Quezon City; January 7, 1:16 PM Wed (PH); January 6, 10:16 PM Tues (US)
Dear Elders and Sisters,
Attached is the letter President Revillo has written to you, and to your families, regarding the guidelines that the church has established regarding email contact between you . Please read it carefully, so that you are familiar with what is expected.
Then, please send it to your family, so that they will understand and support you in obedience.
Happy New Year!
Philippines Quezon City Mission
By now, some of you may have heard from your missionaries that they will discontinue communicating with you through email in “real-time” conversations or “live-chat” by the first of February. We also have reduced their computer and email time during preparation day to one hour. I want to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about this because I realize this is a big change.
In the Missionary Handbook, or “White Handbook” as it is sometimes called, which is given to every full-time missionary throughout the world as a set of rules and guidelines for missionary conduct, it states on Page 20:
“COMMUNICATING WITH FAMILY
Write to your family each week on preparation day. Limit correspondence with others. Share your spiritual experiences. Never include anything confidential, sensitive, or negative about the areas where you serve. E-Mail. You may communicate with your family and mission president by e-mail, according to approved guidelines. Use only MyLDSMail.net, the filtered service established by the Church. Do not use any other e-mail service or any other Internet service or site that has not been authorized. Use e-mail only on preparation day. You may use computers in public places, such as libraries or appropriate businesses that offer Internet access. While using computers, always stay next to your companion so that you can see each other’s monitors. Do not use members’ computers. If you misuse e-mail or computers, you may lose the privilege of using e-mail. As your call letter states, you are “expected to devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs.” Do not become preoccupied with communicating with family and friends. Except as outlined under “Family Members and Friends” (see p. 37), you should communicate with family and friends only on preparation day.”
On Page 37 it reads:
“FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
You may telephone your parents on Christmas and one other time during the year (usually Mother’s Day), according to guidelines from your mission president. Take care that these calls do not pull your thoughts away from your service or create a financial problem for your family. Keep them short (preferably no longer than 30 or 40 minutes). Other than these calls, do not telephone family members or friends unless you have permission from your mission president.”
Brothers and Sisters, these world-wide guidelines are given to help keep our missionaries from being distracted from their missionary work by concerns and thoughts about home. They are given after many, many years of experience with homesick missionaries. When a missionary sits down at a computer every Preparation Day and has a one to two hour “real-time” chat with you, it is almost the same as a phone call. My experience has been that it re-engages these missionaries with family and friends every week in an intimate and powerful and personal way and violates the spirit of the directive “to devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs.”
Last November, all the mission presidents and their wives serving in the Philippines met together, as they do twice each year usually shortly after General Conference. There we were instructed that the ruling from the Missionary Committee was that the practice of “live chatting” should be discontinued because it does, indeed, violate the intent of the directive in the Missionary Handbook. Our instruction was to inform our missionaries and then allow some time for compliance. I feel that one month is sufficient time for families and friends to become accustomed and conform to this new policy.
I know this rule will help them have a better mission experience and will bless their missionary service. Sister Revillo and I love every one of them and pray for their safety and success every day; and we are among them. This will help them be more consecrated and engaged more fully and consistently in the sacred work they were called to perform. It may be difficult for you at first, but please give it a chance and, I am confident, it will strengthen and bless your sons and daughters in an eternal and celestial way, while furthering the Lord’s work among the members and non-members in the Philippines Quezon City Mission. Please help us with this.
We love your sons and daughters and we love the Lord and His Restored Gospel. Our desire is to help the Work move forward here at a hastened pace as directed by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We want our missionaries to do this work with all their heart, might, mind, and strength. Thank you for helping them achieve this total commitment.
With love and appreciation,
President Revillo
(We received this from the PQCM on our Monday (1/5/14). She first told us about the change in Week 70.)
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