Hi Ladies! I have a very dear friend here on the blog today…please welcome Joy Forney from Grace Full Mama. Her and her family are missionaries in Indonesia…I “met” Joy through our blogs, but then had the amazing opportunity to be roomies with her at the Relevant conference. I felt as though I had known her forever…she is by far one of the most sincere and Godly women I have ever met. There aren’t enough kind words to say about this girlie.

I asked Joy if she could ever use a meal ministry? She hesitated, but then mentioned that it would be a nice treat to have a few things from America… At the top of her list? Taco seasoning, Kool aid, and gum. Bless her heart.

Joy, her husband and children- aren’t they stunning? What a beautiful family!

Joy Writes:

Living overseas is a privilege and our family wouldn’t change what we do for the world! We are called to live a different life, in a different place! BUT, there are those days where we all really miss home (the U.S.).  There are days where we would give anything for a trip through the Taco Bell drive-thru or a walk down a spacious aisle at the grocery store.

Here, where we live in Indonesia, there is little or no American food.  If we want pizza we have to make it from scratch! If we want pepperoni on it, we have to have it sent from the US. Tacos? We have to rely on someone sending Taco Seasoning. Even making chocolate chip cookies involves having someone send both vanilla and chocolate chips!  You can see that cooking or baking comfort food can be challenging!

Don’t get me wrong, we love Indonesian food, there are just times when something from home sounds, well, comforting.  That’s why it is so wonderful and amazing when we receive special packages from friends!

Recently Janelle and her sweet family sent us a fabulous package and we were all so thrilled to open it! It was like Christmas!!

Here is a video of my kiddos excited about all the goodies Janelle managed to stuff into one package! She is amazing!

Ministering with food doesn’t have to mean cooking a meal for someone, it can be sending a package across the ocean! Is there someone in your life that might enjoy receiving a special package?

~Joy

Seriously- can her children get any cuter? I wish I could just jump through this screen and squeeze them! 

Meal Ministry photos:

Here is what I had put together for the Forney family…I was not able to fit everything into the USPS box. A GREAT tip? Go to the USPS FIRST and get a box from them to fill at home. You can also take items out of their packaging to fit more into the box!

My hubby thought Joy’s hubby would like these. He is an outdoorsie kind of guy, lol. 

Thought this might be nice on those hot days?! 

More helpful hints? Jim from Missionary Blog Watch asked missionaries to write about what they would appreciate getting in care packages…

Things that might bless an overseas missionary family:

• (Sugar free) Koolaid packets
• (Sugar free) Jello packets
• Envelopes of prepared mixes (sloppy joe, taco seasoning, salsa mix, ranch dressing, Italian dressing, gravy, so on)
• Instant cooking things (ex: Shake and Bake)
• Other dried foods, like cereal, oatmeal, or poptarts  (Here in Taiwan, we have a good supply of oatmeal and cereal, but in other countries these things are not so easy to get a hold of.)
• Extra-active yeast (for making bread)
• Hair stuff (clips, barrets, pony tail holders)
• Candy (things like Jolly Ranchers, Starbursts, Twizzlers, Smarties)
• Sugar Free candy (Lifesavors, things like that)
• (Sugar free) Chewing Gum (in Taiwan we have trouble finding Spearmint and Cinammin flavors, I’m sure children would appreciate strawberry or grape bubble gum)
• Magazines in English (My grandmothers occasionally send me copies of Woman’s World and Reader’s Digest)
• Scented/Smell good things (for example: small candle, potpourri, or Plug-ins, with the plug-in device unless you know they already have it.  Scents are so important to me now.  Especially at the holidays it is nice to have a “smells like Christmas” feel in my home.  But, something like plug-ins might not work in other countries, Taiwan has the same electricity system as the US)
• Decorations for holidays (holiday plates and napkins, even something like a paper 4th of July table cloth could be fun.  My grandmother also once sent me Easter clingies to put on my windows.)
• Other holiday related items sent near that holiday (like an Easter egg dying kit before Easter or candy canes near Christmas).
• Things that are “American” or “Canadian” or in my case “Texan” . . . you get the idea. (I loved it when my mom sent a very Texan “fixin’ do list” pad and some chili mix.)
• A memento from their fave sports team
• DVDs (especially for children, might want to ask if they have a Region 1 DVD player if you are sending DVDs from America)
• CDs but itunes credit would work too
• Books in English
• Tampons
• Razors
• Deodorant
• Mascara
• Socks
• Over the counter meds (cough drops, coldeze, aleve)
• Children’s books in English, small toys (match box car or stuffed toy), or things like fruit roll ups or gummy bears (IF they have children)
• Hobby supplies (things for scrap booking, quilting, cross stitch, card making or stamping–IF they have those hobbies)
• Small games (new card games or logic puzzle to solve)
• Online gift certificates (amazon.com and landsend.com both ship overseas)
• My friend even suggested a including a list of websites or blogs they might want to check out when they have online time.  She said she doesn’t have time to search and find good sites, but loves being encouraged by sites that do get recommended to her.

Tricks and Hints

• You don’t have to send a lot to mean a lot.  A small envelope with a few packages of gravy mix and a card would mean a lot.
• Don’t be afraid to ask the missionary specifically for help.  For example, “I’d like to send you some reading material is there a book or magazine you’ve been wanting to read?”  OR “We are wanting to send you some personal items, do you need razors or deodorant?  If so, which brands and scents could we get for you?”  By asking specifically, it helps us not be so shy in telling you what we need.  It is really hard to answer the question “what do you need us to send you?”
• If they have children, try to include at least something small for them.  It is nice for them to know that they are remembered too.
• The USPS has an international shipping envelope–Priority Mail International–that up to 4 lbs costs a flat rate.  Each country is different–to Taiwan it is $9.  If you ship this way, you can send it on Monday, and we will have it by Friday.  Wow!  That is awesome.  They also have a box with a variable charge rate, but it costs more.
• If you are sending big packages, consider sending it by ground and not by air to save on shipping.
• You can cut and paste the address in the country’s language–ask the missionary for an image of their address (well, if they are computer savvy).  Just add in all caps the name of the country in English underneath the foreign language address.  (This is how my family sends me stuff.)

Ladies, I hope this motivates you to send a care package to a missionary that you may know (or you don’t know!) They are true Heros in every sense. What a blessing it was for me to serve this amazing family.