i’ve been told the mail situation gets a little crazy(er) in december, so anyone wishing to send christmas cards or gifts should do so now. not that i’m expecting anything, but i was relaying this message to my mom yesterday and thought i might is well just share the news with the world. so here are some mailing do’s and dont’s:
do send mail to my po box
Lauren Robbins, JPC-Benin
06 BP 2250
Cotonou, Benin
envelopes (and padded envelopes) should go straight to my po, but boxes will go to the airport, where i’ll have to go through customs, which is fine, just take note of the following…
don’t include receipts or any price tags
do write “donation” clearly
do low-ball the value of contents
do realize it may never reach me 🙂
don’t let that discourage you!! 🙂
don’t giftwrap items
it may also be good to include a letter saying the contents of the box are a donation and not for re-sale, but only if you’re sending lots of stuff.
if what you send is intended for christmas, just write “xmas” somewhere on the box, and i’ll do my best not to see what’s in it while customs people sort through the contents, k?
again, envelopes avoid all this mess, so good gift ideas could include pictures or a mix cd of all the new music i’m missing!
lauren laughs 
okay, suggestion from fellow missionary…put “lauren robbins” in smaller print. make sure “jeunesse pour christ-benin” is prominent, since that’s the name of the ngo here. but do put my name on it so no one else gets my mail 🙂