Dear Parents;
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. It is a great blessing for missionaries and their families to have a son or daughter laboring to “invite others to come unto Christ”! We appreciate their dedication and service. However, it is often a difficult time for missionaries and their families to be apart. We know that studying the Book of Mormon and giving of oneself are the best ways to feel the genuine Spirit of Christmas.
As the Christmas season approaches, President Baker and I want to make you aware of a few things. December brings another round of Temple Days. Missionaries will be able to attend the temple once with their zone on one of the following dates: December 14, 21 or January 4. For that week their preparation day is changed to Wednesday so they will be writing their letters home on Wednesday instead of Monday. Missionaries are allowed to call their parents for 30-40 minutes on Christmas Day. Arrangements for the time and place should be made through email ahead of time.
Because of the high volume of mail for missionaries during the Christmas season, we will be making an extra mail delivery on Tuesday December 13 and possibly on Tuesday December 6. However, all mail that arrives at the mission office after Wednesday, December 14 will be held until December 24. After our mission wide Christmas Musical Devotional on the morning of December 24, all remaining letters and boxes will be distributed.
As you send packages to your missionary, please think about their companion. Consider the feelings of a missionary who gets little or no mail when his companion gets a box every day. Also, you might want to ask your missionary how much weight he/she has gained. This could influence how many boxes of treats the extended family sends as well as suggesting that some new clothes might be appropriate Christmas gifts.
A couple of gift suggestions that I have are Kiwi shoe polish that comes in a four inch plastic bottle which rolls the polish onto the shoes and does not need buffing or polishing. I would also suggest Clorox pre-packed stain remover for washing whites. The small packages are easy to use (and aren’t really any good for anything else!) and missionaries generally won’t spend the money to buy them for themselves. Missionaries always need small medical supplies such as band aids and antibiotic cream for cuts and scrapes. Sister Mayorga, our mission nurse would like all missionaries to have flu shots, and to carry and use hand sanitizer.
Doctor Jackson, who supervises the medical care for all the missions in Southern California recently sent out the following notice which also includes some ideas for gifts.
“Dear Mission Presidents and Mission Medical Coordinators,
Many of our missionaries are lacking a few basic inexpensive items that each should always have in their apartments. These are:
Thermometer - without, it is impossible to accurately determine body temperature.
Ibuprofen - excellent for inflammation, fever, pain, headache; should be taken with food. Buy the drug store’s own brand, not Advil.
Benadryl (diphenhydramine) - for allergy, itching, mild sedation. Get the drug store’s generic 25 mg tablets or capsules.
Imodium (loperamide) – for diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Some drug stores have their own brand, which costs less.
Many times the above items are needed during the night when the missionary is sick, and it is not possible to go to the drug store.”
May you enjoy this wonderful Christmas season!
President and Sister Baker
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Sister Baker
California Los Angeles Mission
3 Nephi 5:13 Behold I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.
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