Ten new stakes have been created in Latin America - four in Chile, two each in Colombia and Mexico, and one each in Brazil and Venezuela.
The four new stakes in Chile are the Coronel Chile Stake, the Lebu Chile Stake and the Puerto Varas Chile Stake, all created by Elder F. Melvin Hammond of the Seventy; and the Iquique Chile South Stake, created by Elder Jerald L. Taylor of the Seventy.The Coronel stake includes the Arauco, Coronel 1st and 2nd and 3rd, Lota 1st and 2nd, and Villa Mora wards, and the Camilo Olavarria, Coronel 3rd and Lota 3rd branches. The Iquique South stake includes the Iquique 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th wards, and the Pozo Almonte branch. The Lebu stake includes the Canete 1st and 2nd, Curanilahue 1st and 2nd, and Lebu 1st and 2nd wards, and the Canete 3rd, Curanilahue 3rd and Los Alamos branches. The Puerto Varas stake includes the Errazuriz, Libertad, Llanquihue, Presidente Ibanez and Puerto Varas Estacion wards, and the Alerce, Fresia and Frutillar branches.
In Colombia, Elder Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy has created the Bogota Colombia El Salitre Stake and the Bogota Colombia Suba Stake. The El Salitre stake includes the Alamos, Andalucia, Bonanza, El Encanto, El Salitre and Modelo wards, and the Metropolis branch. The Suba stake includes the El Jordan, La Campina, La Fontana, Suba and Villamaria wards, and the Arrayanes, Funza, and Los Nogales branches.
In Mexico, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Seventy has created the Acayucan Mexico Stake, which includes the Aldana, Arrocera, Centro, Villalta, and Zapata wards, and the Paraiso branch; and the Minatitlan Mexico Tecnologico Stake, which includes the Buenavista, Insurgentes, Juarez, Paquital, Patria Libre and Tecnologico wards.
Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Seventy has created the Manaus Brazil Solimoes Stake, which includes the Acariquara, Coroado, Grande Circular, Lagoa Verde, Mauazinho, Nova Canaa and Tancredo Neves wards.
Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy has created the Merida Venezuela Stake, which includes the Ejido, El Vigia, La Vuelta, El Terminal and Los Curos wards, and the La Pedregosa, La Pompeya and Tovar branches.
Elsewhere, stakes have been reorganized in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela.
New stakes
ACAYUCAN MEXICO STAKE: (March 16, 1997) Created from the Minatitlan Mexico Stake. President - Leonardo Hoyos M., 32, payroll manager for Fertimina; wife, Alicia Peral S. de Hoyos. Counselors - Jose Angel Gonzalez R., 41, commercial engineer for Pemex; wife, Sofia Arguelles M. de Gonzalez. Francisco Javier Pastrana M., 35, bus fleet inspector for Sicotsa; wife, Elizabeth Fernandez J. de Pastrana.
BOGOTA COLOMBIA EL SALITRE STAKE: (March 16, 1997) Created from the Bogota Colombia El Dorado Stake. President - Orlando Moscoso P., 38, manager for Omni Bonsai; wife, Lilia Beatriz Beltran M. de Moscoso. Counselors - Alexis Alfonso Bareno C., 31, zone supervisor of operations and maintenance for Church area office; wife, Stella Ines Leon S. de Bareno. Luis Enrique Piraquive M., 33, teacher at Jose A. Galon College; wife, Myriam del Socorro Valencia J. de Piraquive.
BOGOTA COLOMBIA SUBA STAKE: (March 16, 1997) Created from the Bogota Colombia El Dorado Stake. President - Juan Alfonso Cerquera C., 32, systems auditor for bank; wife, Liana Milena Angarita L. de Cerquera. Counselors - Juan Bautista Garcia L., 43, dentist; wife, Elcin Sutilde Alvarez B. de Garcia. Jose Luis Cardenas J., 28, registrar and statistics specialist for Church area office; wife, Mariur Rodriguez M. de Cardenas.
CORONEL CHILE STAKE: (March 23, 1997) Created from the Coronel Chile District. President - Juan Bautista Pereira A., 43, photographer; wife, Rita Matilde Vega H. de Pereira. Counselors - Manuel Reyes O., 38, carpenter for Ferroprap Construction; wife, Flor Maria Munoz F. de Reyes. Ivan Alberto Mellado O., 47, warehouse chief for Tecsa S.A.; wife, Mercedes Miriam Gomez J. de Mellado.
IQUIQUE CHILE SOUTH STAKE: (March 9, 1997) Created from the Iquique Chile Stake. President - Ruperto Arnoldo Reyes T., 61, owner of automobile shop; wife, Gladys Munoz M. de Reyes. Counselors - Raul Elieser Saavedra B., 37, self-employed mechanic; wife, Lorena Raquel Mondaca I. de Saavedra. Jorge Nelson Palma N., 38, employed by Chilean Air Force; wife, Maria Elena Flores P. de Palma.
LEBU CHILE STAKE: (Feb. 23, 1997) Created from the Lebu Chile District. President - Ricardo Cornelio Silva G., 38, employed in warehouse of construction company; wife, Jimena Munoz N. de Silva. Counselors - Francisco Javier Gonzalez R., 31, administrative manager for Pawyc Ltda. Construction; wife, Ruby Del Pilar Fritz A. de Gonzalez. Gabriel Sebastian Munoz M., 28, mechanics assistant; wife, Luz Victoria Saez A. de Munoz.
MANAUS BRAZIL SOLIMOES STAKE: (March 8, 1997) Created from the Manaus Brazil and Manaus Brazil Cidade Nova stakes. President - Jose Augusto Viana Guimaraes, 29; wife, Mara Nubia Ramos Maia de Guimaraes. Counselors - Wilson Oliveira de Melo Jr., 30, industrial operator specialist for Petrobras S.A.; wife, Herminia Irene Backsmann Pinto De Melo. Ernaldo De Vasconcelos, 30, partner and manager of Partner Industries Ltda.; wife, Audrey Albuquerque da Silva de Vasconcelos.
MERIDA VENEZUELA STAKE: (March 23, 1997) Created from the Merida Venezuela District. President - Freddy V. Herrera M., 31, public accountant for University of Los Andes; wife, Gloria Amparo Garcia R. de Herrera. Counselors - Octavio de Jesus Genes S., 38, sales representative for Repamovil C.A.; wife, Martha Elena Vitola P. de Genes. Miguel A. Giraldo D., 40, hardware sales representative for Servifer S.A.; wife, Loz Estela Garcia R. de Giraldo.
MINATITLAN MEXICO TECNOLOGICO STAKE: (March 16, 1997) Created from the Minatitlan Mexico Stake. President - Gabriel Garcia G., 28, owner of transportation business; wife, Antonia Dominguez V. de Garcia. Counselors - Luis Martinez M., 54, manager of mechanic shop; wife, Andrea Ramirez A. de Martinez. Fernando Mata J., 26, caretaker for Church Area office and seminary supervisor for Church Educational System; wife, Ruth Matilde Rafael R. de Mata.
PUERTO VARAS CHILE STAKE: (March 9, 1997) Created from the Puerto Montt Chile Stake, Chile Osorno Mission and Purranque Chile District. President - Gerardo Jose Wilhelm K., 42, independent agriculture engineer; wife, Silvia Emilia Caamano V. de Wilhelm. Counselors - Javier Antonio Inostroza J., 31, salesman for Modinger Hnos. S.A.; wife, Jenny Del Carmen Treimun V. de Inostroza. Juan Marcelo Alvarado, 29, driver for Luis Alvarado Paredes; wife, Maria Rosa Toledo L. de Alvarado.
Stake reorganizations
BOGOTA COLOMBIA EL DORADO STAKE: (March 16, 1997) President - Carlos Heberto Vega O., mathematics teacher; succeeding Orlando Moscoso Perez; wife, Rocis Astrid Calvo M. de Vega. Counselors - Alvaro Hernan Rodriguez B., 43, Bogota temple comptroller, contractor; wife, Martha Elsy Moncada S. de Rodriguez. Ruben Dario Torres R., 36, Church Educational System director for Church area office; wife, Maria Helena Sanchez M. de Torres.
CUIABA BRAZIL STAKE: (March 2, 1997) President - Julio Cesar Kern, 36, criminal specialist for federal police; succeeding Ildemar Ferreira Vilas Boas; wife, Denise Dornelles Kern. Counselors - Cesar Adalberto De Castro, retained. Nilton Cesar Almeida Lopes, retained.
IQUIQUE CHILE STAKE: (March 9, 1997) President - Abelardo Jaime Sarria C., 29, business owner; succeeding Sergio Narvaez Perez; wife, Claudia Jacqueline Rojas C. de Sarria. Counselors - Angel Omar Alvarez G., 46, salesman for Pratt Commercial S.A.; wife, Myriam Yannet Guiterrez M. de Alvarez. Richard Sergio Pena T., 33, officer in Chile Air Force; wife, Aurora Patricia Pinto C. de Pena.
MANAUS BRAZIL STAKE: (March 9, 1997) President - Alvaro Esteves Pinto, retained. Counselors - Antonio Marcos Martins Rodrigues, 39, first sergeant of aeronautics; wife, Ana Cristina Guimaras Martins de Rodrigues. Vinicius Antonio Bourguignon, 26, administrator of Santa Julia Hospital; wife, Claudia Duarte Da Silva de Bourguignon.
MINATITLAN MEXICO STAKE: (March 16, 1997) President - Armando Iturriaga Cruz, retained. Counselors - Roberto Villanueva C., 48, manager for National Bank of Mexico in Minatitlan; wife, Luna Guadalupe R. de Villanueva. Pablo Rinza H., 47, owner of SAASA; wife, Maria Del Valle P. de Rinza.
PUERTO MONTT CHILE STAKE: (March 9, 1997) President - Fernando Perez D., 32, treasurer for Marine Harvest; succeeding Gerardo Jose Wilhelm Kretschmar; wife, Yenny Anderson R. de Perez. Counselors - Sandro Gabriel Mardones Henriquez, retained. Sergio Fernando Pinto S., 32, salesman for Errazuriz Distributors S.A.; wife, Maura Ismenia Alvarez A. de Pinto.
SAN CRISTOBAL VENEZUELA STAKE: (March 16, 1997) President - Victor Manuel Canozo C., 40, civil engineer for LeCar Investments C.A.; succeeding Javier Ibanez Leon; wife, Elvira Santafe D. de Canozo. Counselors - Guillermo Ignacio Guardia A., 31, sales representative for Plastubo C.A.; wife, Sobeida Petro G. de Guardia. Sergio Ramon Hernandez M., 42, neurologist; wife, Arlene Leon R. de Hernandez.
