Missionary Guide of what to Bring

Missionary's guide of what you need in Indonesia Jakarta Mission:

(I get asked a lot about what to bring

PS this is just from my opinion so don't get mad if you have heard otherwise)

Ok so someone asked me about getting medicine... I know that our mission president's wife as well as the mission doctor in Hong Kong are pretty good at getting you any kind of medicine you need. As far as allergy medicine though, maybe bring it? But the hospitals here aren't too bad and the mission will definately take care of you.

Things you DO NOT need to bring that you thought you really wanted:

Extra shower stuff... shampoo/conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste etc. You can find that all here. Most of the same brands too. Unless you're suuuuper brand picky, don't worry about it.

Hangers... DO NOT! seriously every house I have ever been in already has a ton and even at the MTC. It is a huge waste of space/weight. Bring a couple if you want but don't even worry about it.

2 year supply of makeup... Indonesia is more western(american) every day and so you can find a ton of regular makeup brands here... not like you will even want to wear makeup haha. (Oh and just a side note, your jewelry will start to go a weird rusty color so don't bring anything too fancy.)

Office supplies... Your new favorite store will be Gramedia! Haha don't worry they have everything you could imagine, journals too.

Umbrella... I didn't even use one since I was usually riding a bike anyways. Plus you can find it all here. You can get a rain poncho here too.

that you DO want to bring:

AN EXTRA CAMERA BATTERY! This is the single greatest thing I brought on the mission (thank you Dad!). Every single Pday mine is the last camera standing because everyone else's camera already died. Don't let it happen, buy an extra battery.

Black hair elastics... they don't have the same kind here. They've got all sorts of hair elastics but not those good ones w/o the metal. (but you can find bobby pins, hairbands etc.)

Laundry Bag especially for the MTC.

Tampons... sorry but I had to say it. Indonesians only use pads. Nuff said.

Pday clothes... like something you would wear to do laundry or go to some ruins or to hangout in that aren't your workout clothes. I only brought one pair of kapri pants and I wish I had a pair of jeans or something.

Unopened garments... every 3-6 months it is so nice to be able to wear a new pair of garments. Don't open them all right when you come but try to save some for later. They'll get pretty yellow out here.

Optional (things I'm glad I brought):

A bag weigher. This is a flying mission and it will save you the hassel if you can just know how much your suitcase weighs, before you get to the airport. But it is just a commodity and not too essential.

Random things:

Yes you will have a washing machine, no you will not have a dryer.

I don't even use bugspray any more (the mosquitos get tired of your blood ;) haha)

I wear Mesh and Carinessa. (if you know what I mean) But a lot of people like silky's and cotton/poly.

No matter what you wear, you will be hot. And after a year, wearing a sweater won't even phase you.

What I told one sister about clothes/fabrics:

"So I haven't been the best at experimenting with fabrics because what I have is what I brought... haha but I love this dress from Down East that is like cottony but stretchy. THe one thing I have realized is that I LOVE is fabrics/patterns that don't show stains/sweat as much. I have a pretty turquoise linen skirt but riding my bike made me have a sweaty butt (awkward I know) so I stopped wearing it. BRING CLOTHES THAT ARE YOU! I brought a lot of stuff thinking "wow I'm gonna be in the jungle, I need to bring heavy duty camping clothes" but especially with P-day clothes I wish I had some more of my old favorites that I left at home. We wash in a washing machine then hang dry but all of my clothes have lasted no problem. I like the skirts and things I bought from Sister Missionary Mall. I also like these layering shirts from DownEast that are basically belly shirts but so nice to add for sleeves or neckline w/o being too hot. I like dresses because they are easy. I like skirts with pockets because...well duh! I like simple cotton shirts with fancy embelishments because they look nice but are way comfy/not too hot. Thin but not see through was my motto for shirts and it has worked!"

Hope this helps a little! Good luck and see ya soon :)