Dear Jennie Martinez,
As I mentioned in my previous letter our situation here in the New Zealand Auckland Mission is fluid. Things have changed and I have an important update to announce.
Late last evening I received an email from President Ian S. Ardern, Pacific Area President and General Authority Seventy, that stated the following:
“… this email is to inform you that all young foreign missionaries [i.e., missionaries who are not New Zealand citizens or residents] serving in [the New Zealand Auckland Mission] are to return home as soon as travel can be arranged. ... The return of the missionaries will be done in a systematic way based on travel restrictions, level of COVID-19 concern, and other considerations. … We acknowledge that some borders are closed and therefore some travel will take considerable time to put in place. We will move forward with the intent to return all foreign missionaries [i.e., missionaries who are not New Zealand citizens or residents] home and acknowledge that in some cases it will be very difficult… you need to look no further than the closed borders of Tonga, PNG, Vanuatu, Kiribati and others to understand that. Mission presidents will inform stake presidents when a missionary is returning home. When travel plans are certain and missionaries are ready to leave the mission, stake presidents will be notified by the mission president. Stake presidents should notify the missionary’s family as soon as he receives information.”
This morning, I conducted a videoconference meeting with the missionaries of the New Zealand Auckland Mission to announce this decision. Needless to say, many were very disappointed but I know all have the resolve to press forward no matter the obstacles that lay before them.
We currently do not have a timeline for return flights. This will take effort and time. Once we know of flight information for Sister Carly Martinez we will notify the stake president who will then notify the family. We appreciate your patience in the interim.
I have attached a matrix to this letter that explains the protocol for all missionaries impacted by this decision. Please refer to this matrix for those details.
Please know that your missionaries are safe. They will be entering a four-week long New Zealand government mandated lockdown at 11:59pm tonight. I am not sure how the lockdown will impact the return process, but please rest assured that those details are being seen to by skilled professionals in the Pacific Area Office. Please also know that we will continue to do everything in our power to keep Sister Martinez safe. We love Sister Martinez.
I will strive to keep you updated with any further developments.
Mahalo nui loa.
President J. Alan Walker
New Zealand Auckland Mission
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