Dean leaves this Monday, November 7, 2011 for Prague. Here is the scoop on sending mail:

Mail to the Czech Republic (rules of the US Postal Service DO NOT apply to the Czech Postal Service).

It is best if missionaries receive letters and packages at the Mission Home in the name of the Church instead of the Mission. Friends and family should use the following address:

Církev Ježíše Krista Svatých Posledních Dnů
Starsi Stimpson
Banedniho 1 (accent on i)
Praha 6 160 00
Czech Republic - Europe

~ Tell your family and friends to put the name of the Church on the FIRST line and then the Missionary's name on the SECOND line. If not addressed correctly, it most likely will not be delivered to the mission office. The postal service will not forward mail. Mail will be delivered to the missionary two or three times a month outside the Prague Zone. In the Prague Zone you can usually get mail as it arrives. The Mission President will bring your mail to you when he comes for interviews or conferences if you are in other areas.

~ Regulations have also changed regarding the value of packages mailed from the United States. The total value of the package should be approximately $28.00.

It is difficult to claim packages that are sent as follows:
• Fed-Ex, UPS or DHL
• Insured
• Valued with a high dollar amount
• Complicated or high value contents

If we receive a package as listed above, it may be delayed for a month or more! There will probably be a duty charged for at least the amount of the value of the contents, or it may never be delivered.

~ It is best to send packages regular air mail or in a Priority Flat rate International box or envelope that you purchase at the post office. Keep it simple. We receive most packages within a couple of weeks and in good shape if they are labeled and sent properly. Boxes for missionaries arrive several times a week.

If you want to get your packages in a timely manner, make sure your friends and family do not insure or declare a value of more than $28.00!

***Missionaries write to their families each week. They should limit correspondence with others. Missionaries may communicate with their family by email, according to approved guidelines. Use only myldsmail.net, the filtered service established by the Church. Use email only on preparation day. (Missionary Handbook)