> I've been recently called to the Quetzaltenango mission. I
> don't know exactly what are the best type of shoes and boots
> are to get. It says I need 2 suits, do I really or just 1?
> Any other helpful tips on mission clothing? I will leave for
> the MTC soon and need to start shopping. I would appreciate
> any help you could give me.
If you would like to contribute your advice for mission survival, please e-mail the Webmaster and I will post it here.
Well, what to say after reading what Elder Watson had to say. I may not
know much about what an Elder has to go through, but it might be
refreshing to hear what an Hermana thinks you should bring (Oh yeah, and
what you should avoid).
When I was packing I was offered a hard, blue
plastic 70's suitcase. When I saw it I avoided it like the plague and
used the soft cloth luggage. After a year and a half and then reading
what Elder Watson had to say, I should have used the hard, blue plastic
70's suitcase.
Avoid "canastas" (baskets). I bought one thinking I would be cool
and pack all my souvenirs and clothes in it, but I was wrong. It is so
humid in some areas that it became moldy and smelly on the bottom and by
the time I had packed everything in it, it was so heavy even two elders
had a hard time lifting it. I ended up having to leave it in the nurses'
home because I couldn't bring it with me anyway.
With the suit thing,
the only time you will use it is in the MTC, zone conferences every
other month and then interviews with the president every other month. I
would assume the only other time you would use it is if you are a zone
leader or an assistant. What they do have in Guatemala are what is
called a "paca". It is your basic D.I. (thrift store), but you can bargain with the
owner to get lower prices on clothes. The one thing you will come home
with is what we called a "paca tie".
I wouldn't worry about toiletries,
because you can buy them there, even in small towns.
Like Elder
Watson, I would leave your language books at home. I tried using them
to study, but the best resource is your companion. If you don't know a
word, ask your companion or even a member will help you. One thing that
really helped me was to just read the Book of Mormon in Spanish or to
just read it in English, don't read them together. What will happen is
you will rely too much on your English scriptures to figure out what the
words mean and not your brain.
Just one more thing before I sign off is to
just accept the missionaries for who they are and not the kind of
missionary they are. I was wrong to think that all missionaries are
there because they want to be. It wasn't until almost the end of my
mission I realized that I wasn't perfect either and we all have our
"libre albedrio" (freedom of choice). Be yourself, follow the mission
rules, but also loosen up and don't beat yourself or your compainion up
for your mistakes or failures.
Buena Suerte
Hermana Megan Fielden
Mision Guatemala, Quetzaltenango
Presidente Lunt
1997-1999
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