A Parental Post--Mail and Packages

Dear Parents,

I truly do not wish to offend, but I do wish to educate. With the increase of missionaries in the mission and in particular the arrival of American sisters, I have been inundated with questions from parents regarding mail and packages. So rather than address each situation individually, I will address it publicly here and then post it in the parent information for later reference.

First, please understand that although President Wagner and I wish to help you and answer your questions, we are also extremely busy. The mission is like a large corporation that constantly requires a great deal of work. Rare are the days we take a p-day, and constant are the ones that bring emergencies. Nearly every day requires 16 hours of work plus we are on constant call at all hours for health and other missionary emergencies.

Having a daughter ourselves on a mission we understand your desire to send mail and packages. But please understand that we do not handle the mail. That is handled by a very capable and experienced office staff consisting of two elders and a senior couple.

The packet your missionary received has the addresses for packages. The packages sent to the office usually need someone there to sign for them. The office closes at 2 so the missionaries can go to work, so if a package comes after that time no one will be there. We cannot change this since it is much more important for the missionary to be out sharing the gospel than it is for him to be sitting in the office.  Usually, however, they contact the office and set another time to deliver. In most cases this is not a problem.

If the package is sent to the post office box, it will be picked up according to the availability of the office staff. Once again they are very much over worked and do the best they can. If paper work needs to be filled out, they will do it. But once again, at their convenience.

Once a package is in the office it will remain there until either President Wagner and I deliver it or until mission council when the zone leaders come into Guadalajara for training. Usually mail will be delivered twice a month, but sometimes it is only once. We are also sorry about this, but once again we cannot change it. There is not any other safe method to deliver the mail other than personal delivery.

Also please remember that not all packages arrive safely. We have heard from several parents that packages have been sent that have not arrived at the office or post office box. We are sorry about this, but we cannot do anything about it. There is no way for us to track down a package through the Mexican mail system, nor if there were, would the secretaries have time to do it. Luckily, this is the exception. Nearly all packages are delivered. Sometimes it takes a couple weeks and sometimes it takes a couple months, however.

We do understand how important it is for you to send the package and for your missionary to receive it, but for the office staff this is not, nor can it be a top priority. Truly we are all doing the best we can under the circumstances. And many times the circumstances are just out of our control.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,
Hermana Wagner