Argentina Cordoba Mission

Writing Your Missionary

General

There will always be a lag time in a letter response from your missionary. It will take a little getting used to. Questions from you that need to be answered should be thought of well ahead of time. Email responses may take 1-2 weeks and postal mail response may take from 2-5 weeks.

Email

Policy for email: “With changed conditions in the world and concerns about the security and the unreliability of traditional mail in some parts of the world, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have decided that, under approved mission guidelines, missionaries may now communicate with their families by means of e-mail.” Approved mission guidelines are:

• Missionaries may use e-mail only on preparation day.
• Missionaries may use computers in public facilities such as libraries or appropriate commercial outlets.
• Companions are to be together while using a computer, (this means four eyes on one computer screen.)
• Missionaries should not impose on Church members who may have computers.
• Any cost for using e-mail is to be paid by the missionary.
• Content and language should be appropriate.
• Missionaries should write only to the email address of his/her family, then the family may forward the email to appropriate others.

Pouch

The easiest and safest way to get mail to your missionary is through the church pouch system. This a system of 'bulking' the mail together for a weekly delivery. The mail is sent to the Church Office Building in Salt Lake, then to the mission home, then to your missionary's zone leader, then to your missionary at their weekly meeting. On average, the missionary will receive your mail within about 2 weeks. There are restrictions to what can be sent through the pouch. Only envelopes containing letters are supposed to be sent. If a package or bulky letter is received at church headquarters headed for the pouch, it will be promptly returned to you. Since the letters are sent in bulk, they are fairly secure in arriving. Your missionary will also be able to send mail to you through the pouch. To send a letter through the pouch address the letter like this:

Elder/Sister So-and-So
POUCH
Argentina Córdoba Mission
P.O. Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

Regular Mail

All other types of mail will need to be sent through the regular mail system. Mail sent through the regular mail system has a chance of arriving within a week, where the Pouch system always takes about two weeks. In past years, some mail has been lost or stolen along the way. Some tips will help to assure proper arrival of your mail.

8. Do not send cash in the mail. (See money section below)

9. Send packages weighing less than 3.5 lbs. The Argentine mail system will not levy import taxes on small packages weighing less than 1.5 Kg (3.3 Lbs.), but will on larger packages. (Missionaries have paid up to $100 to obtain packages sent by well meaning parents.) If you have to, break large packages into many smaller packages.

10. On the declaration of what is in your package, write something ambiguous, like "Missionary Supplies", and put a value of $0.00. Your missionary will receive an extra charge of $10 to $160 if the package is:

• more than four pounds
• marked with a price value
• if the items are listed on the list of contents
• sent express by a private company (UPS, Federal Express - ¨FedEx,¨ DHL, etc.)
• sent in a large box

11. Always wrap the packages well. If a package "accidentally" comes open, all the contents may "accidentally" not be put back in. A "Pringles" can taped closed with packaging tape or brown padded packages are ideal shipping containers.

12. It is recommended to send packages via regular mail. Items sent through private services (ie. UPS, Federal Express) take a long time to arrive, and there is a very large sum to receive the package.

If other members of your family are going to be sending packages, please advise them of these guidelines.

The mailing address of the mission home is:

Elder/Sister So-and-So
Gay Lussac 5270
Apartado Postal 49-X5009ZAA
5009 Villa Belgrano, Córdoba
C.C 17 Suc. 9
Córdoba, Argentina

Calling your Missionary

Your missionary will only be allowed to contact you by telephone when allowed by his/her president. Each president has different policies. Do not encourage your missionary to break the mission rules.

"In order to succeed, missionaries must have a spirit of devotion, obedience, and sacrifice as they seek to proclaim the gospel and establish the Church. . . This devotion includes a commitment to leave their loved ones and serve with an eye single to the glory of God. . . Under the direction of the mission president, missionaries may telephone their parents at Christmas and on one other occasion during the year. . . Because these calls have a tendency to distract missionaries and in order to minimize costs to the families, please keep these calls to a few minutes." -- Elder Boyd K. Packer, Acting President, Quorum of the Twelve, October 26, 2000.

Several weeks prior to making these two calls, please use e-mail or regular mail to establish the appointed time for the calls.

If you need to contact your missionary immediately for some reason (death in the family, etc...), you may call the mission home. The phone number to the mission home is: 011-54-3543-421-232. Most of the missionaries in the mission home can speak English, and those that can’t speak English know enough English to be able to tell you to wait while he finds a missionary that does.

Any emergency may be also be communicated directly to the Missionary Department offices in Salt Lake City during normal business hours at (801) 240-2222 or the General Operator of the Church at (801) 240-1000.

Your Missionary's Safety

Generally, your missionary is in a safe environment. Your missionary will run into people from all walks of life in his/her pursuit to teach the gospel.

Remember, your child is being watched over and will be protected. In Doctrine and Covenants, section 88, verse 88, it reads: "I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

Your Missionary's Health

Missionaries, generally speaking, work about 16 hours a day, and walk about 6 miles a day. They have a rigorous schedule, but most respond and stay healthy. Please send multi-vitamins and other common "over-the-counter" vitamins that aid in good health. The Church offers consultation with doctors should it be necessary. Unlike other areas of Central and South America, rarely does a missionary from Cordoba return home with any sort of illness.

Sending Money to Your Missionary

The money that your missionary is given each month is enough for his/her sustenance. In most circumstances, they will not need any further assistance. Sometimes a special need will arise in which extra funds would be desired (new suit, broken camera, etc.), but generally funds are sufficient. If you would like to send extra money to your missionary, they will love you for it. You should NOT send personal checks through the pouch.

Missionary Personal Checking Accounts (Debit Card Accounts) to provide extra cash are encouraged because 1) It is a safe, sure way to send money, and 2) There are many Automatic Teller Machines that the missionarys have access to.

If you live in South America, follow these instructions to send extra money to your missionary:

1. Go to Galicia Bank

2. Deposit the money in the Church’s account (Number 3941-3-026-9)

3. Get a receipt

4. Send a fax to the Church Offices in Buenos Aires (011) 4779 6586 with a copy of the receipt and a note explaining the deposit. For example: Offices of Buenos Aires: I, Juan Navarro, deposited $10.00 in the Church’s bank account for my son Elder Marcos Navarro who is serving in the Córdoba Argentina Mission.

5. OR you can send money through Western Union, which is also a safe, sure way to send money.

If you live in North America, follow these instructions to send extra money to your missionary:

1. Set up a bank account for your child with a debit card, send this debit card to your child through a letter or package, do not send the personal identification number with the card, later, when you write your weekly letter to your missionary by email, send the number in your letter. Your missionary will then have access his/her account.

2. You can also send money through ZIONS BANK. You can send money through the missionarys support card. There is a 5 dollar charge for this transaction.

Do not send checks directly to your missionary or to the Mission Home.

The missionary should bring $100 to keep in an emergency.

Due to economic instabilities in Argentina prices of goods fluctuate often. Electronics and technological devices may cost the same or up to 10 times as much as in the U.S. Food items are generally comparable.

Picking Up Your Missionary

Any information or questions regarding flights or release date must be directed to the Missionary Department. They are the first to know such details.

If you wish to meet your missionary in Cordoba, Argentina and travel following the mission, it is very important that you contact the Mission Home by fax or telephone at least three months prior to the release date.