Guidelines for ALL Communication in Closed Countries

There are many inappropriate words and subjects that should NEVER be used in communication with our teachers. This includes letters, faxes, phone calls and, perhaps even more importantly, e-mail. We can basically guarantee that EVER e-mail sent into China, Mongolia, Vietnam, or Laos is downloaded before it even gets to our teachers(due to their method of controlling information). With this in mind, I’m sending you our Correspondence Guidelines. They do need to be followed carefully. If not, it can endanger the work of our teachers, endanger their students, and the work of all ELIC teachers in Asia. Please read the following carefully, and feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any questions. (Scott Sundberg, 1-800-366-3542)

Correspondence Guidelines

  1. Don’t criticize the host country’s government in any way.
  2. Don’t mention missions, missionary activity, evangelism, witnessing, giving out Bibles, the host country’s church, support raising, etc. ELIC does NOT send missionaries; however, they are in Asia as teachers and share Christ through their lives.
  3. Don’t send missionary prayer letters, tracts, church bulletins, missions magazines, Bibles, etc.
  4. Don’t send letters on church stationery, or send support information into the host country. Any sermon tapes mailed should be labeled only with the speaker’s first and last name. Don’t send packages with church labels.
  5. Don’t mention your teacher’s friends in the host country by name, or in any way identify people who might be interested in Christianity.
  6. Limit your use of Christian language to talking about your own spiritual life and growth. You can quote Scripture. Just remember that moderation is the key.
  7. Don’t send bulk e-mails to teachers in Asia.
  8. Only give out your teacher’s e-mail address or mailing address to people that have a copy of these Guidelines. It is also usually advisable to have permission from a teacher before you give out their e-mail address to anyone.
  9. Please DO write letters to your teacher in Asia. Mail is a cherished and needed encouragement. Even if you can’t say all you’d like to, please do write. A letter about what’s happening in your life could make your teacher’s day.
  10. These Guidelines should be followed for ALL phone calls, e-mails, letters and packages.

Be aware that sending e-mail requires the same, if not more, caution.