New Missionaries

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Information for Newly Called Missionaries

Updated: December 18, 2000
by Quentin Spencer



The purpose of this page is to provide some helpful advice for newly called missionaries who may not know exactly what to bring, or what to expect. This is currently a work in progress, and will be added to as I have time, and as people make suggestions. I am interested to hear what other alumni have to say.

I highly recommend reading some of the pages for new missionaries at the Ukraine Donetsk Mission web site. The maintainers of that site are a little ahead of me on this one and have some good info about what to bring, and what kind of weather to expect. The following is the beginning of my list.


Coats
This is the one thing I am asked about most. I have lived most of my life in the Rocky Mountains (Colorado and Utah), and I found the climate in Kiev to be similar, except that the winters were longer (some returned missionaries from places like California may disagree with me here). The biggest difference is that even if you are used to cold weather in the winter, you probably aren't used to spending as much time in it as you will on a mission. You definitely want a warm coat. I wore a wool overcoat, which worked well, but by the end of the second winter was wearing thin and not as warm. When I was on my mission (1991-1993), it was possible to buy heavy wool coats inexpensively in Ukraine, and I have heard they are still available, but I don't know what it will cost, given the drastic changes in local currency over during the 1990s.

Boots
This is the second most frequently asked question. I managed to survive my first winter without boots (not recommended), and my second winter I wore a pair of Russian-made boots, which weren't all that warm or waterproof, and the soles were worn down significantly by the winter. Since my mission I have owned a pair of Vasque hiking boots which are Gore-Tex lined. I wore them nearly every day for the better part of 5 years, and they are finally dead, but they would easily make it through a 2-year mission with all the walking you will do. They polish nicely, and can be ordered in black, which would be ideal for missionaries, and cost around $150. They don't have a significant amount of insulation, but should be warm enough for most weather when worn with thick socks, but most importantly they are completely waterproof.

I know a lot of missionaries who wore Sorel boots. They are large and heavy, but thickly insulated. They should be plenty warm, but I don't think they would be quite as comfortable as the Vasque or other lighter weight boots for lots of walking. One other thing to note about Sorels is that they make you look very noticably like a foreigner in them (one reason I liked my Russian boots in spite of their other bad qualities). I welcome any other comments on boots from other returned missionaries.

Other
To be continued . . . I welcome suggestions from alumni and questions from new missionaries (via the comments page).

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