Dear Parents of American Missionaries -
PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD THIS EMAIL OR POST IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. EACH MISSION IS SHARING INFORMATION AS IT PERTAINS TO THEIR AREA.
We were required to register your child in the United States Department of Defense STEP program. This allows the State Department to know exactly where all American citizens who are abroad are located. It also allows them to aid in evacuating US citizens if necessary. We completed all of these registrations. The mission office address and phone number were used as their Brazilian contact information but the name of one parent, your home address and phone number were listed as the emergency contact information.
Can ONE PARENT please reply to this email with the following information to ensure that we have accurate information for you in our system:
- Please designate one parent as the emergency contact and tell me their name
- Home address
- Cell phone numbers for each parent
- Email addresses for each parent
- Preferred airport where we should send your missionary if they are evacuated
You might receive updates from the State Department. If you do, please do not forward it to the mission office. We will receive the same information that you receive. If you get a confirmation of their registration, it does not mean that there is an emergency or that they are being evacuated. I don't want you to worry unnecessarily.
Please know that our entire focus is on the safety of your missionaries right now. We are in contact with our Area Presidency as local situations arise. We are receiving a tremendous about of information and support from them. We have emergency evacuation plans in place for every area in the mission that can be activated with one phone call.
There are several scenarios of how our mission will be impacted by missionaries being released and/or reassigned to US mission. We can't even speculate how it will happen because there are so many possibilities. At this time we aren't able to tell you how your missionary will be impacted, not because we are withholding information, but because we don't know until we receive specific instructions. Right now we are keeping all of the missionaries happy, healthy, safe and trying to provide some structure to their homebound schedules.
You are ALWAYS welcome to contact us with questions or concerns. It might take us a little while to get back with you. I am making notes from parents as I receive them regarding special circumstances at home that might impact an early return/release.
Thank you for your support and your prayers. We are in awe of the miracles that are occurring around us just as we are in need of them!
I promise that as soon as we have information to pass to you, we will do it immediately!
President & Sister Housemn
Brazil Recife Mission
