Mission Prep. What you don’t figure out till month 6ish!

Getting ready to serve a mission? Hopefully this will help you!

I didn’t know of the missionary website before I served, so I just bought what the packet said and left. Seriously this website could have seriously changed my first few months as a missionary!
I was blessed to serve in two separate missions. The first being my home state, so I was pretty familiar with weather. The second mission call I had never been to, and wasn’t prepared. So this will be all over the place but I’ll try my best!

Serving in Dry Heat (Arizona Scottsdale Mission)

Summers in Arizona are blistering hot, especially in the valley! This particular mission includes the White Mountains and when I left the valley it was 90 degrees, and the next day arrived up north and it was 60!

• DONT wear dark colors. Dark attracts the heat, you’ll die.
• DONT wear cheap leathery shoes without a good sole or base, because that hot pavement will burn your feet.
• Half shade shirts (cap sleeve shirts from downeast) are a MUST. You do NOT want extra layers.
• Caranessa G’s are great and dont show lines when wearing jeans
• Cotton G’s are good for warmth in the winter, but do NOT wear cotton G’s with a cotton skirt in the summer! You’ll die again.
• Still layer in the cold! Scarves, beanies, gloves, fuzzy socks and fleece tights!
• Chap stick
• Learn how to braid your hair, you do not want it down in the heat

 

Serving in Humid Weather (Mississippi Jackson Mission!)

• HUMIDITY CHILLS YOUR BONES Y’ALL
• ^with that being said, no matter how much you layer you’ll still freeze.
• DO NOT WEAR COTTON EVER IN THE SUMMER
• ^Try to avoid cotton skirts as well, even if you’ve got a lighter G underneath
• Caranessa was great, because it didn’t move or make lines
• Silk was good on hot tracting days because a breeze would go up your skirt and it was delightful
• Even though you’ll still freeze, bring layers. Shirt, Cardigan, Scarf, Jacket, Beanies&Gloves, fleece tights and fuzzy socks. That is a complete winter outfit in cold humidity!
• You’ll still need chap stick even with moisture in the air
• Learn how to braid or you’re gonna have nasty sticky hair on your neck
• Half shade shirts are good if you HAVE to have a shirt underneath
• ^Try to avoid any shirts that need another layer during the summer months. You’ll die.
• Dark color rule doesn’t apply as much. You’re just gonna sweat always. In places you didn’t know could sweat.

Shoes

• SO you’re gonna want to bring at least 2 pairs of the ugly grandma comfy missionary shoes. Chances are you’ll bike, walk, or tract at some point in your mission. You’ll want those.
• ^Skecher Go walks were amazing, and could be wet and be dry FAST
• ^Clarks were comfy, but I wore the skechers more. Clarks are classier looking though.
• BRING CUTE NORMAL FLATS. You dont wanna be wearing ugly shoes to church on Sunday or Zone meetings.
• ^If we had to tract after church, I’d bring my ugly shoes in the car, or if we didn’t have the car, I sucked it up and brought them in my bag!
• BOOTS! You’ll want them. I got mine from 6pm.com for $20 #steal
• ^They were leather-ish and boring on the inside. This is where fuzzy socks really helped! For cold weather, fleece tights and fuzzy socks and those boots? My feet/legs were never cold.
• If they’re not comfy enough, invest in some shoe inserts, and BOOM. I’d tract in my boots with those inserts in. I didn’t invest in rain boots because these could serve as both.
• ALSO get some slippers or flip flops for times when you have to run back to the car or something. Often times the rain got my shoes wet and didn’t want to put wet shoes back on.
• HALF SOCKS are bomb and you’ll want them or your shoes will stink and you’ll be embarrassed. TRUST ME. Sams Club has great ones! Make sure they have the sticky on the back or they’ll constantly fall as you walk.

BAGS

• I had a cotton one at first and it ripped. Hardcore. Dont do that.
• Waterproof big bag from Amazon was great for rainy days, or meetings or church where I needed to carry a lot more
• Sakroots has AMAZING bags, I had a medium size one and it was PERFECT ( I still use mine and I’ve been home 10 months!)
• I liked having two sizes, because I didn’t always want to carry the big one and have it be half empty, and sometimes I needed more!

Whats in the bag?

• Sunday/Church- Scriptures, ipad if you have one, chap stick, wallet, keys, journal, PMG, Gospel Principles, Pass along cards, BOM, planner
• Regular/Working days- Chap stick, wallet, keys, PMG, BOM, pass along cards, phone, ipad if you have one, sticky notes & pens, planner
• Meetings- Same as Sundays basically, more things to take notes with though. Sticky notes, pens, maybe a few different journals depending on how you take notes, planner, a snack or too or you’ll die.
• PDAY- TAKE YOUR JOURNAL TO EMAIL! Its the only way I remembered what happened that week! PLANNER!!

Hair!

• Messy hair? NO! We DO care!
• It’s important to look presentable at peoples doorsteps, and on crummy days you’ll want to feel good about SOMETHING!
• Blow Drier, Straightner, Curling Iron! You’ll want them. If you do it now, you’re not going to give it up for 18 months.
• Braids are good for super busy hot biking/tracting/service days
• DO YOUR HAIR for meetings, and church!!!
• Sleep in braids, its better for your hair!
• Humid hair-dont waste your money on hairspray, it’ll fluff out. You’ll braid your hair for the summer months BUT still do it for meetings.
• Dry heat hair- INVEST in hairspray! It wont fluff, it will fall though. Do your hair!
• Dry shampoo is great, or baby powder.
• Bobby pins and ponytails are so good& sock buns!

Jewelry

• You’ll want it and wear it, bring it.
• You’ll want mostly cheap stuff in case you lose something
• For baptisms and meetings though, wear something nice
• YW medallion is great
• Earrings cant be bigger than an inch, but make sure your necklace isn’t too flashy it takes from your badge

Clothes in general

• SCARVES for both climates (just not summer!)
• Fleece tights!
• Gloves (snow gloves ARE different!)
• Beanies or head warmer band things
• CARDIGANS
• Printed skirts are easier than printed shirts!
• Get shirt/skirt/cardigan/scarf combo going so you can reware the same during the week if wanted
• Bring more than 7 pairs of garments, bring like 13 pairs. That way you still have more even after laundry
• Bring at least 10 pairs of half socks. Machines eat your socks even on missions
• Sweatshirt (lounging around/cold service days!)
• 1 pair of tennis shoes
• 1 pair of not skinny/tight jeans
• basketball shorts, or baggy yoga pants
• Dont wear anything tight around the butt or the chest
• MAKE SURE your skirts are too the knees, because it’s awkward for the rest of us when they aren’t
• T shirts!!! For pday fun, service, and pj’s!!! I brought like 8 and then got more throughout the mission!!!
• Fuzzy socks for cold nights sleep and to go in boots!!!
• DONT BUY HANGERS BEFORE ENTERING THE MISSION!!! Chances are, hangers were left behind. Just wait. And if you find some in an apartment, feel free to take those bad boys to the next apartment!!
• Laundry bag, the string ones that stretch. PERFECT for carrying a crap-ton of clothes/soaps etc down to the laundromat!

Workout

• So be creative here as well. Some gyms are allowed now, so use that to your full advantage.
• Buy a jump rope and do that outside or inside if you are a ground apartment
• Walk around the pond in your apartment complex
• Go to the church building if its close by and do zumba, a workout out of a magazine, or volleyball
• If you’re working out at home, thats when your tighter workout clothes can come out. I don’t fully agree with tight pants but I get sometimes you cant do anything about it. Wear the looser ones outside or if you leave the apartment!
• If its allowed, get a workout video, I had a companion do that
• OR if you’re simple like me DO THIS:
  Ammon Challenge: 20 jumping jacks, 20 pushups, 20 burpees, 20 sit ups, 20 squats, 20 leg lifts. 6 days in a row, sunday being your day off. Increase by 20 the next week and do this for 5 weeks. You’ll be dead after day 3, and wont be able to pick your blanket up off the floor in the middle of the night but SO WORTH IT.

Study

• Separate scriptures were easier for me
• Holy tabs are wonderful when you’re being trained, or training someone else
• Study journal is a MUST
• Bring or print off talks for you to study
• If you can, try and color code things
• Patriarchal Blessing
• Write down your setting apart blessing, and bring that. You’ll want to read that again and again!
• Missionary Library, if you WANT. I only read our search for happiness like 400 times, I didn’t touch the others!
• This isn’t exactly study, but I had a separate journal for district meetings and zone meetings than my personal study. It was nice to have it apart!
• Some pictures of Christ to put around your study desk to help you focus
• I didnt buy a hymn book, and never ever needed one. If you dont sing now, you probably wont later.
• Try your hardest to stay at your desk for studies. You’ll get so much more out of it, even if its uncomfortable!
• When you’re being trained, really study and practice off the pamphlets
• Role Play. It’s hecka awkward, but make up characters and problems. My companion pretended to be Sarah from England, who was in a plane accident and had amnesia, so I had to reteach her the lessons. Make it fun!! And if you mess up, yell rewind and try again!

Bedding

• Bring whatever sheets you want!!! If you want spaceships, DO IT! If you want rainbows, DO IT. It doesnt have to be plain!!!
• Buy pillows and blankets. Don’t be gross and use the pillows left behind! Blankets maybe….but pillows? #EW
• Bring things that make it homey. If you have a favorite blanket, bring it. If you have a stuffed animal, BRING IT. Nobody is judging. Promise.
• This isn’t bedding, but SOAP for laundry. Tide Pods are WONDERFUL. Have someone buy you the pods off amazon. You get like 85 pods for 20 dollars. That legit would last you your whole mission almost. Also chances are, soap may be left over in apartments, thats what I used for my G’s because those loads weren’t big enough for my precious pods

Bathroom supplies

• Buy your soaps in the mission field. Bring travel soap for MTC. That crap is heavy.
• Bath and Body works has a great aromatherapy conditioner-I bought it because it was heavenly and a de-stresser of sorts!
• When being transferred, take the lids off your shampoo & conditioner and put a sandwich bag over the opening, and then screw the lids back on. Its better than stuffing them in a bag. Do ya follow?
• DEODORANT is a MUST.
• I had a body spray, just don’t be ridiculous when spraying. Some sprays attract animals, and give others asthma attacks.
• Make up is good. Just remember you have an HOUR to get dressed/shower/do hair/eat breakfast/do make up/apply deodorant/brush teeth.
• YOU CAN SHOWER THE NIGHT BEFORE
• This may or may not apply to you-if you share a bathroom, ask the PREZ if one companion can get ready 7-8 while you study, and then 8-9 you get ready and they study. You’ll still be ready by 9 for companion study. It seriously helped me not be stressed or pressed for time!!
• Bring your own towels, buy more if you need to. Often times apartments will have old rags and towels, so use those for cleaning, use your own for cleaning you.

Companionship’s

• Make goals. Write them where you can see them everyday and make yourself accountable!
• Don’t wear their clothes without asking, it’s weird
• Don’t disturb their get ready time, it’s weird
• Love them enough to help them, even if that means talking with PREZ
• Do everything out of love
• Serve them once a week
• DO COMP INVENTORY or you’ll die
• If you don’t wanna share food, or community buy groceries, don’t feel like you have to! I am very picky, and get sick with certain foods and just no. So you don’t always have to say yes!
• TAKE PICTURES EVERYDAY even when you’re mad.
• TAKE VIDEOS. You will want to hear your companions voice, and a vocal memory from an area!
• This is something I did my last transfer and I wish I had done it the entire time-read the book of mormon out loud with your companion. We wanted to finish it in a transfer, so we read I think 13 pages out loud to each other each night!!! It was awesome to hear her take and thoughts and questions! DO IT.

Music

• IF you can take “whatever you deem uplifting” get crackin on getting music ready! CD’s, USB’s, IPOD/MP3 with speakers etc. I had an old ipod nano and some speakers. Then when switching missions I left that and brought CD’s and later on got a USB
• MP3 rocket is a website to download music for free to burn/copy on to whatever you want.
• If its only MOTAB, lds.org has a place you can download all that music
• ALSO I suggest downloading talks. John Bytheway, Brad Wilcox, Apostles, Hank Smith (seriously get some of his, it’ll change your life) when the music gets repetitive, talks are AMAZING
• If you aren’t in a car area, CD’s and USB’s are going to be extremely hard to listen to, besides pday and thats just for USB’s. You can use the DVD players in the house to play your music while you get ready/clean fyi. It pumped me up for the day & I listened and took notes during talks for studies.
• Prince of Egypt was on mine in case you were wondering 😉

Making it home-ish

• The first thing I’d do in an area is hang pictures up on my bedroom wall. Family, friends, fun things I did etc. Yes you are “set apart from the rest of the world” but all these people and places made me who I was, and helped me become a missionary. I didn’t want to forget
• Leave the study desk to only uplifting quotes and pictures of Christ. Bedroom is for the fun pictures.
• Companions want to know about you, what better way than with pictures, and they’ll be excited when you ask about their families and they show you pictures!
• Some areas may be against this buttttttt..A family in the mish wrote on their walls with chalk because it WIPES RIGHT OFF with a dry wash cloth!! SO I wrote uplifting quotes throughout the house with chalk because everyone and their mother sent me chalk in packages!
• Redecorate and rearrange the room if you hate it. I didn’t like some of the set ups in some of my areas, so I fixed it. It gave me something to do when I was bored during lunch!

Organized

• I think I’m organized and then I step outside myself for a second and realize I’m totally not. SO.
• Each weekly email you send home-send it to your home email or save it to your USB. I didnt do the “transfer mission emails to home emails” fast enough when I got home and I’m missing some emails. 😦 #totessad
• PRINT PICTURES as you go!!!!! You’ll want to sit there and look at pictures and memories without wasting your camera battery. Buy photo albums from dollar tree or walmart! Its the best!
• Get a study binder for talks you print out and mark up!
• Get a pen/marker jar for your desk. Old nutella jars work!!!
• Dont touch your companions stuff without asking. Trust me, it’s weird.

PDAYS

• It depends on the mission, because some have required times to email and clean the house. Mine wasn’t. After 10, it was free game. Cleaned/shopped/emailed whenever you wanted, as long as it got done!
• Make sure you pick up every day, so your pday isn’t ruined by hours of cleaning and cleaning!
• You will have to stay in church dress throughout the day unless you are doing something you cant wear a dress in. Ex: Basketball, fishing, at the beach, etc.
• Be creative, my first mission we couldn’t play cards or board games, so we didn’t do much!! Hahaha. We hiked the mountains around us, but mostly shopped and then wrote letters. My second mission, we COULD play games. The district would come to each others back patios, and bring snacks and we’d play games. (borrowed from members or already in the house!)
• We invited members to play volleyball on the beach with us, or when it was too humid at the church. We went to lunch together, played handball with the zone, baked etc. You do you. Don’t waste your pday. I never napped on a PDAY because it was the one day I had to get everything I needed done and to not be so serious!

MTC

• DONT buy hangers for the MTC. Maybe it was because I was only there for 12 days, and had already been a missionary for 3 months but I didn’t hang any of my stuff up, too much work
• You will need an alarm clock, if I hadnt brought one we wouldn’t have gotten up on time!
• You can shower whenever you want. Did I already say all this?
• I didnt bring flip flops because it was winter when I went and stores were no longer selling them, but I didn’t get a fungus! #gross
• It sucks, but you’ll have to change before going back to your room. Cant walk around in the undies ladies! Plus thats awkward and uncomfortable for the rest of us #G’sareseethrough
• If you are going to the MTC during winter but serving somewhere hot, still bring at least one jacket. You will have to go on walks around the temple if the temple is closed.

Talks & Scriptures

• The best is yet to be, Holland
• Miracle of a mission,  Holland
• The candle of the Lord, Packer
• Forget me Not, Uchtdorf
• Becoming a consecrated missionary, Callister
• The Fourth Missionary, Not sure
• Some you will have to Google because they aren’t on the church website for whatever reason
• His grace is sufficient, print the talk and download it as well. There’s power when Brad Wilcox speaks
• Download any and every talk by Hank Smith! 
• Alma 29:9
• 2 Nephi 2:24
• Is it D&C 31? Replace your name with Thomas’
• Alma 26:7? 

 

I don’t know what I have missed. I wish I could just give you all my knowledge! I was so nervous when I left for my trial mission. Partly because I knew if I blew this, I couldn’t serve in another mission, and because I didn’t have the MTC first. I didn’t know how to teach, or that you could be yourself. YOU CAN BE YOURSELF. Heavenly Father called ALL of YOU. Not just the reverent spiritual you, but the witty, shy, awkward, fun, compassionate, kind, weird person you are!!! In my first mission, as soon as nightly planning was over and the prayer was said, I went to bed. I needed my sleep. But I missed out on balloon volleyball in the living room with the other sisters I lived with. BE YOU. HAVE FUN. These 18 months are not meant to be so strict and tight that you can’t laugh. LAUGH ALL DAY ERR’DAY. If you like to bake, bake during lunch or whatever and eat some and put a pass along card with it and give it to less actives. Invite members and their children (if appropriate age) to come hang with yall on pday! Don’t just be a missionary that serves in an area, be the missionary that everyone remembers for the good reasons. I taught a family how to play the card game “spoons” and when I went back and visisted, thats the first game we played!! Be fun. Be you. Be spiritual and diligent, but be you.

If you have any questions, Im here and ready to help! I wish someone had helped me! I love you beautiful missionaries and am so happy/jealous you get to go serve!!! My mission was my favorite thing in the world, and I am so blessed to have been able to serve in two missions!!!