Evie Mejia’s family was relieved to learn the 2008 Enumclaw High School graduate was safe after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked southern Chile.

Mejia is in Chile as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been serving in Antofagasta since November. The 20-year-old Enumclaw resident will be participating in the humanitarian effort for earthquake victims, south of his present location.

Mejia has been keeping in touch with his family through weekly e-mails.

Currently, Mejia is in Tocopilla, in the northern part of Chile, away from the quake zone.

Through family friends, his parents report Mejia felt the quake and the many aftershocks. The earthquakes south of Santiago continue on a daily basis and most are 6.0 or greater.

Mejia and the missionaries in northern Chile have helped gather donations for the Chilean Red Cross, but his fellow missionaries in central and southern Chile will be taking care of the major humanitarian needs in the quake area. Mejia’s mission duties will not change. He will continue in Chile for another year and a half.

A press release noted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has more than 500,000 members in Chile and was quick to respond to the needs of the Chilean people. Bishop’s storehouses in Talca and Concepcion immediately distributed food and water after the earthquake. Within days an additional 26 tons of food and water arrived for the devastated cities of Talca and Concepcion with more on the way.