If ever you'd want to send a care package...

. . . here are some thoughts. (And lest you think I'm being greedy, this is a request from Jim at Missionary-Blogs that we post ideas for care packages.)

In Kenya, as I've mentioned before, there's a customs official in the post office who inspects packages and determines how much you should pay in order to get the package. The easiest way to get around this is to send packages small enough for them not to open them. I've never been asked to open envelopes, not even, bulky, padded ones. And those are great to send books. Books are great to get. Whether they're children's books to read to the kids, or whether they're books you think we as adults would enjoy (both fiction and non-fiction), books are great.

Before I go into some food stuff that one can fit into an envelope, may I mention that the first thing I ever look for in a package is a note! People don't always realize that a hand-written letter or note is often more appreciated than any goods that you can send. Add a picture, and wow, you've just made my week! (If there's no danger of it breaking, a framed picture is even cooler!)

Other great stuff you can fit into an envelope is Crystal Light, Country Time or Propel On-the-Go drink mixes. These are super light, and you can never have too many of these. (I carry them in my backpack all the time and add them to my drinking water.)

While we're talking convenience foods, there are a number of items that will fit easily into care packages: Mac and Cheese (I rarely eat processed foods, but it's oh-so-convenient having something easy to throw together on days when you've not been able to get to town too recently and you simply don't have a ton of food at hand. With grocery stores much further away than they typically are at home, having something like macaroni and cheese at hand is, well, handy.) The same goes for instant oatmeal. Or even things like mixes (brownie mix, cake mix, pancake mix.) But mixes are heavy, so they're best send with hand-delivered packages...

Since we make chapatis in Kenya (similar to tortillas), it's always good to have taco (or fajita, or enchilada) spices at hand, and those fit nicely into envelopes. :)

I've received fun packages from friends before. Packages with little bags of candy. (Chocolates tend to be heavy!) Or packages with thank-you notes included. Speaking of thank-you notes: something I go through a lot and cannot find in Kenya, obviously, is US Stamps. It's far cheaper sending mail from the US, and since we often have teams that can carry mail back for me, it's a huge blessing to have American stamps so I can send thank-yous.

Ah, and lest I forget: DVDs are a great hit! New releases are safe gifts, typically. (Safe in terms of that I probably don't already own it.) If you'd like to send movies to show the kids, it's best to check first.

So, honestly, the greatest gift I can get is often just a hand-written note. If you'd like to throw some surprise in the envelope, great. If not, the note itself is equally appreciated! In fact, when I recently got some hand-written notes from a group of Sunday school kids, one of the biggest gifts they sent me was the fact that they wrote their own personal prayer requests in there, too. It made me feel part of their world in that I could pray for them specifically.

And I love that: Not only knowing you're part of this mission, but knowing I become part of your world in the process, too.

By the way, I think it's ironic that I'm writing this post on the same day as I posted the World Vision video on Teenage Affluenza. I don't for a moment feel like I lack anything. Care packages are a blessing, not a necessity. I have far more than I need. Getting unexpected blessings from friends is simply... well, unexpected.