Letters and packages going to Fiji...

I've just updated Elder Hanke's mailing address for letters and packages...MTC address is gone; Fiji address is now posted.

If anyone sends him a package, please make note of the following information that we received from his Mission President:

Please be aware of some mailing issues that will help you be successful in sending your missionary his highly-valued packages.  First of all, we have excellent dairy products, plenty of ingredients for pancakes, syrup, canned soup, ramen noodles, cookies, plenty of cold cereal, oatmeal, cake mixes and cans of frosting. Delicious vegatables and fruits are in abundance. So packages from family or friends need to be special items, not basic foods.

Packages will be opened at time of arrival by Fijian Customs Officers for inspection and a fee will be charged based on the contents. Attention needs to be given to the following areas:

1. Please do not send any of the following products because they will be confiscated AND your missionary will be charged a fee:
• Any meat products, including jerky, chicken noodles, ramen;
• Any dairy products, including noodles with milk and/or cheese products.
2. For small amounts of food or supplies, the charge is minimal.
3. High priced items (such as cameras) will be charged very high duties. If you choose to send these items, please enclose a copy of the receipt for Customs.
4. Multiple articles of one kind of clothing (such as ties) may be confused as items for resale. Limit these types of items, and always remove the sales tags.
5. The package label should be a generral description, such as "missionary supplies", "confections", or "missionary gifts".

The mission maintains an excellent relationship with the Fiji Government Customs Department by adhering to regulations. Please help us maintain this relationsip by not sending or trying to hide any banned items in packages.

So....just writin' it like I see it, and it sounds like the Customs Department in Fiji is pretty strict.  I will try to get more information about this from our good friends (the awesome Fisher Family) whose son Brayden returned from the Fiji Suva Mission one week before Garrett got his call.  Just keep in mind that Garrett would probably cherish emails and letters more than anything else, and they don't have to be inspected or confiscated by Customs. :)

Thanks to everyone for your love and support of Elder Hanke, we are so grateful for all of you.

~Nova