LINKS FAQ

What is the main job of a LINKS secretary, and how does our church receive information about our LINKS missionaries?

Contact your church's LINKS missionaries regularly (at least two or three times a year). Missionaries love to receive cards and notes; however, don't expect a reply to every correspondence. The best person to contact regarding details about your LINKS missionaries is your district LINKS secretary. If you do not know who holds this office, you can look it up in the district journal under District NMI Council. (Your church should have a district journal.) If a missionary notifies you of a change of information, such as a new address or plans for retirement, please inform the General NMI Office.

Do missionaries like to receive e-cards or newsletters?

The general answer is "No." Depending on the Internet connection speed where the missionary is located, e-cards can sometimes take a long time to load. Some missionaries have to pay by the minute for Internet and/or e-mail access, making e-cards costly. Always check with your LINKS missionaries to see what service is available to them personally.

I can't find our missionaries's addresses on the web.

To ensure the safety of missionaries, World Mission Department's Missionary Profiles Online does not include missionary contact information. If you need contact information for a missionary, please contact either your district NMI president or your district LINKS secretary.

How should our church's LINKS cash assignment be handled?

Please do not send money directly to the missionary. It may never reach them, and money is sometimes difficult to exchange in some world areas. On the remittance form that is sent to the Global Treasury Services Office with the money, always include the name of the LINKS recipient. Money cannot be credited properly without the missionary's name. Each time you send a monetary gift, notify the recipient beforehand:

--The reason for the gift (cash assignment, birthday, Christmas, love offering, etc.)
--When the gift will be sent
--The amount of the gift.

Notifying the recipient ahead of time allows them to ensure the gift is received properly.

The children of my church want pen pals. Can I have addresses and e-mail addresses for all of our missionary kids (MKs)?

World Mission Department asks that we not distribute lists with street and e-mail addresses for MKs due to security, expense, and the protection of our missionaries' time. Here are a few suggestions:

• Check with your local NMI president to see if your church has LINKS missionaries with children.
• If not, check with your district's LINKS secretary to see if your district has a LINKS missionary with a child who would like to be a pen pal. NOTE: Missionaries may not have reliable/affordable e-mail or Internet access. Also, missionary kids may not be able to keep up with pen pal correspondence.
• Consider sponsoring a child through the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Child Sponsorship program. These overseas pastors' children correspond with their sponsors as a part of the program. For more information, contact NCM Child Sponsorship (816-333-7000), or via e-mail:child@nazarene.org.

What is the difference between Missionary Christmas Fund and monies we send through the Global Treasury Services Office for our LINKS missionaries as a Christmas gift?

The Missionary Christmas Fund is NOT a part of LINKS. They are completely separate. Missionary Christmas Fund money is a general fund, given to all qualifying missionaries. With these funds, missionaries receive Holiness Today, Mission Connection, Day by Day books (pocket calendars), and a monetary gift for Christmas. Since Missionary Christmas Fund is a general fund for all missionaries, specific missionaries names should not be mentioned when remitting the Missionary Christmas Fund.

If you would like to send your LINKS missionary(ies) a LINKS Christmas gift, this a separate gift, above and beyond the Missionary Christmas Fund. When sending in a LINKS Christmas gift, include a remittance form with the following information:

--LINKS Christmas gift
--Missionary's name

Send the check and remittance form to:

Global Treasury Services
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64137

Do you still have questions about the difference between Missionary Christmas Fund and LINKS Christmas gifts? Contact General NMI Office. Phone: (816) 333-7000

Do missionaries and their families still like to receive packages?

Yes, if they are not in a country where receiving packages is prohibited. The forms you receive at your district convention often have gift suggestions. However, always contact the missionaries before sending a package, verifying it is something they need/want and asking for any recent changes in mailing instructions.

Double wrap items, and don't send perfumed items in same containers with food. Small packages generally pass through customs more easily than large boxes, plus they are less expensive to ship.

Send packages often; they remind the missionary that a church is thinking about and praying for them. If you don't have a copy of the mailing instructions for the country where your LINKS missionary lives, contact your district LINKS secretary.

What's the best way I can encourage my LINKS missionary if they are working in a Creative Access Area (CAA)?

Pray for them daily. Remember that you are making a difference in missionaries' lives, even though the results may not be visible. CAA missionaries usually have an address in their home country, so please contact them, but you may not hear back for a long time.