they're not going to be ready for anything else."

Carmen (Coyhaique)'s December 28 baptism is still on.

The money mystery - lost $50 emergency fund

You realized you have been short ~$50 because you used your emergency fund in Punta Arenas to buy furniture and never asked for reimbursement at the time. By call's end you also realized you could not find the cash anywhere. I coached you: do your best to send what you have; if you can't find it, you can't find it.

The Mall Chino shopping trip - Christmas gift exchange

Walking through Mall Chino with the phone on. Christmas gift exchange in your zone, minimum spend ~$10. You were buying for Hermana Hansen (she lives "close to Bryson" / "was neighbors with Bryson" - flagged in cleanup). Picked out a mug with a funny message ("suggest you like me") and a small Stanley dupe knockoff. Many product asides - fake Crocs at $11, lingerie at the front of the store (sketchy), random objects, music you hated (Spanish pop talking about "green guys").

Carlos and Victoria - the Sunday-night dinner tradition

You confirmed: every Tuesday you and Juncker have lunch with Carlos and Victoria (Victoria is Relief Society president; Carlos is on the district presidency; they own your apartment and at least one of the elders' apartments). Sunday dinners with them start around 7-8 PM and run until 10-11 PM.

Spanish frustration

You: "I'm just running in circles. I'm kind of maintaining, but I'm not really improving." Don't want to teach Juncker bad grammar by example. Want to know more words and better grammar to discuss broader subjects beyond gospel basics.

My framing: try drills. Specifically - write down phrases throughout the day that you hear and didn't quite catch right; review the list briefly at the beginning and end of each day; rotate categories (Chilean phrases one day, gospel-discussion phrases another, scripture phrases another) to keep it fresh. I offered to email the suggestion in writing.

The "super gringa accent" hit

Late in the call: a Latino told you today that you have a "super gringa accent." Me: "Don't take it to heart. It's a cultural thing - they like to be stupid." You: "Yeah, okay then."

The reimbursement marathon (with ChatGPT)

Substantive working session. You took new photos of every Punta Arenas receipt you still had (curtains bought June 23, partially returned June 24, replacement cortinas; office chairs; etc.), I uploaded them to ChatGPT (my new Pro subscription), and we worked through what was actually owed. The reimbursement total appears to be about $100 cash actually paid out of pocket - $50 of which was your emergency money, the other $50 from your normal stipend. We drafted a polite Spanish message to the mission office finance contact via ChatGPT, including the line about "evidence that I'm trying to be obedient with money I spend" and "receipts that were saved carefully." The mission office contact had already responded by the time we sent it. I saved you the file + link to the document.

Mason - almost 5'2"

Quick family chatter: Mason is almost 5'2"; Natalie 5'2"; you 5'3"; Mom 5'8" ("five-eight-and-a-neck-surgery"); me 5'8.5"; Bryson at least taller than me. Me: "It's the life goal of any one of my boys that they are at least taller than dad. If they're at least taller than dad, doesn't matter."

Closing

Christmas day call confirmed. Sign-off.

Cleanup Notes