How to Call and Video Chat Your Missionary: The Rules
Since 2019, LDS missionaries can call, text, or video chat home weekly on preparation day. Here are the rules for parents and how to make the call count.
Since February 2019, full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may call, text, or video chat with their families once a week on their preparation day. The missionary chooses the method and length of contact, and family members are asked to wait for the missionary to reach out rather than initiating calls themselves. Before 2019, most missionaries could only call home twice a year, on Mother's Day and Christmas.
Since February 2019, full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can call, text, or video chat their families once a week, typically on their preparation day (P-day). The missionary decides the method and how long the contact lasts. This was a major change from the previous policy, when most missionaries could only call home twice a year, on Mother's Day and Christmas.
In This Article
The Weekly Communication Rule
Under the current guidelines, missionaries are encouraged to communicate with their families each week using whatever approved method works best: a phone call, text messages, email, or a video chat. Facebook Messenger has become one of the most common tools missionaries use for this, since it combines messaging and video chat in a single app that works in most areas with data access. The exact approach is left to the missionary. It is not required that every missionary call or video chat every single week; some weeks an email may be all that happens, and that is normal.
For our family, chatting with our missionaries, Brooklyn and Dallin, over Facebook Messenger took some getting used to at first. In the end, though, it was an awesome benefit: our younger children got a much closer view of the experiences their older siblings were having on their missions than a phone call alone could have given them.
In addition to weekly contact, missionaries are also encouraged to reach out on special occasions such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and family birthdays.
When the Call Happens: Preparation Day
Most weekly communication happens on the missionary's preparation day, the weekly day set aside for laundry, shopping, cleaning, and writing home. P-day is usually a weekday, not Sunday, and the specific day can vary by mission. Because the rest of the week is devoted to missionary work, families should plan around the missionary's P-day rather than their own schedule.
Why Parents Should Wait for the Missionary
One of the most important rules for families: do not initiate the call. Family members are asked to wait for the missionary to contact them. The missionary knows their own schedule, their companion's needs, and the local internet or phone access, and they are responsible for keeping the contact within mission guidelines. If a missionary's parents live in different households, the missionary may contact each parent separately.
Waiting can be hard, especially in the first weeks. If the homesickness runs both directions, our guide on supporting a homesick missionary offers language that helps.
How to Make the Weekly Call Count
Have a short list of questions ready so the call doesn't stall: ask about the people they're teaching, their companion, the food, and a favorite moment from the week.
Ask your missionary to send their weekly email before the call, if their schedule allows it. This has been a huge help for our family: reading the email first gave us built-in talking points, so we already had questions and comments ready to go instead of scrambling to think of something once we were on the call.
Be encouraging, not interrogating. Let them lead. A mission is intense, and the call should feel like support, not a debrief.
Keep your own updates light and positive. Share family news, but avoid dumping heavy problems they can't do anything about from afar.
Respect the time. Companions are waiting and P-day is short. Wrap up graciously.
The conversations are wonderful, but they're also fleeting. Pairing the weekly call with consistent written letters and emails gives your missionary something they can re-read all week.
Time Zones, Methods, and Practical Tips
Map the time difference for international missions and confirm the missionary's P-day so everyone is available.
Test your video app ahead of time and have a phone-call backup for weak connections.
Gather the family in one place so the missionary can see and hear everyone at once.
Consider taking notes right after the call. Spoken stories fade fast, and they're worth capturing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can LDS missionaries call home every week?
Yes. Since 2019, missionaries may call, text, or video chat their families weekly, usually on preparation day.
Can parents call the missionary?
No. Family members are asked to wait for the missionary to reach out rather than initiating contact.
What day do missionaries call home?
Usually their weekly preparation day, which varies by mission and is typically Monday.
How long can the call be?
The missionary uses good judgment on length and is asked to be considerate of their companion and their schedule. Some mission presidents provide guidance to their missionaries on call length, and others leave it up to the missionary.
Save the Words Behind the Calls
Phone and video calls disappear the moment you hang up, but your missionary's weekly written messages don't have to. Start your missionary's keepsake book and turn every email home into a hardbound record of the mission: the stories, the testimony, and the growth you hear about on those weekly calls, preserved in print.
Key takeaway: Missionaries can reach out weekly on P-day, families should let the missionary initiate, and the spoken stories you treasure are best backed up by saving the written ones.