Prep Your Missionary

Prep Your Missionary The Latest News for Missionaries

By Allison Beckert

Mission expectations, resources, qualifications, supplies, travel: all these details and considerations have been changing with remarkable speed. With a temporary transition to online MTC experiences and delayed international mission calls, keeping up to date with developments with the news from reliable sources has never been more important.

The first and most reliable source is official Church channels. Churchwide adjustments in response to the pandemic have been announced directly through the Church Newsroom. While our primary concern here is missionary work, and not all updates are related to the international mission effort, one of the incredible blessings of the Restoration is leadership by a living prophet and apostles. The announcements they make—shared through the newsroom first—are the answer to the question ‘what have our leaders said lately?’ If you have not yet subscribed to receive announcements via email, this can be done by visiting newsroom. churchofjesuschrist.org and using the ‘Newsroom Notifications’ option at the bottom of the page—simply enter the email at which you want to receive the announcements.

The next official channel for missionaries, prospective missionaries and their families is the Missionary Portal. Available at missionary.churchofje-

Photo by Church Media Library Refer to your bishop for information about when your online missionary portal will be activated as part of your application process. suschrist.org, the page requires you to sign in, and the content changes as the application and call process progresses for the person signing in. For family viewing the page, frequently asked questions that direct researchers to resources and ways to communicate with those in authority to give more detailed answers. The preparation question regarding technology is an excellent one, and suggestions are there for apps to help review our tech habits—a mindful consideration by which both prospective missionaries and their family members at home can benefit!

Next to these print and automated channels, the next best sources for questions and concerns regarding the ever-changing state of missionary service are your ward and stake leadership. Developing a good relationship with not just your bishop, but also the ward mission leader and missionaries, the ward’s or stake’s full-time missionaries, and others directly involved in the effort locally is key. Understand that your questions may not yet have answers, but escalating your questions and concerns can draw attention to issues that affect others preparing for prospective missions in your area.

Finally, show caution and care in any sources outside of these channels. While there may be some interested parties in your ward, family or friend groups, know that gossip and rumor spread freely regarding missionary work and announcements or changes to it. If you hear something that seems too good to be true or that cannot be verified through newsroom sources, the missionary portal or your leadership, consider carefully before sharing it with others or planning around it. Be at the front of the excitement: sign up for releases from the newsroom directly and keep checking your missionary portal for updates.