[Note from President & Sister Packard] MBM survived another blizzard

Dear families,

Here we are back with another weather update! As many of you know, we just experienced our second blizzard in a single month. In addition to the snow, this storm packed incredibly high winds and dangerously low temperatures. Church meetings were cancelled in over 90% of the wards and branches today. For the overwhelming majority of the mission, we not only "red-dotted" the missionaries (no driving), but we also "purple-dotted" them (no going outside at all). Missionaries who attended church were asked to return home immediately following their services and report in to us. 

We are very concerned about the bitterly cold temperatures existing all over the mission right now. We held a WebEx call this afternoon to discuss the wind chill warning that would be going into effect tonight and to explain the dangers and symptoms of frostbite. All of us have neighbors who are desperate for help with snow shoveling, but we are being very cautious about letting our missionaries work in dangerous conditions. They can shovel snow once the wind chill warning is lifted, but only for short periods of time and always dressed in layers and paying special attention to their ears, hands, toes, etc. We'll have another WebEx in the morning with an update on the weather and more guidance on community service and driving precautions. 

Most missionaries should be able to get to a computer tomorrow to write to you. If the missionaries get tied up with community service, we've authorized them to finish their P-day activities (shopping, laundry, haircuts, emails, etc.) on Tuesday.  Let's hope this is the last week of weather worries for all of us! Feel free to contact us if you have any concerns, but please know that your children are safe and happy.

Love,

President and Sister Packard

On Mon, Feb 9, 2015 at 3:28 PM, Alison Packard <alisonpackard@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Parents,

Can you believe I'm writing to you about weather concerns for the third week in a row? Yes, indeed, the Massachusetts Boston Mission has been hit by another major winter storm! This time the snow isn't as heavy, but it has been falling since Friday night...and piling up all over the mission. Here in the Boston area we've had 62 inches of snow from these past 3 storms. With almost 2 feet of new snow since Friday, the roads are a mess and the plows are struggling to keep up. And the snow just keeps coming and coming. Ahhh!!!

As you might have guessed, most of our missionaries are red-dotted again for P-day. This means that a lot of your children won't have access to a computer to write home today. We've told them to email you as soon as they get a chance, which should be tomorrow for almost everyone. Please let me know if you haven't heard from your missionary in a while and I'll remind him or her to write home ASAP. (I get it. Our own son just returned home from a mission last year and I know how dependent I was on those weekly letters!)

You should know that all of the missionaries are doing great. They get a little stir-crazy when they're stuck inside so they all love to get out and shovel snow for the neighbors as soon as they have a chance. We've had several people ask to learn more about the church because of the great service offered by the missionaries. They truly are wonderful representatives of the Savior.

Lots of love to all of you from snowy New England,

Sister Packard

On Mon, Feb 2, 2015 at 11:41 PM, Alison Packard <alisonpackard@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear parents,

As you may have heard, our mission was hit by another major snow storm today. The entire mission was "red-dotted," which means the elders and sisters weren't allowed to drive anywhere. Some missionaries were able to walk or take the "T" to a nearby library or member's home, but most of them were stuck with no way to email home. All of the missionaries have been given permission to email you as soon as they can safely get to a computer. For most of them, that will likely be tomorrow afternoon. 

I'm sure your missionaries will be sending you some great pictures of the snow! I'll attach a couple photos from our back patio and front yard to give you an idea of how much snow these missionaries are shoveling! Yes, they're AMAZING.

With love,

President and Sister Packard 

On Tues, Jan 27, 2015 at 10:42 AM, Alison Packard <alisonpackard@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear families,

As most of you know, we are in the middle of a blizzard here in New England! You should know that all of the missionaries are doing really well. Some areas of the mission have seen more than 2 feet of snow already! Other areas have significantly less. The storm is expected to last throughout the day and start clearing out in the early hours of tomorrow morning. We have had some power outages, but the electricity has come back very quickly in those cases. At the current time, ALL missionaries have electricity and heat. We know this could change as the day progresses. The wind is INTENSE (especially in the coastal areas of the mission), but the missionaries are prepared. They have flashlights, extra blankets, extra food and water, etc. 

The missionaries are not allowed to drive anywhere until the storm passes. They are doing a lot of studying and planning inside the apartment and shoveling A LOT of snow if they get a break in the weather and can go outside. We are already hearing great reports about neighbors who are so appreciative of our selfless, hard-working missionaries. They are definitely touching a lot of lives today through their service. 

Please know that we love your children dearly and will stay in close communication with them to make sure they are safe and happy. We are so grateful for this opportunity to serve with these fine Elders and Sisters. We are convinced that they're the greatest missionaries in the world!

Thanks for all of your support.

With love,

President and Sister Packard