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shoes.
Good shoes are your best friends. Don't be too willing to compromise comfort
for good looks. After six months everyone's shoes look equally bad anyway
and the only missionaries still enjoying life are those that sought comfort
that can take a shine! No hay bicicleta ni carro aqui, hermano. No cars.
No bikes. All walking and lots of it. Remember that commerical where the
women are playing basketball in those high heel shoes? Yeah, those are
the shoes you're looking for. (Sisters, not Elders).
umbrella.
We're talking a la Mary Poppins. Rainy season shows no mercy and even
though fifteen minutes into a rain storm you can't tell you ever had one,
a good hearty umbrella is still a nice thing to have. Match it with a
decent rain slicker and you might even be able to protect your scriptures
from the torrent.
pictures.
Get a couple of good prints of photos of your family, friends, pets, whatever
and get them laminated (you can do this at the MTC). The people love
pictures. A few missionaries actually have those small photo albums with
ten or twelve photos stuck in them. They fit right into your bag or scripture
case. Just remember not to go overboard or you'll never get to teach the
people, they'll be too wrapped up in show-and-tell.
postcard
pictures.
These are those small 6x4 pictures of scenes from the scriptures, Christ,
the prophet, etc... Get several that you can take with you to give to
families. They make great gifts for new converts or for when you leave
an area and want to leave something with those special families to remember
you by. They are small, lightweight, and easy to carry. Pictures mean
a lot in a society where literacy, in many cases, is a luxury.
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pants.
Avoid those 100% cotton dockers. They fade really fast and look pretty
bad after just a few washings on rocks. They are sturdy, but fairly "casual"
for missionaries. Get some lightweight slacks in darker tones: grays,
browns, blues, greens, etc...
shirt.
Keep one white shirt unopened for hump day or Christmas or something.
There is nothing quite as exciting as crawling into a new white shirt
that still smells like the department store you bought it at!
ties.
Be conservative here. Get ties that you're not going to worry about ruining,
but there's just something irreverent about a six inch, thick, orange
polyester tie that is wider than it is long. The mission is not the place
to make a wild fashion statement. Besides, the Salvadorans don't care
much and the President is rarely amused or impressed.
treats.
Don't fill your bag with American treats. It's a waste of space and you're
trainer will eat them all anyway. Do, however, bring a nice little something
for your first companion. A peace offering from the beginning makes for
a great companionship for months to come and may spare you from some of
those fun greenie/trainer experiences that usually end in your public
embarrasment and good laugh for your trainer.
smile.
Nothing is as impressive as a new missionary arriving in El Salvador to
greet his/her Mission President with a huge smile. Always have something
positive to say even though everyone's first reaction when they get off
the plane is, "Oh my gosh. The heat, the humidity! I can't breathe!
How am I supposed to teach if I can't breathe?! Please let the mission
car be air conditioned!"
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