Getting Packages to Fiji Missionaries
During these weeks between Tommy's emails I try to find something that will be of interest to this blog that will help us understand what life is like as a missionary in Fiji. This week on our "Parents of Fiji Suva Missionary" Facebook page there was an interesting exchange about sending and receiving packages.
Sister Carolee Purrington is a senior missionary working in the mission office, and one of her jobs is to go with her husband to the post office and get mail (specifically packages).
Her Facebook post was an answer to a question about how the missionaries get their packages:
"I open the packages when I pick them up for examination. Parents spend a lot of money on postage to send item that are available here in Fiji such as candy, chips, peanut butter. Things like jerky, honey and canned meats will be confiscated.
The packages are picked up every week by me or Elder Purrington. At Christmas we are going a couple of times a week. Picking them up is difficult as there isn't anywhere close to park. Elder P drives around and I go get the packages.
Then on a later post she clarified about opening the packages "They check out the contents in my presence. They have me cut them open and then they inspect the contents. Packages under $100 value are charge $4.30 for me to pick up. Over $100 value and the fees could be substantial. I have to open all the packages at the time of pick up no matter what the weight. Occasionally packages come directly to the Mission Office. They are not inspected. I do not know why some come to the office instead of the post office. The size of the package didn't seem to matter.
Maybe one of those packages is Tommy's Christmas!!
Sister Carolee Purrington is a senior missionary working in the mission office, and one of her jobs is to go with her husband to the post office and get mail (specifically packages).
Her Facebook post was an answer to a question about how the missionaries get their packages:
"I open the packages when I pick them up for examination. Parents spend a lot of money on postage to send item that are available here in Fiji such as candy, chips, peanut butter. Things like jerky, honey and canned meats will be confiscated.
The packages are picked up every week by me or Elder Purrington. At Christmas we are going a couple of times a week. Picking them up is difficult as there isn't anywhere close to park. Elder P drives around and I go get the packages.
Then on a later post she clarified about opening the packages "They check out the contents in my presence. They have me cut them open and then they inspect the contents. Packages under $100 value are charge $4.30 for me to pick up. Over $100 value and the fees could be substantial. I have to open all the packages at the time of pick up no matter what the weight. Occasionally packages come directly to the Mission Office. They are not inspected. I do not know why some come to the office instead of the post office. The size of the package didn't seem to matter.
Maybe one of those packages is Tommy's Christmas!!
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