Missionary work is proceeding "wisely, prudently and cautiously" following the May 24 slaying of two full-time missionaries, Elders Jeffrey B. Ball and Todd R. Wilson, according to Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve.

Elder Ballard returned recently from a tour of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. He and Elder Charles Didier of the First Quorum of the Seventy, president of the South America North Area, met with missionaries and the general membership."We toured nine missions and gave instructions to the missionaries concerning safety precautions they need to observe, including returning to their apartments by 9:30 p.m. and how to travel and conduct themselves in the present climate," Elder Ballard said.

"Contrary to rumors I've heard since I returned," he added, "the missionary elders are still wearing white shirts and ties, the sister missionaries are dressing as they always have, and the missionaries are wearing their name tags.

"We're just being more attentive to caution," he noted, adding that "we will continue with our efforts in those countries, and we'll do it wisely, prudently and cautiously."

Elder Ballard said Richard T. Bretzing, managing director of Church security, also met with the missionaries in La Paz and gave them "guidelines for taking precautionary measures." Bretzing is a retired FBI agent.

A news conference was held in La Paz, Elder Ballard said, "to dispel the myth that the missionaries have something to do with government agencies."

He added: "There has been a misconception, and I don't know where it came from, that in South America the missionaries have been perceived as being connected with U.S. government agencies. This is, of course, absolutely untrue.

"Our missionary guidelines have always been that the missionaries are not to engage in political discussions of any kind. This is the case regardless of where they serve in the world. Ours is a simple responsibility of proclaiming the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, and nothing more."

While in Bolivia, Elder Ballard met with the federal minister of religions and the Catholic archbishop, both of whom expressed their concern and support.

The work of sharing the gospel in the Bolivia La Paz Mission halted for a few days after the tragic event as missionaries were asked to stay in their apartments for security reasons. During that time, members brought in meals to them.

In the aftermath of the deaths, the Bolivian public has become more sympathetic to the Church, mission Pres. Steven R. Wright said. Newspaper coverage included the reaction of the families of the slain missionaries, and editorials praised them for their "great example of faith and courage in light of tragedy," Pres. Wright added.

Closer ties with the government have also been realized, and the local police have become more sympathetic to the missionary work, Pres. Wright noted.

The greatest change, however, has been "in the way members are cooperating with the missionaries," the mission president said. "There is more friendshipping and fellowshipping, and members have increased their efforts in finding investigators. Members have been given courage to talk to their friends about the gospel. Doors have been opened both here and in the Bolivia Cochabamba Mission."

On a personal level, Pres. Wright said he appreciated the calls he received from the Ball and Wilson families. "They called to comfort me," he said. "That was a great testimony, and example of the kind of inner strength that comes to members in these situations."

In related events, the United States government has announced that as part of a program to combat international terrorism, it is offering a $500,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the assassins. Police released a description of two men and a woman believed to have carried out the murders.

"The reward can be picked up only after the capture, trial and conviction of the persons responsible for this act of terrorism," a government statement said.