Peru Cusco Mission
The Peru Cusco Mission was created from the Peru Arequipa and Peru Lima Central Missions and includes the regions of Puno (formally in the Arequipa mission), Cusco, Madre de Dios, and Apurimac (formally in the Lima Central mission). The new mission will serve a population of three million which has seen less outreach than many other areas of Peru due to its remoteness. The greatest potential for growth will be in the most populous regions on Cusco and Puno. Several new dependent branches or groups have been organized recently in locations such as Desaguadero and Chinchero (the latter has around 15 investigators attending Sunday meetings and very few members). Several new congregations in the Puno region have also been organized recently. Six stakes and seven districts are within the mission boundaries, the most recently created being the Andahuayles Peru District in 2008. Missionaries will likely use Spanish, but a large number of the population speaks Quechua.
Peru Lima West Mission
The Peru Lima West Mission will be created from the Peru Lima East and Peru Lima North Missions and include the northwestern portions of the city of Lima and the northern half of the Lima region. I do not know how many stakes in the Lima area will be included in the new mission, but four new stakes were organized last year in northern Lima. Only one district and one stake will be in the northern reaches of the new mission. The new mission was likely created to alleviate the heavy demand for missionaries in the northern portions of the Lima metropolitan area and allow for greater outreach to smaller villages in mountainous areas. The new mission likely serves between one to three million people.
With the creation of these two new missions, there are now nine missions in Peru. Peru has the second largest percentage of members attending institute and seminary in Latin America at 7.2%. The nation with the largest percentage is Venezuela with 8.3%. This may indicate the Peru does not just enjoy more rapid membership and congregational growth than many other Latin American nations, but also higher member activity. Most Latin American countries have 3-5% of membership attending seminary and institute.
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Based on the (very small and poorly designed) map in the Church News, here is the new alignment within Lima:
LIMA CENTRAL
+Limatambo, San Luis (from South)
+Central (from East)
retains Magdalena, Maranga, La Libertad, Callao, San Martin, Palao, Condevilla
LIMA EAST
retains Chosica, Vitarte, La Molina, Campoy, Santa Anita
LIMA SOUTH
retains Surco, San Juan, San Gabriel, Villa Maria, Villa Salvador, Chorrillos
LIMA NORTH
+Rimac, Las Flores, Canto Grande, Magnolias, Wiesse (from East)
retains Independencia, Tahuantinsuyo, Carabayllo, Comas, San Felipe, Santa Isabel (I'm not sure on the last two because the map doesn't go that far north)
LIMA WEST
+El Olivar, El Trebol (from East)
+Palmeras, Los Olivos, Prolima, Ventanilla, Puente Piedra (from North)
Oops, typo: El Olivar and El Trebol will go from Central to West.
Regarding the Caribbean missions, is it four missions consolidating into one, or are four turning into two?
Many people are confused on what's going on in the Caribbean with the mission realignment. Pretty much the only change is that the two Puerto Rican missions will be combining into one (they say that both are getting discontinued and that a new mission will be created). I imagine that some shuffling of some of the smaller island will take place. Cuba was switched to the Caribbean Area at the end of last year and I imagine will belong to one of the Dominican missions. Prospects for missionary work may be coming forth. Missionary work would likely be carried out by missionaries from the Caribbean, especially the Dominican Republic.
It is exciting to hear about the improving prospects for Cuba and how the Church is better positioning itself to serve that nation when the time comes.
So the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission and the West Indies Mission remain. That's good. (After again re-reading the Church News, I understand it now...) It's interesting that the Puerto Rican missions combined, considering that they only split in 2007 to begin with. Additionally, in 2007, the Church announced the West Indies Mission was changing its name to the Trinidad and Tobago Mission, but that appears to have been very short lived, because almost immediately afterward, the mission was still referred to, and continues to this day, as the West Indies Mission.
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