Preparing to Serve 101:
Clothes for Elders |
Here are a few suggestions that Elders that have returned from the mission have submitted.
I was glad that I had only taken 1 suit (of course it came with two pares
of pants) because with our mission president we were only required to wear
a suit on Sunday and at Zone conferences. Taking care of and lugging
around more than 1 suit can be tiresome. I'm glad that I brought my
trenchcoat and my sleeping bag (I slept in it or on it throughout my
mission) because it meant that to make my bed I just had to flaten my bag
out, of course you have to air it out every once in a while and clean it
too, but it's worth it. I wish I would have brought a really good and
durable umbrella because the one I had broke after the first storm I
experienced.
Get a couple of pairs of good leather shoes that can be re-soled. There are many shoe repair places available. The best shoes I saw were a good solid pair of Doc Marten's. I would recommend a style that is very plain, simple and not real dressy, as the leather tends to crack where decorative leather overlays have been sewn on. Bring two pair and designate one as everyday work shoes and save the other for Sunday and Zone Conferences. By the time you wear out your daily work shoes, your Sunday shoes will still be in good condition and should last the rest of your mission. Be sure to polish your work shoes with a good leather conditioner at least every other day to keep the leather from cracking.
I remember being told that I couldn't find good clothes in Argentina so take sufficient from home. No need to worry! You can get excellent and good fitting white shirts and suits and/or pants in many of the larger
cities (and probably smaller ones, too) or have them tailor-made as I did once I got wise towards the end of my mission when the "Made in USA" clothes started wearing out. I took these "made-to-fit" clothes back home at end of my mission and had the best clothes around (until I started gaining weight
from the American Diet)! (This was in early '60's, it's probably the same
today!) Webmaster comment: I served '96-98 and found that clothes were readily available, but a bit more expensive than in the US, and maybe not of the same quality. I never found anyone that did Tailor made clothes. Of course, I didn't really look either. Can any more recent missionaries validate this comment? Let us know. Thanks!
Take pants that have a reinforced crotch. This is common in two-pant suits, but not in dress slacks. Have the dress slacks reinforced when you get the hems tailored. They will last 2-3x longer. Most major suit shops will reinforce crotches in pants for a small additional fee. Men's Wearhouse tailors will do this if your suit shop does not offer the service.
I had a hard time finding good dress socks. Bring something durable, because with all of the walking you do, your socks wear out faster than your shoes.
General suggestions for all missionaries
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