Latter-Day Saints React To Chile's 8.8 Earthquake; All Missionaries Safe, Angel Moroni Atop Santiago Temple Loses His Trumpet

Three stories published by the Deseret News on February 27th, 2010 chronicle reaction by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, both in and out of Chile, to the 8.8 earthquake that rocked that country midway between Santiago and Concepcion. Church leaders in Salt Lake City and Chile are already working together to determine the appropriate humanitarian response to the earthquake. This will also include coordinating with government and other disaster relief organizations. The LDS Church has now published an official news release, which is already partially obsolete.

The latest story about the earthquake in general indicates that 214 people have been killed, 1.5 million houses have experienced some damage by the earthquake and 500,000 houses are severely damaged so as to be uninhabitable. The three-minute-long quake struck around 70 miles north from the southwest coastal city of Concepcion and around 200 miles south of Santiago. Read CNN timeline of critical events HERE. CBS gallery of 29 photos HERE.

In the first Deseret News story, LDS officials say eight of the church's nine Chilean mission presidents have checked in and are reporting that all missionaries in their respective districts are safe and accounted for. At press time, efforts were still being made to reach the Concepcion South Mission, which is closest to the epicenter, but a subsequent comment to the story by Howard Stevens indicates that Concepcion South missionaries are now safe and accounted for. In addition, LDS missionaries in Mendoza and Salta, Argentina are also safe and accounted for; because of their close proximity to the quake zone, those cities felt it strongly. The quake was even felt as far away as Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Local LDS Church leaders in the Concepcion area have reported considerable damage to the city, but they are unaware of any deaths to Latter-day Saints and indicate that all chapels appear to be just fine. No operational damage was reported to the Santiago Chile Temple, but the trumpet on the angel Moroni statue fell off.

The second story documents reports from ordinary Mormons in Chile. Gloria Auguita of Santiago reports waking up to the earth shaking around her. She awoke her son, Christhian Tomaduz, his wife Erika Villarreal, and their children, 3-year-old Lucas and 4-year-old Micaela, and they all huddled under a door frame of their Santiago home. Around them they heard furniture crashing to the floor and plates shattering. It was so loud and frightening that Micaela wet her pants. She said the whole earth was moving a lot, and they couldn't walk.

The building Tomaduz and his family live in survived, but Tomaduz said not all the surrounding buildings in Maipu, in the southwestern part of Santiago, were so lucky. Tomaduz's uncle lost his TV and fridge after the quake shook his 21st-floor apartment. Dirt houses collapsed, and bridges in Santiago are down.

Luisana Navarro, 25, was at a birthday party in Santiago with her boyfriend when the quake hit. She said that she's fine in Santiago, but is very concerned about her father in Rauco (a three-hour drive south of Santiago, closer to the epicenter), where everything is supposedly destroyed. Earthquake damage has made roads southward out of Santiago impassable.

In the third story, the Guerra-Jensen family in Santiago said many of the buildings in Santiago are earthquake proof. Most structures were still standing, although several sustained cracks and some standing facades had broken buildings behind them. Another Chilean, Romina Penailillo, reported that she was thrown from her bed to the floor from the intense shaking. She ran to a door frame, and watched her apartment collapse around her. The windows shattered, the walls fell down, and the floor of the house cracked open. She suffered a few cuts but was otherwise uninjured.

Additional LDS-oriented information published by the Milennial Star. As of December 2008, there were 554,749 Mormons in Chile spread out amongst 611 different congregations. The Santiago Temple is the only active temple, although a future temple for Concepcion was announced in October 2009.

Marie Osmond's Son Michael Blosil Commits Suicide After Lifelong Struggle With Depression

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can confer a considerable degree of protection against the effects of adversity, particularly if one remains a faithful member of Church, keeping their covenants. However, LDS Church membership does NOT confer absolute immunity against adversity; indeed, immunity against adversity would actually violate one of the fundamental purposes of mortality, which is to experience both good and evil in a probationary environment where one has the opportunity to repent. Mortality is considered a crucial step towards celestial glory with exaltation and ultimate godhood.

Adversity has touched the lives of the family of Marie Osmond, who by all accounts, remains a faithful member of the Church despite becoming a celebrity. On February 27th, 2010, the Deseret News reports that one of Marie Osmond's children, 18-year-old Michael Blosil, committed suicide after jumping from a downtown Los Angeles apartment. Blosil reportedly left a note behind referring to his lifelong battle with depression and feeling like he had no friends and would never fit in. But although it does appear to be a suicide, Brian Elias of the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said the death is under investigation.

Through her publicist, Marie Osmond said, "My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficulty time".

Michael Blosil reportedly struggled with depression. In November 2007, he entered rehab shortly after his father Brian Blosil and Marie Osmond announced in March 2007 their impending divorce after 21 years of marriage. At the time, Osmond released a statement regarding her son, saying, "My son Michael is an amazing young man, shown through his courage in facing his issues. As his mother, I couldn't be more proud of him". It appeared in March 2009 that Michael seemed to be turning his life around; he was living with his mother in Las Vegas while he finished his senior year of high school with a 3.9 GPA and Marie starred in the "Donny & Marie" show at the Flamingo Hotel. The Blosil-Osmond couple had eight children total; two biological children together, as well as five adopted children, including including Michael. Brian Blosil also adopted Marie Osmond's child from her first marriage.

The Donny and Marie Show currently headlining at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas has been indefinitely suspended as of Saturday night. Other media stories about this event published by ETOnline, the Los Angeles Times, E! Online, and People Magazine.

LDS Missionary Richard Lasson Reports Exceptionally Hard Winter In Mongolia, Massive Livestock Die-Off In Progress

Richard Lasson, who along with his wife are are serving a humanitarian mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia, report that Mongolia is experiencing its worst winter in 30 years. The country is having a weather phenomenon known by locals as a "dzud" -- a summer drought followed by a terrible winter with heavy snow. Temperatures have plunged to as low as -58F. As a result, close to 2.7 million livestock animals have died so far; Analysts predict another 3 million to 4 million animals could die before the end of 2010. The country's total livestock population is about 46 million head. What exacerbates the crisis is nearly 40 percent of Mongolia's 2.7 million population are livestock herders; the country depends significantly on foreign aid as it is.

"They went into the winter unprepared because they weren't able to have enough hay stocked up for their animals, and then the animals weren't that fat because they didn't have that much food in the summer time; and so now they've got a real severe winter; and so a lot of the country is covered with heavy snow, and they've had temperatures as low as 58 degrees below zero," Lasson says. Watch KSL Channel 5 news video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The LDS Church released the following statement: "In response to severe winter weather in Mongolia the Church is partnering with Mongolian officials to distribute food, clothing, medicine, candles, fuel, and hygiene items to herder families and is providing funding to repair broken heating systems in school dormitories."

USA Today reports that officials have declared disaster status in more than half of Mongolia's 21 provinces, and more are set to follow. The Guardian reports that the United Nations has launched a $4 million dollar carcass-clearing appeal for Mongolia.

If you would like to help the people in Mongolia, Lasson suggests donating to the LDS Church's Humanitarian Fund, UNICEF or The American Red Cross and specify you want the funds to go to Mongolia.