Parents of Americans -
(As always, please do not forward this or post it on social media. Every mission is receiving different instructions.)
The church has arranged for chartered jets to fly the American missionaries from São Paulo to the USA. The Recife missionaries will leave São Paulo on Thursday evening (I do not know the exact time that the plane will leave). Our mission office staff has worked magic to obtain a flight for each missionary to travel from Recife to São Paulo. Due to limited flight options, some will have to start flying to São Paulo on Wednesday evening. If I am told what time the chartered plane leaves São Paulo and when/where it will land in the USA, I will notify you. If I don't tell you, it means that I don't know. Church Travel will purchase all connecting flights from where the chartered jet lands to each missionary's home airport. That information will be sent to you and/or your stake president by Church Travel. I will not receive any of that information. If everything goes as planned, they should all arrive at home on Friday. Please do not arrange for groups to pick up your missionary at the airport. They are coming home to be quarantined. This needs to be taken seriously.
We implemented our emergency evacuation notice earlier today. All of the missionaries are either already in Recife or traveling to the city now. They will begin arriving at the mission office soon where they will begin the process of checking out of the mission. We will provide housing and food for them until they leave on Wednesday or Thursday.
We need your prayers. Please pray specifically that can all travel safely into Recife. Please pray that their flights from Recife to São Paulo will leave as planned. Please pray that the São Paulo airport will stay open even though the city is going on lockdown on Tuesday.
Your missionaries are nervous, as to be expected, but they are strong and they have faith! When they arrive at home, they will have stories of countless miracles that are happening all around them!
Sister Houseman
