Missionary Check List

Hello everybody! 

I am so happy to finally be writing this.  I have had the idea for this post for months, but work and life have been keeping me busy. Now that I have quit both of my jobs (more on that soon!), I now have some time before school to focus on these types of things.

So what was my grand idea? Well recently, several people I am close to have received their mission calls to serve for our church. Seeing their posts online has made me reflect on how I felt when I received my mission call last year. I was excited but also nervous because I had no idea what I should expect. Sure, I had heard missionary stories my whole life, but those were just the highlights. Day-to-day missionary life was a mystery to me.  I had no idea what I would need to bring with me besides some skirts and my scriptures. Thankfully in my call packet there was a packing check-list which I very much appreciated, as I am a very list oriented person. (You should see the files on my computer, everything is categorized) But while the list did help, when I got to the field I realized that it contained only the essentials. I had forgotten a lot of things that I would need for the next 18 months (like pictures of my family!). As I was reflecting on this, I decided to make an all inclusive list of things to bring on a mission for those who are preparing to serve so they don't make the same mistakes that I did. 

Let's begin shall we! I tried to group the items in a way that made most sense (and being the organizer I am this was quite fun for me) and I've added pictures for reference!

Travel

Suitcases (2 large/1 carry on)

Duffle bag (for exchanges)

Clothing 

Skirts and blouses (8 - 10)

Dresses (3 - 5)

Slips (1 - 2)

Blazers (2)

Pajamas

Exercise clothing 

Sweatpants/sweatshirt

Cardigans

Undershirts (shade shirts from DownEast are my favorite)

Underclothing

Garments (10 - 12 pairs) 

Tights (cotton lined ones are great for winter)

T-shirt and jeans for service projects

Service gloves

Socks

Winter Clothing

Coat (rain and winter)

Scarf

Gloves

Hat

Boots

Sweaters

Long sleeve undershirts

Shoes

Sunday shoes

Proselyting shoes

Shower sandals (for the MTC) 

Shoe inserts (you will be doing lots of walking!)

Accessories

Watch

Necklaces

Bracelets 

Earrings

CTR ring 

Headbands

Belts

Scarves

Sunglasses

Apartment Needs

Comforter

Blanket

Sheets

Pillows

Pillow cases

Hangers

Towels (2)

Hand towel

Laundry Bag

     *If possible these can be bought in the mission field to make packing easier

Personal Care

Glasses

Contacts

Medication

Contact Solution

Make up (eye shadow, mascara, foundation, eye liner)

Make up bag

Make up remover

Face cleanser

Lotion

Vasaline 

Deodorant

Perfume

Hand sanitizer 

Bathroom Items

Shampoo/Conditioner

Dry shampoo

Body wash

Feminine products 

Razor

Toothbrush

Tooth paste

Floss

Tweezers

Blow dryer

Straightener

Curling iron

Hair spray

Hair ties

Bobby pins

Brush and comb

Q-tips

Nail file and clippers

Nail polish

Stationary

Address book

Cards

Writing paper

Envelopes

Stamps

Address labels

Colored pens

Pencils

Stickers

Tape

Scissors

Post-it notes

Scripture marking pens

Highlighters

Notebook

Journal

Shout-out journal

Spiritual

Scriptures 

Scripture case

Hymn book

Preach My Gospel

True to the Faith

Jesus the Christ

Our Heritage

Our Search for Happiness

Conference talks

Binders (for study material)

Daily Needs

Shoulder bag 

Camera

SD card

Camera charger

GPS

Tide-To-Go pen/ Shout wipes

Kleenex 

Water Bottle

Miscellaneous 

Flash Drive

SD converter 

 Flashlight

Alarm clock

Umbrella

Photo albums (pictures of family!)

Sewing kit

Sunblock 

Lint Brush

Bug spray

Benadryl spray 

First Aid kit (Band-Aids, Neosporin) 

Ibuprofen

Plug converter (for international missions)

Coin purse

Important

Wallet

Cash

Photo ID

Drivers license 

Debit card
Loyalty cards (if you want the discounts)

Temple recommend

Immunization record

Passport (if needed) 

Health insurance 

Ta da! I worked so hard on getting all that together. But it was worth it. Unfortunately I didn't get this finished in time to reach my target audience (my cousins and friends who are serving missions and are now in the MTC) but I figure that if their family members read this and see they forgot something, they can put a little box together for them. That was something that my angel mother did for me quite often on my mission. I'd email her with requests like "It turns out I do need a blazer, could you send me one please?" and "Could you send me my coat, it's actually cold here!" I even emailed my Grandpa Jordan and asked him for dinosaur hunting licenses from the dinosaur museum which he most kindly sent to me. I didn't include those in my list, but they did come in handy more than once on my mission when teaching kids :)

And even though I had them in mind, this list is not just for those serving now. I hope in the future it will help some of the youth who are preparing to go on a mission. I hope they can refer back to this list and that it helps make packing easier.  

Thank you for reading! 

♥TTFN, Karissa