By KATIE PARKER
A new policy introduced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discouraging the use of electronic written communication by missionaries seems to be receiving strong support from LDS Church members.
Although some local families are disappointed that they can no longer e-mail or fax their missionaries, they seem to understand and support the reasoning.
Dan Rascon from the LDS Church public affairs office said the reasons given for the decision were to keep missionaries focused by keeping contact with family to once a week, and to relieve any burdens members face with missionaries using their computers.
Mark Weed, 23, a junior from Merced, Calif., majoring in Exercise Physiology and Justin Clegg, 22, a junior from Mesa, Ariz., double majoring in English and broadcasting, both said they used fax machines during their missions.
Weed served in Brazilia, Brazil, and said he would fax his family when he was transferred.
Because Weed only used electronic communication for that purpose, he said if still serving he would have been disappointed by the new policy. However, he realizes many missionaries abuse the privilege of this timely communication with their families and supporters from home.
In one of the areas Clegg served in Kingston, Jamaica, he was able to fax his family each week as long as he paid for it. He said it was a privilege to do this and could understand how it could easily be abused.
As a missionary, Clegg says, “The more communication you have the more distracted you are.”
According to the missionary handbook, Elders and Sisters are encouraged to write their families once a week. With the use of e-mail and fax machines, some missionaries were making contact with home more frequently.
Rascon said the policy was given to all the local leaders of the church in December through a letter issued to them from President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve.
The letter also gave authority to area presidents to decide along with mission presidents if electronic communication could be used by missionaries in areas where serious postal problems existed, Rascon said.
If it is approved, the missionaries are to keep communication to a strict once a week basis.
