A Plea to Parents

To the wonderful parents of our missionaries:

Our missionaries are doing wonderful! We had a stellar year in 2017! We more than doubled the amount of baptisms from the previous year!  I believe it is due to the increased desires from our missionaries to live with exact obedience so that the spirit is abundantly with them.

We thank the parents and families that have sent us these valiant young men!

Our missionaries are blessed to have such wonderful parents, family members, and friends who are always asking what they can do to help the missionaries. 

From our experience with your missionary, here are two important ways that would help tremendously:

1. Letters or emails should always be uplifting in nature (talk about favorite scriptures, conference talks, what you learned at church, your testimony, etc.)....it is very difficult for our missionaries to hear travel logs, updates on marriages, homecomings, illnesses, and other family events. These messages tend to take focus away from missionary work, and place more focus at home.  Please save these topics for when your missionary returns home! 

2. Rather than send packages, put more money on their home card! We understand your desires to send a thoughtful gift, but we are asking you to refrain from sending packages, including holidays. Not only can it be expensive for you, but the mission has to pay extraordinary fees to pick up the packages from the postal counter even after you've paid to have it shipped. It not only becomes a distraction to your missionary when he receives or anticipates a package, but it can to others as well. Missionaries can get everything they need here! The expensive shipping costs and extra postal fees could go a much longer way if you put that amount on their card!

The best gift you can give your missionary is to help him keep focused on this extraordinary work! 

Thank you so much for your understanding. We want the very best for your fabulous missionary while he serves the Lord. We love him dearly!

President and Sister Thompson