Home at last — Volcano delays return of missionaries
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For many missionaries the return home is a bittersweet experience. The anticipation of seeing family is coupled with a longing to stay and serve the Lord and a people they love. For missionaries in the Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission the return home was a miracle, thanks to a bishop and his wife who would soon become a shining light in a country shrouded in ash.
Brita Beatty of the Peralta Ward, Chandler Arizona Alma Stake, eagerly awaited the return of her son, Elder Cameron Beatty. On June 13 she received a call from him saying the flight from Buenos Aires had been delayed due to the ash cloud from the June 4 eruption of Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano.
Elder Beatty had already endured a 48-hour bus ride through Argentina. On June 10, he and three other missionaries traveled from Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America, to Buenos Aires. The group met with other missionaries at the mission office and spent the night at the adjacent Church.
"How are they going to get home?" Sister Beatty wondered. With no word on when flights would resume, Sister Beatty did not know how it would happen logistically.
The mission president and assistants worked through the night on a plan to rescue the stranded missionaries.
"The mission office did a lot of work. Some quick ideas and quick thinking and quick action," Elder Beatty commented.
Sister Beatty received another call from Elder Beatty on June 14. The flight home had been cancelled but the mission office had an unexpected and inspired plan.
Bishop Bruce Larson and his wife, Gayle, of the New Canaan Ward, Yorktown New York Stake, were also looking forward to seeing their son, Elder Taylor Larson. They had taken a flight to Buenos Aires but about 45 minutes from the capital the plane was diverted to Santiago. Bishop Larson spent the evening on the phone with the mission home.
"We will hang tight here in Santiago," Bishop Larson told the secretary's mission president. It was decided that if the missionaries were not able to leave Argentina by air then they would take a bus to Chile.
Elder Andrew Ludwig of the Town Center Ward, Las Vegas Nevada Red Rock Stake, was one of the missionaries who had traveled from Tierra del Fuego.
"I wasn't worried or scared," Elder Ludwig said. "It was another adventure on the mission. It was another trial of faith to be able to go home."
That faith would guide the now eight missionaries as they prepared for a journey to another country. The stalwart missionaries took the 20-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Santiago.
On June 15 Bishop and Sister Larson took a van to the bus depot to meet the group. Unfortunately, they did not know at which bus stop the missionaries would arrive. A student protest delayed the Larsons' arrival. They finally reached the first stop and frantically searched for their son and the others.
The missionaries realized the same problem. With three stops, they decided that two missionaries would get off at each stop and quickly search for Bishop and Sister Larson and then repeat the process at each stop until they were found. Elder Larson and another missionary got off the bus at the first stop.
"We started searching and they were not there," Elder Larson recalled. "We got back on the bus. I looked out the back window and saw my parents."
"We were all really excited that we found them," Elder Ludwig said. "More of just a relief knowing that everything worked out."
Bishop and Sister Larson took the missionaries to their hotel and arranged for an additional room. Sister Larson took the sister missionaries and Bishop Larson took the elders to let them eat, rest and clean up after their long trip.
Throughout the journey the missionaries remained optimistic. They knew the Lord would take care of them.
"They were the most positive, upbeat group," Bishop Larson said. "I'm sure going on this journey made a huge difference. They were a band of buddies that had gone though an interesting ordeal."
It seems Bishop and Sister Larson were instruments in the Lord's hands and were able to take care for the missionaries during a time of uncertainty.
"I remember it just kind of hit us that my parents were diverted to Santiago for a reason," Elder Larson said. "It was the only way for the others to get home. That was probably the best thing. We all started realizing that and thanking our Heavenly Father. It really was a great blessing."
Bishop and Sister Larson were happy to have served. Although their trip with their son did not go as planned, they were able to create memories with other missionaries that will never be forgotten.
"We are pretty sure that the Lord decided that the plane needed to be diverted to Santiago so we could help out," Bishop Larson said. "We all sort of felt it was a tender mercy that was unfolding."
