The Avante Files
The official publication of the Guatemala-El Salvador Mission was Avante. It was a monthly publication that usually had a letter from the President and his two Assistants, inspirational stories, Mission statistics and a location chart of all missionaries serving. Was this a publication that carried over from the old Central America mission? Is it still alive today in one of the descendant missions? If somebody has that info, please send it in.
- Every month there was a listing of all the missionaries in the mission by location. The following is from the March 14, 1973 Location Chart:
- Adams, J. - Soyapango
- Adams, R. - Usulutan
- Ahlstrom - Occidente
- Aitken - Delgado
- Allen, B. - San Jacinto
- Allen, R. - Delgado
- Allred - Chalchuapa
- Alvarez - Patzicia
- Amesquita - Zacamil
- Anderosn - Jutiapa
- Anthony - Chimaltenango
- Avarell - Reu 2
- Bailey - Sonsonate
- Bake - El Modelo
- Ball - Chiquimula
- Baria - Oriente
- Barrus - Office
- Baxter - Santa Tecla
- Bentley - Lourdes
- Blake - Mejicanos
- Blakesley - Solola
- Bond - El Molino
- Borgquist- Layco Upper
- Bower - Zacamil
- Bumstead - Barrio Nuevo
- Buttars - Patzicia
- Call - San Jacinto
- Cameron - Barrio Nuevo
- Cammack - Ward 2
- Carlisle - El Molino
- Cheney - San Marcos
- Clark, S. - Layco Upper
- Calrk, T. - Santa Lucia C.
- Cobabe - Santa Anita
- Curtis - Santa Tecla
- Daines - Ward 2
- Davis - Lourdes
- Demars - Usulutan
- Dodge - Zacamil
- Dominguez - El Molino
- Draper - Patzicia
- Dugan - Zacamil
- Eddo - Zacapa
- Erskine - San Vicente
- Escalante - Florida
- Evans - Xela 1
- Faye - Patzun
- Gagon - Oriente
- Gamboa - El Molino
- Gardea - Sonsonate
- Geller - Santa Lucia
- Golightly - Sonsonate
- Goodman - Office
- Graham - Sonsonate
- Gudiel - Ward 3
- Guillen - Xela 3
- Gunnel - Mazate 1
- Gwilliam - Ward 6
- Hansen Xela 2
- Harris - Santa Lucia C.
- Hatch - Reu 1
- Hathcock -El Centro
- Hearns - Totonicapan
- Hegerhorst - San Pedro
- Henrie - Occidente
- Hillery - Monserrat
- Hone - Mazate 2
- Huber - Branch 8
- Hughes - Oriente
- Jenks - Florida
- Johnson - Xela 2
- Jones, J. - Chimaltenango
- Jones, M. Patzicia
- Jorgenson - Xela 3
- Kaopua - Santa Anita
- Kempton - San Marcos
- Kilgore - Ward 6
- Kirk - Mazate 2
- Kleinman - Xela 1
- Knight - Patzun
- Kuehne - Chalchuapa
- Kulbeth - El Molino
- Landeen - Momostenango
- Lange - Xela 3
- Lauritzen - Xela 3
- Layton - Escuintla
- Lee - Ward 4
- Lefler - Ward 5
- Lewis - Huehuetenango
- Lezama - Layco
- McCracken - Office
- McGaughey - Soyapango
- McQuarrie - Momostenango
- Mack - Santa Lucia
- Mangus - Occidente
- Marquez - Antigua
- Martinez - Coatepeque
- Mather - Santa Lucia
- Maurent - Ahuachapan
- Mauzy - Chiquimula
- Mill, P. - Ahuachapan
- Miller, R. - Zacapa
- Montoya - Totonicapan
- Moore - Santa Tecla
- Mortenson - El Quiche
- Mundy - El Modelo
- Nelson, J. Craig - Barrio Nuevo
- Nelson, Scott - Ward 2
- Nelson, Steve - Santa Tecla
- Nolte - Solola
- Page - Layco
- Penate - Jalapa
- Reintjes - Ward 1
- Reynoso - El Quiche
- Rhodes - Santa Lucia
- Richards - Occidnete
- Rigby - Office
- Rios - Layco
- Roberts - Ward 3
- Robinson - Ward 1
- Rodriguez - Reu 1
- Rogers - Jalapa
- Roper - Escuintla
- Roundy - Barrio Nuevo
- Salazar - Patzicia
- Salgado - El Molino
- Schlosser - El Centro
- Sellick - Ward 2
- Shirley - El Centro
- Skiba - Totonicapan
- Smith - Ward 6
- Steed - San Pedro
- Steele - Ahuachapan
- Stevenson - San Vicente
- Stewart - Ward 1
- Stoker - Branch 9
- Stumpe - Huehuetenango
- Symmes - Zacatecoluca
- Terry - Office
- Tew - Jutiapa
- Theodore - Antigua
- Thompson - Branch 7
- Trejo - Ward 5
- Tueller - Totnicapan
- Twiggs - Zacatecoluca
- Vermillion - Layco
- Waite - Ward 4
- Wallace, D. - Reu 2
- Wallace, K. - Layco
- Weaver - Coatepeque
- Whitmer - El Molino
- Williams A. - Oriente
- Williams, D. - Florida
- Williams, K. - Florida
- Wilmore - El Centro
- Wilson - Mejicanos
- Wylie - Mazate 1
- Young - Monserrat
An excerpt follows from the June 1973 volume, one of only six I possess:
"Strengthening the Home" was the theme of the Second Quarterly District Conference in San Salvador, June 2-3, 1973. It was a very appropriate and timely theme, inasmuch as it was the conference in which the Guatemala-El Salvador Mission lost that district and the church gained another Stake of Zion. Elder Delbert L. Stapley was the presiding General Authority, and emphasized the point that the church cannot be greater than the strength of the families who make it up. "If we want to strengthen the church, we need to strengthen the homes of it." He brought out the necessity and importance of family prayer, and stated that he knew no better way to bring union and love into the home than be kneeling together as a family in prayer. Talks were given by the new stake officials concerning the importance of strengthening their individual homes, and the ways in which they could best accomplish it. By obeying the law of tithing; "With this law, all things are had in the home and nothing lacks." By observing the Sabbath Day; "We should teach our children a complete dedication to reading the scriptures and visiting the sick on this day." By holding our Family Home Evenings; "How grand it is to see an eternal home." The excellent new film, "Strengthening the Home" by President Harold B. Lee, was shown, and was the basis for the proceedings of the conference meetings.
It was a busy weekend for all. Interviews began Friday night as soon as Elder Stapley arrived from Salt Lake city, and continued all day Saturday and Sunday morning. After the conference session that morning and until his plane left in the evening, Elder Stapley was kept busy ordaining and setting apart new stake officials. Harold Brown, the Regional Representative for this region was also in attendance, and helped out tremendously with the translations for Elder Stapley. Of course, the work in preparation for this historical event began a long time ago, and has finally come to an end in the realization of it all. But, it is just the beginning for the membership of the church in the San Salvador Stake. The load has now been shifted to their shoulders, and they have a great and wonderful challenge put before them. Their's is a full responsibility, not to the Guatemala-El Salvador Mission, but to themselves and the First Presidency of the church, directly.
The San Salvador Stake was the 618th stake to be organized in the church. Eight wards were organized with three independent branches and one dependent branch. The organization includes: San Salvador Ward (Delgado), Ward 2 (Layco), Ward 3 (Monserrat), Ward 4 (San Jacinto), Ward 5 (Santa Anita), Ward 6 (Santa Lucia), Ward 7 (Zacamil), Santa Tecla Ward, Lourdes Branch, Mejicanos Branch, Zactecoluca Branch, San Vicente Branchdependent of Ward 6.
The church and kingdom is truly growing here in Central America. The part we all play is very important, and is something we can be very proud of..
There were 98 baptisms in Guatemala and El Salvador in May 1973
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