9 Things Your Missionary Wants in a Care Package

Katie Back Salmon • Aug 09, 2016

Missionaries pack their bags eager to forsake familiar comforts for the sake of the gospel. Even so, when weariness sets in, a well-timed care package can be the encouragement your missionary needs.

Read through these tips and tricks to curate a care package for a missionary you know.

Before You Send Your Care Package

International shipping is nuanced. So, before you spend time and money, ask your missionary to answer these questions:

What is your shipping address?

Find out from your missionary exactly how to fill out the shipping label. Be sure to note if the address should be in English or a local language. Failure to do this might result in your gift never reaching your missionary.

How long does it typically take a package to reach you?

If you are trying to send a timely gift, like a birthday greeting or Christmas card, ask your missionary about average shipping times a few months in advance. Then, give yourself generous lead time.

Are there any items off-limits to mail?

Some countries have quotas on what you can send and how much. For instance, supporters shipping to their caffeine-loving missionary in Ukraine might be disappointed when some of their coffee is confiscated.

Will you be charged a duty to receive this package?

This is huge. In some cases, your missionary will incur a cost to receive their care package. Meaning, what starts as a kind gesture can end as a financial burden.

Avoid this by asking your missionary the ins-and-outs of their host country’s duty system. In some countries, if your package is marked as a “gift” on the customs form and is valued under a specific monetary ceiling, your missionary will not be charged. But if there is no gift allowance, you might find that your missionary politely declines the offer for a care package altogether.

What to Include in Your Care Package

For most missionaries, a care package is more about the “care” than the contents of the package. A tangible reminder of your support will energize your missionary long after the last Oreo is eaten.

The best way to fill your care package is to ask your missionary what he or she would like. Sure, it minimizes the surprise, but asking guarantees you only send items your missionary cannot easily or cheaply obtain themselves. You might be surprised at what they request (like unscented dryer sheets).

To quick-start your shopping list, we asked TEAM missionaries to list their favorite items to receive in the mail. Here’s what they said:

1. Cooking Spices

Seasoning packages top the list of missionary-requested gifts. Cheap, lightweight and non-perishable, these seasoning packets allow your missionary to whip up something comforting and familiar. Popular requests include chili, taco and ranch dip packets.

2. Cozy Scents

A worker in Mexico says, “When our house smells like home, it feels like home.” Help your missionary feel cozy with small votive candles or envelopes of potpourri. If you send air freshener, it should be in a non-aerosol can.

3. Holiday-themed Decor

A worker in Zimbabwe loved working on her language study while munching on Valentine’s Day-themed candies.

Holidays can be a sore reminder of distant relationships and traditions. This is amplified if your missionary is living in a context where a cherished holiday is not celebrated at all. A holiday-themed care package can help spread festive cheer. Include small items like decorative kitchen towels, placemats or cocktail napkins.

4. Beauty and Personal Products

Your missionary will be able to purchase most personal products, but he or she might not have access to a favorite brand or scent. Pamper your missionary with a simple pleasure like sweet-smelling soap or a moisturizing lip balm. Nail polish and perfume, however, cannot be shipped internationally.

Packing tip: Always double-bag liquid items. If you are sending food items in the same package, avoid flavor transfer by bagging and sealing scented items or shipping them separately.

5. Favorite Snacks

In a country with abundant tea, a worker in Japan enjoyed sipping her favorite coffee blend for her birthday.

A worker in Ukraine suggests, “Ask your missionary [his/her] favorite candy and buy more than you think is normal … because some days are just Reese’s Cup days.” Your missionary likely has beloved salty or sweet snacks that they cannot purchase on the field. Consider including a favorite snack for your missionary to enjoy. Durable goods like protein bars, hard candies and coffee travel best.

6. Books

Depending on their context, your missionary might not have easy access to books written in their language. Ask your missionary if there are any titles on their wish list you can send. If you’re sending a package to a family with kids, ask if there are children’s books you can include. Either ship the books yourself or research if you can send your gift through AmazonGlobal .

7. Small Toys or Games

Card games like Uno or Dutch Blitz fit nicely in a padded envelope and can provide hours of entertainment. For missionary kids , ask their parents what small toys, like action figures or plush toys, they might enjoy receiving.

8. Mementos from Home

Help your missionary honor their home culture with simple mementos. If your missionary has a favorite sports team, send him or her a team pennant to tack on the wall. Or consider mailing something like a local postcard or family photo your missionary can display.

9. Hand-Written Notes

Workers in Mexico were encouraged to receive these notes from their sending church.

A warm note is often the most treasured item in the care package. Include a heartfelt note of encouragement and love that reminds your missionary of your support. Consider gathering a church small group to write letters that you can bundle and ship together.

What did we leave off the list? In the comments below, let us know your favorite missionary care package tips and tricks.

And if you want more ideas for engaging your church in missions, check out our Church Resources page. You’ll find resources for supporting missionaries at every stage. Plus, you can get a free consultation with one of our church engagement managers.

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Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024

TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024

Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.