“A package arrived for you,” my teammate texted me. “It was sent three years ago!”
That’s right. Three years. We couldn’t tell how long it had taken for the package to get from the U.S. to our country in North Africa. But it had clearly been forgotten in the recesses of the local post office for some time. By the time the package of Girl Scout Cookies was retrieved from the recesses of the post office, mice had nibbled into the Thin Mints and the desert heat had turned the Samoas into a crumbly, rancid mess.
Nevertheless, as I dropped the entire contents of the package into the waste bin, I felt incredibly happy. It was an immense blessing to know that a supporter had remembered me and gone out of her way—perhaps even inconvenienced herself—to show it.
“We haven’t forgotten about you!” says the boxed-up love offering.
Many Frontiers’ workers live in countries where there is no access to supermarkets full of Western products. Favorite candy bars, coffee, and practical life savers like earplugs and Ziploc bags are largely unavailable on the field.
Care packages meet practical needs. But they also encourage workers by showing them that someone has gone out of the way to purchase, pack, and mail an international care package.
Here are some tips for sending successful care packages:
- Find out your worker’s likes, wants, or needs—then send exactly what they have asked for.
- Ask others to write encouraging notes and include these in the package.
- Package items well:
- Use a sturdy box.
- Tuck everything inside Ziploc bags.
- Cover the entire box with packaging tape to discourage curious mice.
- Pack the box as full as you can. Fill extra space with granola bars, stickers for children, spices, tea lights, candy bars, and any other treats you can think of.
- Use the delivery service recommended by your worker. (In certain places, some delivery options may be unreliable or charge high delivery fees.)
Not all workers live in places where it is possible or practical to receive packages, but friends, family, and guests visiting the team may be able to hand deliver items on your behalf. Ask your worker if there would be an opportunity to send a package in the luggage of a willing traveler. Be sure to ask how much weight and space the visitor is able to carry for you, as well as the date by which they need the items to pack them in their luggage.
God bless you with joy and creativity as you seek to bless field workers!