This week Church Public Affairs conducted a phone interview with Elder Mark Roberts of Mesa, Arizona, a young Mormon missionary serving in Chile in the city of Talca. He was near the epicenter of the devastating quake last week and shared over the phone some of the experiences he and his fellow missionaries have had in serving those impacted by the earthquake. Listen to the interview with Elder Roberts here. Elder Roberts is just one of the hundreds of missionaries in Chile impacted by the quake. Over 50,000 Latter-day Saint missionaries serve throughout the world.
After two months of training and preparation at the MTC, Elder Roberts arrived in the Chile Concepción Mission in November 2009. He was assigned to the city of Talca, located northeast of Concepción, one of the areas hardest hit by the February 27 earthquake. Typical missionary challenges suddenly paled in comparison to the devastation now facing the Chilean people. "I am fine. Don't worry," Elder Roberts wrote from Talca in an e-mail to his family in Mesa, Arizona, the day after the earthquake. "Pray for the people here in Chile. We have been very blessed and are working hard here helping with the damage."
See Newsroom.lds.org for information about the Church's relief efforts in Chile.