Hermana Heywood

Kaitlynn in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission

Evening Family Call with You (Valdivia), March 30, 2026

March 30, 2026 · Valdivia

Evening family call. You're leaving the next morning for a leadership council in Puerto Montt. Substantive new content: Rood's full baptism backstory.

Tomorrow's leadership council in Puerto Montt

You confirmed the trip:

You were wrestling with the council format - "everybody [speaks], it's like an actual council, like we all sit at tables." Mom flagged the value: "It's great that you're learning how to counsel and the value in that. When I was in college, the Counseling book by Elder Ballard came out - we would study it as a ward council with our bishop."

Your count: 9 zones; 4 leaders per zone = 36 leaders. Total mission size: ~200 missionaries.

The previous leadership council was held in your old Puerto Montt chapel - you got to see your old members there (the Venezuelan member who loved you, an hermana you call "Juez," a brother) but not Carlos and Victoria (they were in Coyhaique).

Your hair

A local lady just cut your hair - missed several spots; you were nice in your head but mentally critiquing. About 2 inches taken off (more than wanted). Feels healthier. You were doing your hair on camera for tomorrow's council.

Rood's full baptism story

The substantive narrative thread. Pieced together for Mom and me:

Pre-contact:

First contact:

The pullback:

The decision point:

Word of Wisdom transition:

Baptism:

Matteo (Rood's younger brother)

The 4-year-old "ball of energy" from the Mar 8 transcript. You typically wrestle with him during lessons so Hermana Artieda can actually teach Rood undistracted.

Alexa's re-audition for choir

Alexa joined the call. Asked you for advice for her re-audition with DeHaan. You:

"Be confident. Be yourself. If you're someone else in the audition and then yourself in class, he's going to wonder why he picked you. So just be yourself and be confident. If you didn't get in, don't take it personally - it's just an opportunity to grow and to learn. If you mess up, keep going. It's not 'I failed, it's all over.' Confidence looks like: if I fail, I'm going to keep going and keep trying."

For harmonizing practice: "Use hymns. One thing that really helped me with harmonizing was singing hymns, because in church I would always sing the harmony."

The audition format Alexa described: he plays random notes on the piano; she sings them in la. Then chords with two other people - Alexa felt flat / off on the chord part. "I felt like that ruined it." Holding a note for ten seconds (she did it, others stopped earlier; she's not sure if it was actually ten or short of breath).

Natalie's St. George spring break

Natalie's going to St. George for spring break with Megan (her friend who Natalie helped decorate Megan's room when Megan moved in). Megan recently decided to go on a mission and has been going back to church. You: "I'm the one who made her go on a mission apparently - I didn't know that." I had concerns about Natalie's spring break: shortened from her initial request after pushback. Natalie said she has to be an example because there will be temptation. I'm still uncertain.

Justin Brown update

My new hire: 26, four-month-old kid, RM, graduated BYU-Provo, returned to Utah from Texas for the Bamboo HR job. "Incredibly smart, doing very well." My favorite part of my job: "Seeing my team be successful in the things they're working towards."

Closing - Mom's "talk to all of them" encouragement

Mom's send-off: at the leadership council you should make a goal of talking to the couple of leaders you haven't met. "Sometimes when we are shy, it just comes across as snotty - and you're not snotty at all." You: "I only am when I'm sick. I think it will be good. I will make it a goal."

Cleanup Notes