Dear Elders and Sisters,
Christmas is such a wonderful time to be serving as a full time representative of Jesus Christ! You are walking in the footsteps of our Savior as you invite, teach and encourage your brothers and sisters to come back to their Heavenly Father. I invite you to read the New Testament accounts of His birth and to pray to get to know Him better.
Christmas is also a time to talk with your family and share your testimony and love with them. This is a privilege that has opened up in recent years and has been a blessing for missionaries and families.
Here are the guidelines:
1. 40 minutes maximum time
2. Either phone or Skype (if available) is permitted.
3. You are only permitted to call parents. If your parents are separated, you may talk with each of them separately for 30 minutes. If you were raised by a guardian, if your parents are not alive, or if your parents are inaccessible, you may call your guardian or other close relative. You may not talk (or Skype) with boyfriends, girlfriends or other friends. This is a family call.
4. You should initiate the call from here if possible. If not, you may receive the call on your phone. You may use support to buy the extra cell phone minutes for your call.
5. Because of time zone differences, you may call on December 24, 25 or 26, depending on the availability of your family.
6. Please email this week and next to make arrangements for the call. If your family does not respond by December 15th, please work with Sister Mortimer in the mission office to help you make arrangements.
This is a wonderful time to share with your family how the Lord has blessed you in the mission field. Enjoy this time!
Reminder: As indicated in your mission call, when emailing each week, "chatting" back and forth is not permitted. If someone notices you are online and reaches out to chat, do not reply. Please wait until the following Monday to respond. (Parents are receiving a copy of this email so they will already have been reminded.)
We are looking forward to our mission Christmas gatherings over the next couple of weeks!
Maligayang Pasko!
President Ostler
