Dear Texas Houston South Mission Missionaries & Parents, the Texas Houston South Mission Is an Approved Smartphone Mission
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Dear Texas Houston South Mission Missionaries & Parents, The Texas Houston South Mission is an approved smartphone mission and the steps below should be followed before the missionary enters the MTC. Following the purchase of your smartphone, please call the mission office to inform us that this step has been completed. 281-565-7117 There are two primary obJectives for the use of smartphones in our missionary efforts… First, we want to enable our young missionaries to become wise stewards who know how to use and apply technology purposefully and safely for the rest of their lives. Secondarily and equally important, this tool will allow us to share the good news of the gospel more broadly and effectively than ever before. Before arriving to the field, you must read and study Safeguards for Using Technology. We are focused on helping the missionaries remember their purpose to invite and help others come unto Christ, and we have high expectations for how they will use and take care of this important resource. Safeguards for using technology is a wonderful guide to help prepare the missionary on how to use this tool wisely. As these devices will be owned by the missionaries, the family is responsible to purchase a device for use in-field. The mission will cover the expense of the service charges and data plan. We recognize you are already making great sacrifices to support your missionary and we pray that this will not be an extra burden to your family. If financial assistance is needed, we ask you to work with your bishop or branch president. The instructions we have received from the Church to purchase a device are as follows… Please strictly follow these guidelines. Approved Smartphones The Samsung Galaxy J, A, S, and Note series are the only smartphones approved for young missionaries. The smartphones must meet the following requirements: • Runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system or higher (this can be verified in the product description or in the About Device section of the smartphone’s settings) • Is unlocked to work with any GSM carrier (you cannot purchase a phone from AT&T, TMobile unless it is specified as unlocked – Please note, it must be a GSM phone, Verizon and Sprint use a CDMA network and these phone won’t work) • Has at least 16GB internal storage • If the missionary already owns an unlocked Samsung phone as described above, it can be used instead of a new purchase. • The missionaries are not authorized to use any smartphone that does not meet the requirements listed above. Do not purchase a tablet. Highly Recommended Accessories/Services • *Protective case • *Screen protector • *MicroSD memory card (32GB or higher) • Warranty/Protection Service (for manufacturer issues, loss, theft, or breakage) *can be purchased in field if desired There are two options to consider for ordering your missionaries’ phone… You can order from www.insight.com/missionarysmartphone at a negotiated price (phone options pluse accessories/services are available) or you can purchase from other local or online stores. New phone prices generally begin at approximately $140 US dollars. A google search for any of the specified unlocked Samsung devices above will also return a number of options for you to consider. Again, please make sure you don’t purchase a phone that works on a CDMA network (not Verizon or Sprint) and or one that is locked. Additional Details The mission will take care of the cost of the service and data plan. Each area where the missionary will serve has one active SIM card that will be used as the primary phone number. Missionaries will share the data plan by enabling the hotspot option on the activated phone. The Church has created proselyting resources that will enable the missionaries to become more effective and efficient in their efforts, including applications for: area book and planner, GPS services, proselyting tools, video and multi-media content, foreign language, communication, as well as the publicly available Church resources (Gospel Library, LDS Tools and other applications). Safeguards have been added to the phone applications to keep missionaries safe and to minimize distraction. The programs have been well tested and have been in use in iPad missions for a number of years. As always, the best filter is within their hearts and minds. Facebook and other social media tools will be made available to them, but strictly for missionary oriented activities. We will ask that family and friends continue to communicate with them once a week through email (no messenger, texting, or other instant messenger communication). The missionary is 100% responsible for the care and protection of their mobile device. If they lose or break their phone, the mission will not have any responsibility to replace it for them. Warranty services can help you protect this investment if desired. If the missionary abuses or misuses their phone, the mission president has the discretion to suspend use of the phone until the missionary is able to demonstrate the ability to use it wisely and effectively. Monitoring tools have been established to keep our missionaries safe and safeguards will be reviewed regularly. The missionary will own their device and will take it home with them as they return from their mission. Timeline and Next Steps Purchase the authorized smartphone and recommended services before entering the MTC. Only use the phone if authorized to do so at the MTC. Notify the mission office when you have purchased your phone. We are excited to use these wonderful technologies to further the Lord’s work. We know our missionaries will develop patterns and habits with these important tools that will bless them for the rest of their lives. If you have any questions, please contact the mission office. 281-565-7117 .