While you will want to wait until your mission call arrives to start making certain purchases (like weather/climate appropriate clothing and accessories), there are some things that you can start purchasing ahead of time (as you prepare to submit your mission papers or as you are waiting for your mission call to arrive). Making some progress in purchasing what you will need might even make the waiting a little easier...
But wait- What if you decide not to serve a mission after all? No problem - all of these items that I recommend will be useful for anyone in college and/or adult life in general! You should wait to purchase anything that would only be needed for your mission (such as snow boots or an international power-adapter) until after you have your mission call and know for sure that you will need it.
I recently posted about 10 things (beside clothes) that you can purchase before your mission call arrives (because you will need these items no matter where you are assigned to serve). In that post, I discuss missionary bags, cameras, towels, address books, jewelry, luggage, and more!
You can read that post here ->
Today I'm back with FIVE MORE IDEAS - 5 things that you CAN purchase ahead of time for your LDS Mission, even if you haven't received your mission call yet!
#1- LAUNDRY BAG(S)
I recommend buying 2 different laundry bags - one for whites and one for colors/darks. These take up very little room in your luggage and you will definitely need them, even at the MTC. You probably won't have washer & dryer inside your own missionary apartment in most areas (and you might not even have them in your apartment building at all), so these are for transporting your clothes to the laundromat, the member's house who lets you wash clothes on p-day, etc. Between p-days, these also serve as a laundry hamper (to hold your dirty clothes until the next time you can wash them)
For my mission, I took 2 mesh bags (one dark blue and one white). They worked really well, but sometimes the white mesh can be awkward when you have to lug your whites to the laundry mat. I always had to situate my whites to make sure nothing "unseemly" was showing.
For my daughter's mission we have purchased 2 bags - one is dark blue mesh (just like the one I had during my mission) and the other is white breathable nylon (not see-through). We found these bags on Amazon, so I'm including the links if you're looking for these same type of bags (I don't work for Amazon or get anything for clicks, this is just what we bought):
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| Link to this specific laundry bag for about $6 on Amazon here |
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| Link to this specific laundry bag for about $6 on Amazon here |
Although the blue bag is shown with white clothes inside, I would recommend this for darks/colors. You will want to keep your whites and darks/colors separated for washing (this keeps white shirts, slips, garments, bras, etc whiter longer. Washing whites with colors is NOT a great idea).
If you already have laundry bags at home/college like this (and they're still in good shape), save a few bucks and bring them on your mission!
#2- LANYARD
I've seen several people suggest getting a lanyard for the MTC, because you are now required to use swipe cards to open doors while you're at the MTC. Keeping your cards on a lanyard keeps them handy.
Even after the MTC, I think that a lanyard will continue to be useful throughout your mission, as well. You don't have to wear the lanyard during your mission, but just having your apartment & car keys on a lanyard can make things easier for you. I lose my keys A LOT - they are always around (between the couch cushions or deep inside my bag), but having them on a lanyard actually makes them a lot more find-able! You do not want to be panicking because you're late for an appointment and you can't find your keys in the apartment (or you're standing in the rain because you can't find your keys under everything inside your bag). A lanyard makes your keys "bigger" (less likely to slide between cushions or hide under your scriptures) and also makes them more convenient to hang up in your apartment.
Here is the lanyard we bought for my daughter's mission:
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| (We bought this lanyard on Amazon, but it is no longer available) Here is a simple style that I found on Amazon that is more gender-neutral and would work for either Elders or Sisters (again, I don't work for Amazon or get anything from them for clicks or purchases, I just happen to shop on Amazon a lot!) |
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| Colorful lanyard options on Amazon for about $9 here And another feminine option: |
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| Feminine floral pattern lanyard for $11 on Amazon here |
#3- SCRIPTURES
Every missionary needs a set of scriptures (in book form). Even if you will be serving in a mission with digital technology like smartphones or tablets, you will need to have an old-school set of scriptures. You will need all 4 standard works - The Book of Mormon, The Bible (Old & New Testament), the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine & Covenants. There are several options - you can get a "Quad combination" - an all-in-one set where all 4 standard works are together in the same book OR a set of 2 books with a "triple combination" (Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price in one book) and the Bible in a separate book). To make things more complicated, there are also options for size and color). Whatever type you select, they do need to be the official scriptures from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because you will be using standardized scripture references in your study and teaching.
One thing to consider when selecting a size for your scriptures, is what you will be using them for. No matter what, you will use scriptures in English (assuming that is your first language) for personal study. If you will be speaking a foreign language, you will receive copies of your language-related materials (scriptures, etc) in your mission language at the MTC. You should not purchase mission-language materials for yourself - they GIVE them to you at the MTC.
I served my mission in the U.S. (English-speaking), so in addition to my personal and companionship study, I also used the same scriptures for teaching investigators and less-active members. You will be passing them around for people to read during discussions. So the mini scriptures are not really ideal for this (many people don't have great vision). I found that "triple combination" and "Bible" (2 separate books) worked best, because you could pass them around for different people to read different passages in the lesson. If I had only needed them for personal study, a smaller quad set might have been better for me.
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| You can find new LDS Scriptures for sale here |
An even-cheaper option is to bring the scriptures you already own (if they are in decent condition). Some people think its important to have a special separate set that is only for your mission, but thats up to you. I don't think it's necessary.
#4- FLASHLIGHT
Your first nights in the MTC will be little disorienting, and if you try to get up early to beat the crowd to the showers (or have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night), you can use a small flashlight to help you find your way without waking up all your roommates. After the MTC, it's still a good idea to have a small flashlight in case the power goes out, or you lose your watch behind the couch. You don't need anything huge or expensive.
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| Here is an example of a low-cost flashlight available here on Amazon for about $5 |
If you already have a small flashlight at home, you can bring that one instead of buying a new flashlight! Everything you have on your mission will eventually be "used" - not everything you bring has to be brand new.
#5- SEWING KIT
Every missionary needs a basic sewing kit. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It's good to have several colors of thread (especially neutrals like white, black, gray) in case you need to repair a hem or sew on a button.
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| Basic sewing kits like this are available everywhere, this one is on Amazon for about $8 |
#6- MISSIONARY REFERENCE LIBRARY
According to section vii in "Preach My Gospel," the only missionary-approved books (besides "Preach My Gospel" and the scriptures, of course) are: "True to the Faith," "Jesus the Christ," "Our Heritage," and "Our Search for Happiness"
These books are all separate, but together they are known as the "Missionary Reference Library" (or sometimes just "Missionary Library"). You can purchase these books as a matching set (such as this set of paperback books) available on Amazon here for abut $20 (for the set):
And of course they are available at Deseret Bookstore and other places. BUT, you don't NEED these books for your mission. You aren't required to have them. And every missionary apartment you go to will probably be swimming in them. Many of your companions will have copies that you could borrow (if you ask first!). And you may even have access to digital copies of these books if you have smartphones or tablets in your mission.
If you are worried that you will run out of things to study without these books, seriously- don't worry about that - you will always have more to learn about the standard works (scriptures) and Preach My Gospel. Your WHOLE mission. You will be searching the scriptures and Preach My Gospel like crazy.
But if you still want the missionary library books, go ahead and buy them! If you don't think you will want to take the whole set, you could choose just one or two to buy (they can all be purchased separately). If you live near a Deseret Industries thrift store, they always have these books for sale (cheap). Again, they do not need to be new copies. They will be "used" as soon as you start reading them, so if you want to purchase these, save yourself some $ and buy used.
Personally I took a used copy of "Jesus the Christ" (my favorite) with me on my mission, but I also read some (or all) of the other 3 (using copies that were left behind by other missionaries who didn't have room for them in their luggage). Honestly, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on these, because if your suitcases won't close on transfer day, you're going to leave these behind instead of sacrificing something essential like a pair of shoes. For my daughter, I recommend that she doesn't take them with her. But do whatever works for you!
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