2006
New Mission Presidents Receive Assignments
June 2006


“New Mission Presidents Receive Assignments,” Ensign, June 2006, 72–74

New Mission Presidents Receive Assignments

Accepting assignments from the First Presidency, 108 new mission presidents will begin service on or around July 1, 2006.

The new presidents and their wives are humbled by the calls to serve in this capacity, each in an individual way.

For John Douglas Whisenant, serving in Brazil is going “home.” The president of the Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission served in this same mission as a young missionary.

“I was here when the first stake was organized in São Paulo in 1966,” he said. “When we talk about the growth of the Church in a short time, I think of those days and look at the Church in Brazil today. There are now 26 missions and about 200 stakes—incredible.”

David B. Iwaasa is also returning home—to his heritage. Both he and his wife, Jane Kadonaga, are third-generation Japanese Canadians and are heading the Japan Fukuoka Mission.

“Jane and I have a deep love for the Japanese people and want to share the joy of the gospel with them,” Brother Iwaasa said. He feels, just as in 1 Nephi 3:7, that the Lord has prepared a way for them to accomplish this calling, as he has been privileged to serve in Canada as a bishop of a Japanese-speaking ward and in a stake presidency of a Japanese stake. Sister Iwaasa has also served in a Japanese-speaking ward and stake.

“As a consequence, I feel that we can understand many of the challenges facing those who become members of the Church in Japan,” Brother Iwaasa said.

Peter Leonard Joyce expressed his feelings over different challenges as he prepares to preside over the Utah Ogden Mission: “I don’t know of many areas in the Church with 144 stakes and about 1,500 wards and branches,” he said. Yet adapting to this mission environment is a challenge he looks forward to. The location is special to his wife, Sheena, since the missionary who taught her the gospel 42 years ago resides within the mission. “It’s not a small world,” she said. “It’s a big Church.”

The missions and their respective new presidents are:

Argentina Bahía Blanca

Raúl H. Spitale

Argentina Neuquén

Carl L. Cook

Australia Adelaide

Robert E. Quinn

Australia Sydney South

Brent W. McMaster

Belgium Brussels/Netherlands

Paul R. Woodland

Brazil Belém

Roger D. Hoggan

Brazil Belo Horizonte East

P. Randy Johnson

Brazil Belo Horizonte

Daniel K. Frei

Brazil Porto Alegre North

J. Douglas Whisenant

Brazil Porto Alegre South

Ren S. Johnson

Brazil Salvador South

Getúlio W. J. Silva

Brazil São Paulo East

Craig D. Wilkins

Bulgaria Sofia

Blair S. Bennett

California Oakland

James C. Beck

California San Fernando

Robert L. Goodrich

California San Francisco

W. James Keller

California Santa Rosa

Charles C. Stoddard

Cambodia Phnom Penh

Robert W. Winegar

Canada Calgary

Gene F. Priday

Canada Halifax

S. Gardner Jacobsen

Canada Winnipeg

Judd D. Morgan

Cape Verde Praia

Ronald C. Tolman

Chile Concepción South

Jorge F. Zeballos

Chile Santiago East

Sofocles E. Morán

Chile Viña del Mar

Gerardo J. Wilhelm

China Hong Kong

Lee H. Van Dam

Colombia Bogotá North

Hernando Camargo

Colombia Bogotá South

Rene Arturo Martinez

Costa Rica San José

Luis Ricardo Arbizú

Dominican Republic Santiago

Richard W. Thomas

England Birmingham

Richard W. Moffat

England London South

Jeffrey C. Swinton

England London

Clayton F. Foulger

Florida Tampa

Clark A. Davis

Georgia Atlanta

H. Warren Mathusek

Germany Berlin

K. Günter Borcherding

Greece Athens

John Galanos

Haiti Port-Au-Prince

Fouchard Pierre-Nau

Honduras Comayaguela

Sergio A. Gómez

Hungary Budapest

G. Walter Gasser

Idaho Pocatello

K. Brent Somers

Illinois Chicago North

William H. Stoddard

Jamaica Kingston

David W. Gingery

Japan Fukuoka

David B. Iwaasa

Japan Tokyo North

Allen F. Hill

Korea Seoul

Man Goo Cho

Madagascar Antananarivo

Ricardo V. Gaya

Maryland Baltimore

T. Dean Moody

Massachusetts Boston

Edward C. England

Mexico Cuernavaca

Wayne L. Gardner

Mexico Guadalajara South

Ross J. Davidson

Mexico Hermosillo

Omar Villalobos

Mexico Mexico City South

Gary B. Doxey

Mexico Monterrey West

Ernesto R. Toris

Mexico Tampico

Brian H. Moss

Micronesia Guam

Gary L. Marshall

Mississippi Jackson

Parker J. Fuhriman

Montana Billings

Craig G. Fisher

Mozambique Maputo

Blair J. Packard

Nebraska Omaha

Jan E. Newman

Nevada Las Vegas West

Douglas M. Andrus Jr.

New York New York North

Richard M. Searle

New York New York South

Steven D. Bennion

New York Utica

Jay W. Eckersley

Nigeria Enugu

W. Blair Garff

Nigeria Ibadan

Steven G. Dyreng

Nigeria Lagos

Chad L. Evans

Nigeria Uyo

J. Wayne Brockbank

North Carolina Charlotte

Brad R. Hobbs

North Carolina Raleigh

W. Budge Wallis

Norway Oslo

Lynn J. Poulsen

Ohio Cleveland

Kenneth V. Peterson

Oklahoma Tulsa

Kent M. Seal

Papua New Guinea Port Moresby

Tevita Funaki

Paraguay Asunción

Matthew G. Bradley

Pennsylvania Harrisburg

Donald E. Pugh

Peru Lima Central

Jeffrey C. Elmer

Peru Lima South

Francisco W. Fierro

Peru Piura

Carlos A. Solís

Philippines Bacolod

Dany T. Daquioag

Philippines Baguio

Eleazer S. Collado

Philippines Laoag

Mark L. Lewis

Portugal Lisbon

Craig B. Terry

Portugal Porto

James F. Henry

Russia Moscow South

Philip L. Collins

Russia Rostov-na-Donu

Michael A. Harrison

Scotland Edinburgh

Lynn L. Summerhays

Singapore

Bryan Skelton

South Dakota Rapid City

Joseph S. Cannon

Spain Barcelona

W. Christopher Waddell

Spain Bilbao

Kenneth L. DuVall

Spain Madrid

Brad W. Farnsworth

Switzerland Geneva

Paul T. Peterson

Taiwan Kaohsiung

William S. Hsu

Taiwan Taipei

Norman S. Nielson

Texas Houston South

Calvin W. Allred

Thailand Bangkok

Karl L. Dodge

Uruguay Montevideo West

Lewis C. Bankhead

Uruguay Montevideo

Frederick H. Ashby

Utah Ogden

Peter L. Joyce

Utah Provo

Harold C. Brown

Venezuela Barcelona

Alexander Mestre

Venezuela Maracaibo

Fidel Alberto Coello

Venezuela Valencia

Abraham E. Quero

Washington D.C. South

B. Jackson Wixom Jr.

Washington Spokane

David R. Clark

West Indies

Reid A. Robison

Zimbabwe Harare

Andre Bester