People
Carlos and Victoria
Snapshot
Coyhaique ward family who effectively adopted Kaitlynn and Hermana Juncker during their transfer there. Carlos serves in the district presidency; Victoria is the Relief Society president. They also own the hermanas' apartment (and at least one of the elders' apartments). Their home is the center of the Coyhaique missionary social rhythm - Tuesday lunches and Sunday dinners that routinely run from 7-8 PM until past 11. Kaitlynn ordered a BYU hoodie from Amazon for Carlos after his face lit up seeing hers. When Kaitlynn left her Coyhaique transfer, Carlos showed no visible emotion, which prompted family-call reflection on whether he was guarding his heart against the missionary turnover or whether something else was going on.
Details
- Calling - Carlos: District presidency (Coyhaique).
- Calling - Victoria: Relief Society president.
- Landlords: Own Kaitlynn's apartment and at least one of the elders' apartments.
- Sunday dinner tradition: Standing weekly dinner for the missionaries starting ~7-8 PM and running until 10-11 PM. Routinely the whole district and zone leadership attended.
- Tuesday lunch tradition: Standing weekly lunch with Kaitlynn and Juncker.
- BYU hoodie gift: Carlos's face lit up the first time he saw Kaitlynn wearing hers. Victoria later told Kaitlynn that Carlos really wanted one. Kaitlynn and Jason ordered him one from Amazon in January 2026 along with a skirt for Victoria.
- Spanish check-in habit (Victoria): After Kaitlynn left for Puerto Montt zone conference in January, Victoria texted Kaitlynn via WhatsApp asking if she got home safely - the text came through to Kaitlynn's Google Voice number on Jason's phone, who at first thought it was a creepy elder.
- Re-visit (Jun 2026): On her HLV exchange blitz back to the Coyhaique area, Kaitlynn got to see Carlos and Victoria again in person; she called it "super fun and cool" (Jun 21, 2026 call).
- Goodbye moment (Mar 2026): When Kaitlynn left her Coyhaique transfer, Carlos showed no visible emotion. Kaitlynn felt the goodbye underwhelmingly transactional. She wrote him a note. Family hypothesized either heart-guarding against missionary turnover or that Carlos simply doesn't display emotion at goodbyes.
Sources
- 2025-12-08_transcript_coyhaique-first-week-evening (Christmas plans - helping Victoria cook dinner)
- 2025-12-22_transcript_kaitlynn-shopping-call (Tuesday + Sunday dinner tradition; running until 11 PM)
- 2026-01-12_transcript_kristi-birthday-call (BYU hoodie shopping; Victoria check-in text)
- 2026-01-18_transcript_jason-birthday-call (Victoria's Spanish WhatsApp text)
- 2026-03-02_transcript_natalie-mission-decision (Carlos's no-emotion goodbye when Kaitlynn left Coyhaique)
- 2026-06-15_transcript_kaitlynn-coyhaique-blitz-day (passing - Kaitlynn showed a photo of Carlos and Victoria's house while back in the Coyhaique area on her HLV blitz)
- 2026-06-21_transcript_kaitlynn-fathers-day-call (Kaitlynn saw Carlos and Victoria again in person during the Coyhaique/Aysén blitz; "super fun and cool")
- 2026-06-22_transcript_kaitlynn-weekly-call (passing - recapping the extended Coyhaique trip, Kaitlynn said she got to see Carlos and Victoria again and that she hid "the sweater" from them)
- 2026-06-22_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call (passing - Kaitlynn corrected Jason that Carlos and Victoria are the Coyhaique branch/stake-presidency host family, not connected to her old Punta Arenas apartment)
- 2026-06-22_email_kaitlynn-weekly-good-day-to-repent (weekly email: listed visiting Carlos and Victoria and having lunch with them during the Coyhaique trip)
- 2026-06-29_transcript_kaitlynn-emergency-travel-call (passing - "got to actually go to the dinner again" while back in the Coyhaique area on emergency travel)
- 2026-06-30_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call (went to the dinner again with Carlos and Victoria in Coyhaique, "fun as always"; Kaitlynn distinguished that spiritually rich environment from the two immature departing elders who were the problem that night)
Carmen (Coyhaique)
Snapshot
Investigator in Coyhaique with a baptismal date for December 28, 2025. She literally found Kaitlynn and Hermana Juncker on the street the second week of December - walked past, asked if they were the missionaries, and they ended up giving her a Book of Mormon on the spot. After a rough first week of failed meet-ups (Carmen was sick that Sunday), they finally connected via video call on a Saturday and put the baptismal date directly during the call: Kaitlynn asked "do you want to get baptized?" and Carmen said "okay, sounds good." She came to church the following Sunday for the first hour. She knows how to make hand rolls (deep-fried sushi rolls) and has offered to make them for the hermanas. Distinct from Carmen (Punta Arenas) - Kaitlynn noted: "the first person I put a fecha with [in Punta Arenas], her name was Carmen too - like mother, like daughter."
Outcome
The December 28, 2025 baptism did not happen. Per the January 5, 2026 call, Carmen blocked the hermanas. Kaitlynn and Juncker stopped teaching her.
Note: on the February 16, 2026 call Kaitlynn's baptism tally included a line that sounded like "here [in Coyhaique] I baptized William and Carmen." That does not refer to this Carmen, who was never baptized. The reference is either a misstatement or a conflation with Carmen (Punta Arenas), the convert Kaitlynn found in her first area who was baptized in the ocean later in 2025.
Sources
- 2025-12-15_transcript_kaitlynn-morning
- 2026-01-05_transcript_kaitlynn-coyhaique-summer (Carmen blocked them; baptism did not happen)
Carmen (Punta Arenas)
Snapshot
Investigator and later convert in Punta Arenas. First person to receive a baptismal date from Kaitlynn (week 2 in the field). Aunt of Rodrigo. Attended Rodrigo's baptism on May 19, 2025 wearing all white in support, with tears streaming, telling Kaitlynn: "It's going to be me next!" She was later baptized in the ocean in Punta Arenas, after Kaitlynn had transferred out of the area. Note: distinct person from Carmen in Coyhaique.
Details
- Received a baptismal date in early April 2025 (Kaitlynn's week 2 in the field).
- May 2025: facing personal opposition from multiple directions but pressing forward.
- May 19, 2025 (Rodrigo's baptism): attended in all white; tears streaming; "It's going to be me next!"
- Baptized in the ocean in Punta Arenas, after Kaitlynn transferred out (referenced on the Nov 27, 2025 call, where Kaitlynn showed a photo of "a lady that I found in my very first transfer, and she just got baptized in the ocean," and counted by Kristi as one Kaitlynn found). Exact date not pinned; "just got baptized" on Nov 27 suggests roughly late 2025. Kaitlynn's own deliberate baptism tally (the Mar 9, 2026 email) lists only those she was present to baptize (Rodrigo, Yasdiel, Yilver, William) and so does not include Carmen, who was baptized after Kaitlynn left the area.
Sources
- 2025-04-07_email_kaitlynn-weekly-more-dogs-than-people
- 2025-04-21_email_kaitlynn-weekly-call-me-messi
- 2025-05-13_email_kaitlynn-weekly-mothers-day
- 2025-05-19_email_kaitlynn-weekly-baptisms-rodrigo-yasdiel
- 2025-11-27_transcript_thanksgiving-family-call - Kaitlynn showed a photo of "a lady that I found in my very first transfer, and she just got baptized in the ocean." Punta Arenas + first-transfer + recent ocean baptism identifies Carmen (not named explicitly on the call, but high-confidence)
- 2026-02-16_transcript_william-baptism-day - Kristi counts Carmen among those Kaitlynn found and who were baptized
Cristian J Gervic
Snapshot
Mission President of the Chile Puerto Montt Mission when Kaitlynn arrived in March 2025. He met her and Hermana Snowder at the mission office in Puerto Montt on her first day in the field. Concluded his tenure approximately June 2025; succeeded by Presidente Mackay. Kaitlynn last saw him for a goodbye at zone conference in Puerto Montt the week of Jun 9, 2025, plus final entrevistas during that same period.
Details
Contact information from the original travel itinerary:
- Office: +56 64 232754
- Home: 237644
Timeline with Kaitlynn
- 2025-03-25 - Met Kaitlynn at mission office, Puerto Montt, on her field arrival.
- 2025-04-09 - Heard from him at Kaitlynn's first zone conference; "felt his and Hermana Gervic's love."
- ~2025-05-04 - Spoke at zone conference where Kaitlynn was when the Punta Arenas tsunami warning hit.
- ~2025-05 - Complimented Kaitlynn's Spanish (per her May 5 weekly).
- ~2025-06-09 - Said goodbye at zone conference in Puerto Montt; final entrevistas.
- Succeeded by Presidente Mackay; first explicit mention of Mackay in Kaitlynn's emails is October 13, 2025.
- 2026-04-20 - Referenced as the mission president under whom a struggling hermana (returned to the mission after a year off for health) was originally trained. Kaitlynn noted "she was with President in Gervic, and I think a lot of things have changed."
Sources
Familia Ruiz
Snapshot
A Punta Arenas ward family who fully adopted Kaitlynn and her companions as their own. Kaitlynn calls them her "chileano family." They helped the missionaries buy and measure furniture, cooked for them, and hosted Mía's birthday party with the missionaries as the only guests. Kaitlynn cried saying goodbye when she transferred to Puerto Montt and still references them as one of her deepest mission relationships.
Members
- Carol - key figure; helped the missionaries with furniture shopping and measurement.
- Jose - also helped with furniture; husband of Carol.
- Hermana Anita - grandmother-figure; had the missionaries sit in the kitchen and chat while she cooked their lunch.
- Mía - young daughter; her birthday party invited only the missionaries.
Details
- After Kaitlynn left Punta Arenas (July 2025), she glimpsed Hermana Carol via video call in October 2025 during another ward's baptism - emotional moment.
- Kaitlynn says of saying goodbye: "I cried, a lot."
Sources
Hermana Bennett
Snapshot
Younger hermana in Kaitlynn's Valdivia zone. Kaitlynn's intercambio partner during the period when they first invited Mauricio to be baptized. Bennett was the one who pushed Mauricio off the step-down quit-smoking plan and onto cold turkey, which worked - see Mauricio's note for the full arc.
Details
- Role: Younger hermana in Kaitlynn's zone in Valdivia (2026).
- Notable moment: With Kaitlynn on exchanges (Mar-Apr 2026) when they first invited Mauricio to commit to a baptismal date. Originally Kaitlynn proposed a step-down quit-smoking plan (30 → 20 → 10 → 1 → none). Bennett pushed Mauricio to just quit cold turkey: "No, you're going to stop now. You're going to cut dry - not smoke anymore." He agreed, then smoked 6 the next day, 5 the day after, then never again (with one minor relapse he confessed to the bishop).
Open questions
- First name: Not stated.
- Companion / role title: Not stated whether she is a regular hermana, district leader, sister training leader, etc.
Sources
- 2026-04-06_transcript_kaitlynn-easter-transfer-eve - first appearance. Kaitlynn lists Bennett as staying in her Los Cinos district through the transfer; mentions that the incoming Hermana Stewart "used to be Hermana Bennett's comp."
- 2026-04-27_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call
Hermana Hansen
Snapshot
Hermana Hansen has shown up across multiple of Kaitlynn's areas: as Kaitlynn's intercambio partner in mid-2025, and as the Aysén zone hermana leader covering Coyhaique when Kaitlynn arrived there in December 2025. Kaitlynn calls her "my best hermana leader" (with the caveat: "partially true"). She's the source of the running Chilean nickname "Watón" - colloquial for pot-bellied/plump - which she applies to nearly everyone, including her own companion and Kaitlynn.
Details
- 2025 intercambios: Hansen was Kaitlynn's intercambio partner in mid-2025 (June timeframe).
- Aysén zone leader, Dec 2025: When Kaitlynn arrived in Coyhaique, Hansen was the zone hermana leader for the Aysén zone. She visited Kaitlynn the first week and joined the December 8 morning call to Jason in person.
- "Watón" nickname: Hansen calls everyone "Watón" - Chilean colloquial for pot-bellied/plump/"big back." Not derogatory in her usage. She calls her own companion the same.
- Her companion (as of Dec 2025): a Peruvian sister, going home in April 2026 - extended her mission by one transfer (Latina sisters often hit 19 months because their CCM is only ~3 weeks).
- Sense of humor: Asked Jason on the Dec 8 video call whether he was Kaitlynn's dad or her brother.
Sources
- 2025-12-08_transcript_coyhaique-first-week-morning
- Earlier emails referencing her Jun 2025 intercambios - not yet ingested at the wiki layer; cross-reference when those are processed.
Hermana Patterson
Snapshot
Hermana in Kaitlynn's Coyhaique district as of Dec 2025. The Hurricane, Utah connection that surfaced unexpectedly during the December 15 morning call: Patterson's mom is Holly Hinton, who graduated from Hurricane High School in 2001 - the same school Jason graduated from in 1996. Jason pulled out his yearbook on the video call and confirmed he knew Holly Hinton. Patterson's grandpa was Harold Hinton (librarian at Hurricane High). The two families have non-overlapping branches but the small-town connection is unmistakable.
Details
- Where Kaitlynn knew her before transfer: Per the Dec 1 transfer-eve call, Kaitlynn already knew Patterson before arriving in Coyhaique (Patterson is one of the people Kaitlynn listed when explaining who was already in her new district).
- Hometown: Hurricane, Utah. Lives near Three Falls Elementary; family moved there from Logan when she was four.
- Mom: Holly Hinton-Patterson (maiden name Hinton; 2001 Hurricane High grad).
- Maternal grandpa: Harold Hinton - librarian at Hurricane High School.
- Maternal aunts/uncles: Ollie, Angela, Eric, Lori, Holly (her mom). Eric was at Hurricane High in roughly Jason's era.
Sources
- 2025-12-01_transcript_kaitlynn-transfer-call (Kaitlynn knew her before transfer; named her among Coyhaique district contacts)
- 2025-12-15_transcript_kaitlynn-morning (Hurricane-Hinton-Heywood connection surfaced; Jason confirmed via yearbook)
Lucio
Snapshot
Elderly convert in Coyhaique. One of Kaitlynn's favorite people from the mission - "He's such a cute little guy. He's literally my favorite person." Going deaf; gold-rimmed glasses; needed Kaitlynn and Hermana Juncker's help figuring out his phone. The first time he hears something he often makes them repeat it because he can't quite get it.
Details
- Hometown / area: Coyhaique, Chile.
- Going deaf: Kaitlynn yells everything to him.
- Glasses: gold-rimmed.
- Phone help: A recurring activity for Kaitlynn and Juncker; he doesn't know how to use his phone and asks them to help.
- Affection from Kaitlynn: she keeps coming back to photos of him on family calls (Dec 29, Jan 18) with deep affection - "He's such a cute little guy."
Sources
Mauricio
Snapshot
Convert in Valdivia found during Kaitlynn's first week in the area (mid-March 2026), baptized with Kaitlynn and Hermana Artieda roughly four weeks later (early April 2026), and now passing the sacrament for the first time on Sunday April 26, 2026. He had been smoking 30 cigarettes a day when Kaitlynn met him; quit cold turkey on a Word of Wisdom progression. One brief relapse a couple weeks later that he confessed to the bishop before mentioning it to the hermanas. Kaitlynn describes the visible change as going from "just darkness and sadness" to "this little ball of shy light." Social anxiety. Jason thinks he looks like Matt Fusano (Herriman ward).
Details
Pre-contact
- Mauricio had read the Book of Mormon back in 2019 - a fact he did not share with the hermanas until a few days before the April 27, 2026 call, when he finally mentioned it. He had been spiritually prepared for years before Kaitlynn and Hermana Artieda showed up at his door.
The quit-smoking arc
- Initial habit: 30 cigarettes a day at the time of contact.
- First plan (Kaitlynn + Hermana Bennett, on intercambios when they first invited him to be baptized): step-down from 30 → 20 → 10 → 1 → none. Per the Mar 9, 2026 call Kaitlynn confirmed mid-arc progress: Mauricio had stepped down from 30/day to 6/day, with one slip that required pushing the baptismal date back briefly.
- Pivot to cold turkey (Hermana Bennett): "No, you're going to stop now. You're going to cut dry - not smoke anymore." Mauricio agreed to try.
- Quit date (approximately March 6, 2026): Per the Mar 23, 2026 family call, Mauricio had completely quit smoking two and a half weeks earlier. He reported the result with literal gratitude: "My pockets thank you because I was buying cigarettes every day." Reading the Book of Mormon every day; already in 4 Nephi.
- Execution: 6 the next day, 5 the day after, then never again - with one relapse a couple weeks before April 27, which he confessed to the bishop before telling the hermanas. Kaitlynn's read: "That's exactly what he should have done."
Baptism
- Baptized by Kaitlynn and Hermana Artieda, approximately early April 2026 (about four weeks after Kaitlynn arrived in Valdivia in mid-March).
Passing the sacrament for the first time
- Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026.
- Kaitlynn shared a video on the April 27 evening call to Jason; the video captured Mauricio's "funny little smile" - the half-expression he makes when trying to push past his social anxiety but only partly succeeding.
Personality and inner state
- "Just trying so hard."
- Social anxiety; markedly shy.
- Described by Kaitlynn (Apr 27 evening) as "incredible," "a little ball of shy light," and (about the change since first contact) "darkness and sadness" → present joy.
- Jason's pattern-match: looks like Matt Fusano (Herriman ward).
Sources
- 2026-03-09_transcript_kaitlynn-valdivia-monday (step-down arc mid-progress; 30/day → 6/day; pushed date back)
- 2026-03-23_transcript_family-call (Mauricio cold-quit confirmed at 2.5 weeks; reading Book of Mormon to 4 Nephi)
- 2026-04-27_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call
- Earlier weekly emails from Mar/Apr 2026 likely reference the baptismal date and baptism - not yet ingested into this wiki layer; cross-reference when those are processed.
Monica
Snapshot
Investigator in Coyhaique with a baptismal date as of Kaitlynn's first week in the area (Dec 2025). Lives about a 30-minute walk from the chapel.
Open questions
- Outcome of baptism not yet confirmed in any later source ingested at the wiki layer.
Sources
Nicholas
Snapshot
A German-Chilean man Kaitlynn met on a shuttle bus during her late-June 2026 emergency travel to the south of the mission. He grew up in Chile speaking Spanish and German, then learned English (no German accent), and looks, in Kaitlynn's words, very German, "like a missionary." He goes by his first name, Nicholas, in Chile and his second name, Wilhelm, elsewhere, so the elders knew him as Nicholas while Kaitlynn first knew him as Wilhelm. Surname not captured. Promoted from a glossary passing-mention after recurring in the July 13 call.
Details
- How they met: On a shuttle bus during Kaitlynn's emergency travel, he spoke to her in fluent English (better than her own, she said) and asked if she was one of those missionaries. She invited him to church and got his WhatsApp.
- His situation: Was visiting family in Chile (where he grew up) for a few weeks, moving between towns, before going to study in Europe.
- Church contact: Attended church in his home town, met "Elder Young" and "Brother Stanford" there, and sent Kaitlynn a voice message (played on the June 30 call) expressing intent to connect with the Church. Wants to be baptized "in his grandpa's church"; asked Kaitlynn how the one-true-church claim fits the Bible, and she told him to go ask the missionaries, which he did.
- July update: Half-asleep, Kaitlynn texted him again asking for his address to pass to missionaries. He replied that he had just reached Amsterdam and thanked her sincerely (which Figueredo teased her about). Kaitlynn thought she had just sent him some scriptures. Her plan remains to send him a scripture about Jesus and connect him with missionaries wherever he lands in Europe (Amsterdam / Germany).
Sources
- 2026-06-30_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call - the origin story; his voice message played on the call.
- 2026-07-13_transcript_kaitlynn-morning-call - the follow-up text exchange; he had reached Amsterdam.
Cleanup Notes
- Surname not captured in any source. "Elder Young" / "Brother Stanford" are as he named them in his voice message; identities not confirmed.
Presidente Mackay
Snapshot
Mission President of the Chile Puerto Montt Mission, succeeding Cristian J Gervic approximately June 2025. First named explicitly in Kaitlynn's email of October 13, 2025. Kaitlynn describes interviews with him as "mini wisdom sessions" and speaks of him with genuine warmth ("I love prezzy Mackay!"). His emphasis: putting all of heart, strength, mind, and soul into the work, taking it paso a paso [step by step].
Details
- Successor to: President Gervic (concluded approximately June 2025).
- First explicit mention: October 13, 2025.
- At the Dec 2025 zone conference, Elder and Sister Walker of the Seventy attended alongside him.
- Dec 2025 interview: asked Kaitlynn directly where she wanted to be assigned next transfer.
- Cerro Mackay (mountain near Coyhaique) is named unrelated to him.
- "Second dad" (Kaitlynn, Dec 8, 2025 morning call): "I love President with all of my heart. That man is like a second dad to me."
- Family: His youngest daughter left on a mission to Argentina around late 2025. Wife is Hermana Mackay. His parents are serving in the Chile Puerto Montt Mission as a senior couple as of June 2026 (per Kaitlynn's June 8 call - she joked about him being "the president of his parents").
- Dec 29, 2025 interview: Confirmed Kaitlynn stays in Coyhaique another transfer with Juncker. Then said something he flagged as probably-shouldn't-say: every time the mission leadership council has discussed who the next hermana AP might be, Kaitlynn's name has come up. "Your peers have respect for you. Hermana Mackay has respect for you. And the Lord has respect for you." Kaitlynn herself doubts it will happen but the framing was significant.
-
Mar 23, 2026 email (one week after the Mar 16 interview): Mackay emailed Kaitlynn to thank her for the testimony she shared in the interview and confirm her new release date. Full quote: "Thank you for the remarkably powerful testimony you shared with us during our interview. That's a moment I know I will never forget. Thank you for extending your official release date to September 23, 2026, and I'm excited for what the Lord has in store for you." Read aloud on the Mar 23 family call.
-
Mar 16, 2026 interview: The mission-extension interview. Mackay opened with "how are you"; Kaitlynn rambled; in the rambling she committed to extending her mission by one transfer. Mackay visibly reacted ("this feels right"); explained that he and Hermana Mackay had been planning future leadership assignments, her name kept coming up, and her original release date didn't fit - the extension resolved that. He asked her to think about it for three weeks; she told him she'd already decided. He told her her next transfer would have a new companion (Artieda transferring out), then probably three transfers in Puerto Montt as hermana AP. Same interview: Kaitlynn shared her atonement-of-Christ testimony from her recent study; both cried. Mackay then referenced the moment (without naming her) in his stake conference talk that week - opened with how a missionary had testified to him in interview that the atonement is real.
Sources
- 2025-10-13_email_kaitlynn-weekly-volcan-friends-flojo
- 2025-11-10_email_kaitlynn-weekly-9-meses
- 2025-12-08_transcript_coyhaique-first-week-morning
- 2025-12-16_email_kaitlynn-weekly-law-of-chastity
- 2025-12-29_transcript_kaitlynn-mackay-interview (the hermana-AP-possibility framing; Kaitlynn stays with Juncker another transfer)
- 2026-03-16_transcript_mission-extension-decision (the mission-extension interview; atonement testimony moment; stake conference reference; AP path confirmed)
- 2026-03-23_transcript_family-call (Mackay's email confirming extended release date + thanking Kaitlynn for her testimony; read aloud)
- 2025-12-29_email_kaitlynn-weekly-be-gods-hands
- 2026-03-16_email_kaitlynn-weekly-flower-emoji
- 2026-05-18_transcript_kaitlynn-morning-call - Kaitlynn asked Mackay for a father's blessing (scheduled Thursday May 21, 2026) because Jason cannot give one through a camera. Her stated reason: "I don't know what I'm doing here, and I want to be able to have a clear mind and remember things." Mackay-created HLV role confirmed Kaitlynn-side; Kaitlynn believes the office will be retained going forward. Weekly meetings at the president's house begin.
- 2026-06-08_transcript_kaitlynn-morning-call - Kaitlynn mentioned that Mackay's parents are currently serving in the mission as a senior couple.
- 2026-05-25_transcript_kaitlynn-memorial-day-call - Kaitlynn quoted Mackay's blessing-story (newly-ordained Seventy + general authority on God preparing anybody for any calling) as the anchor for her own calling-theology reflection. She referenced Mackay as the working example of her "leader different" reframe: she has never felt like a burden to him for asking for something, even though he is incredibly busy. Going to the president's house that evening for the standing weekly meeting (us, the APs, the president, and Hermana Mackay).
- 2026-06-08_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call - Mackay gave Kaitlynn permission to drive a mission vehicle over the APs' objection; Kaitlynn tied this to his emphasis on making the women in the church feel equal to the men ("if they can, why can't you?"). His parents (the mission's office senior couple) are going to visit the Falkland Islands, where they speak English, to see how the missionaries there are doing.
- 2026-06-15_transcript_kaitlynn-coyhaique-blitz-day - Kaitlynn described Mackay opening many long-closed areas across the mission (Coyhaique for sisters, Chile Chico, Chaitén after ~30 years with an elder as branch president, Futaleufú, Palena, Hornopirén, Puerto Williams, the Falkland Islands), framed as God hastening His work; she thinks the mission may be split. Also showed an exercise video Mackay made to encourage the missionaries to exercise.
- 2026-06-22_transcript_kaitlynn-evening-call - Kaitlynn said she did not write the president her weekly letter because she had had an interview with him the day before (~June 21) and did not feel it necessary; he had answered an earlier email of hers by noting "we talked yesterday." Interview content not described.
Rood
Snapshot
13-going-on-14 Haitian convert in Valdivia. Found by Hermana Artieda and her previous companion while looking for friends to teach (they kept seeing Rood riding his bike around the neighborhood). Came to church his first week; baptismal date set in lesson 2; pulled back after talking to his mom (thought he had to be perfect post-baptism); hermanas gave him a week of space, fasted and prayed; he agreed to take lessons again. The turning point: attending an 8-year-old's baptism in another ward - "if this little kid can get baptized and it's okay, I can get baptized and it'll be okay." Accepted a new date, gave up coffee (substituted Chilean Echo and hot chocolate), committed to Word of Wisdom / Law of Chastity / tithing, and was baptized in mid-March 2026 by the Valdivia bishop. Still excited at the time of the Mar 30 family call.
Details
- Family situation: Parents divorced. Dad lives in Boston. Mom lives in Chile with Rood and his 4-year-old brother Matteo and Rood's grandma.
- Origin: From Haiti or the Dominican Republic. Moved to Chile ~2 years ago.
- Languages: Speaks French / Haitian Creole at home with grandma; Spanish with the missionaries.
- Grandma: Speaks only French / Creole. Doesn't speak Spanish well.
- Mom: The family member the missionaries usually interact with. She herself doesn't take the lessons.
- Younger brother: Matteo (4yo). Kaitlynn typically wrestles with him during lessons so Artieda can teach Rood undistracted. (Mar 8 transcript renders this name as "Mathel" - same kid; auto-transcript error.)
- Coffee → Echo / hot chocolate: He had been drinking coffee. Hermanas bought him Echo (Chilean coffee substitute) and hot chocolate as alternatives. He accepted the Word of Wisdom commitment.
- Baptism: Performed by the Valdivia bishop in mid-March 2026.
Sources
- 2026-03-08_transcript_kaitlynn-valdivia-arrival (first reference to the 13yo Haitian boy and his little brother)
- 2026-03-23_transcript_family-call (baptism mentioned - "we actually didn't want to get baptized because he got scared")
- 2026-03-30_transcript_family-call (full baptism backstory; name spelled out; Matteo named)
William
Snapshot
Coyhaique convert baptized February 15, 2026 as part of a triple baptism Kaitlynn participated in. The arc was unusually long and unusually fast at the end: he had been in-and-out of contact with missionaries for ~7+ years (his partner is a member, unmarried), barely engaged until early February 2026 when the elders put him on a baptismal date during a group lesson, then went silent for two weeks (sending only high-on-drugs videos), then walked into another baptism's last five minutes on February 8 and decided "now or never." The elders set him a new date for the following Sunday (Feb 15) and dumped daily-check-in responsibility on Kaitlynn and Juncker for the week - sick or not - to keep him on the wagon. He showed up; he was baptized.
The other unforgettable detail of the baptism is his young daughter, who attached to Kaitlynn at the piano during the prelude and told her "I love you" unprompted in the hall afterward. The girl's family situation is hard (parents unmarried-separating, mom on drugs; she's only with William half the time). She asked Kaitlynn during the service: "When my dad gets baptized, can I be at your side?"
Details
- Long pre-contact: ~7+ years off-and-on with missionaries; never pulled the trigger.
- Partner: A member of the church (unmarried - pareja in Spanish - though Kaitlynn was careful to note this is a translation issue, not a same-sex thing).
- Drug history: Active during the two-week silence between the first date and the decision. Sent Kaitlynn and Juncker videos of himself high in remote wilderness during that time.
- The decision (Feb 8, 2026): Walked into another baptism's last five minutes; the open church catalyzed an internal "now or never" call.
- The week before baptism: Kaitlynn and Juncker met with him daily - verifying no drug use, no law-of-chastity slips - at the elders' insistence, while Kaitlynn was sick.
- Baptism: Sunday Feb 15, 2026, triple-header.
- Daughter (preschool-ish, first name not captured): attached to Kaitlynn at the piano during prelude; the "I love you" moment in the hall; physically holds Kaitlynn's hand tight when they walk and won't let go without it.
- Cabra gift: When Kaitlynn left Coyhaique in early March 2026, she gave William's daughter her cabra (goat) stuffed animal. The replacement missionaries delivered it for her. Jason: "She is going to keep that for the rest of her life."
Sources
- 2026-02-16_transcript_william-baptism-day
- 2026-03-16_transcript_mar-16-evening (Kaitlynn's cabra goat stuffed animal given to William's daughter as a goodbye gift when leaving Coyhaique)