From Sister Dalton, Henry's Mission President's Wife

We are pleased to let you know that your son, Elder Henry Russell Gold, arrived safely in the Chile Antofagasta Mission.  We had an enjoyable time greeting him at the airport today.  We are thrilled to have him as a part of our mission.  Thank you for the sacrifice you are making to support him on a mission.  We appreciate the trust you have placed in us and we promise we will take very good care of him.  We have attached a few photos taken shortly after his arrival.  The first several were taken in front of our local landmark, the La Portada Arch, with the city of Antofagasta in the background.  Two are of your son with the group of missionaries he arrived with and one with us, President and Sister Dalton.  The other photos are of him receiving his assignment and with his first companion, Elder Villavicencio.

 Love and best wishes,

 President and Sister Dalton

Chile Antofagasta Mission

Henry with his new mission president, President Dalton, and his wife. They are from Boise, Idaho.

These are pictures of the new missionaries with President and Sister Dalton at La Porta

 The following are pictures of a fun tradition for new missionaries that they do in the CMA (Chile Mision Antofagasta).  This is the explanation of that tradition given by the former mission president's wife (Sister Bruce) in a blog for the CMA, Camina Conmigo. 

"After the administrative work is done the training meeting starts and the group begins with a song, "Called to Serve" and during the second verse our trainers come into the room enthusiastically singing too.  These missionaries have been in another building receiving their instructions on being a trainer to a new missionary and are VERY excited to meet their nuevitos [newbies or "greenies"].  When the singing is over we have introductions by everyone.  We share our names, where we are from, and for the trainers, how long we have served in the mission. How do the new missionaries find out who their first companion will be?  We inherited this tradition when we arrived in the mission and all the missionaries love it.  Presidente Bruce has an envelope for each new missionary with his/her companion and sector [district] enclosed inside.  The nuevito sits in a chair in the middle of the room and reads about his assignment."  

" As soon as the trainer's name is announced he jumps with excitement and runs to greet his new companion."

"The trainer has a shoe shine brush in hand and poses as if he is shining the shoe of his nuevito while pictures are being taken.  I think the new missionary is in shock a little with all the excitement and doesn't know what is going on but it is as exciting as Christmas morning for our trainers as they meet their new companions."