There are 21 missions in California, and thousands of missionaries are called to serve there every year. Considering you clicked on this article, you or a loved one must be going there, too. Congratulations!
I served in the Roseville mission from January 2022 – July 2023. Within my first week, I discovered that, although I packed accordingly to the checklist sent by the church, somehow I packed wrong. This is every sister missionary’s – and nervous parent’s – worst nightmare.
Keep reading for an insider view on what you actually need to pack as a sister missionary in California.
This is a video of my MTC companion and I riding the train to get to the airport!
What They Tell You To Pack
As I’m sure you know, every missionary gets a packing checklist in their missionary portal. Here’s a copy of mine:
In summary, it tells you to pack about 6-8 outfits, 3 pairs of shoes, garments, a raincoat, casual clothes, workout clothes, pajamas, shower shoes, clothes hangers, towels, important documents, and study materials.
What You Actually Need
Here are my alterations to the basic packing list:
- MORE CLOTHES: If you truly only bring 6-8 outfits, trust me, you will get tired of all your clothes after two weeks. Every sister missionary I’ve ever known has had a full closet with at least 20 outfits. If you don’t have room in your suitcases, you can arrange to have more clothes shipped to you when you get to the field. Or, you’re sure to pick up clothes along the way from your companions. Every sister who goes home must purge their closet, so there are always discarded clothes floating around.
- FEWER SLACKS: I brought 4 pairs of slacks, but only really ended up wearing my favorite pair over and over again. I recommend buying one great pair of lululemon slacks rather than multiple pairs of H&M ones. Also, make sure they’re a little stretchy because you’re likely to gain a few pounds around your hips.
- SHOES: always choose comfort and durability over fashion when picking shoes. A lot of sisters on my mission wore Doc Marten mary jane’s, and they all seemed happy with them. I wore the same pair of shoes almost every day – a simple cushy loafer from Clark’s. Most sisters don’t have separate church shoes.
- EXERCISE CLOTHING: I was surprised by how often I needed more casual clothing. You need it every day during morning exercise, throughout the week when you do service projects, and on P Day. Bring a few reliable T-Shirts that can double as sleeping shirts. For bottoms, you’ll want at least one pair of basketball shorts, and two pairs of joggers/sweatpants – make sure at least one of them is cheap enough that you don’t mind getting them dirty/grassy/full of holes.
- GLOVES: don’t skip out on work gloves. I brought a flimsy $1 pair with me and instantly regretted it. Make sure they’re thick enough to withstand tough yardwork.
- STICKERS: as a missionary, there are few things to entertain you. You’ll thank yourself later if you bring a big sticker book to hand them out, attach to letters, and decorate with.
- A SMALL BAG: the night before I left for the field, I had a crisis and thought that my bag was too small, so my parents dropped off a large one for me. I never used it – not even once. It sat at the bottom of my suitcase for 18 months. Almost every sister carries around a little bag – see the “Our Favorites” section for an example.
- NO CLOTHES HANGERS: packing clothes hangers took up so much space in my bag, and I never needed them even once. If your mission has been around for a while, there are definitely already clothes hangers in every apartment. If not, lots of missions, like mine, will reimburse for things you buy for the apartment (cleaning rags, organizational items, etc).
- HOBBY EQUIPMENT: It tells you not to brings games, cards, or balls, but definitely bring those things. It might be hard to fit a volleyball in your suitcase haha, but bring all the cards, UNO, Catch Phrase, etc that you want. Rules vary from mission to mission, but every mission that I know of will let missionaries play games on P Day or after 9pm.
- NO BEDDING: I spent so much room in my suitcase packing bedding, and when I got to the field, they gave me bedding. Then I had to pack my old bedding AND my new bedding around for 18 months. They also give you bedding in the MTC so there’s really no reason to bring your own.
- NO GENEOLOGY CHART: I spent some time making mine and never used it even once. You’ll be able to download Family Tree on your phone for all of your geneaology needs.
Our Favorites
Our Favorite Sister Missionary Bag
Everyone has a bag that looks like this. This kind of bag is big enough to fit a Book of Mormon, some pamphlets, your phone and wallet, and plenty of pass-along cards. Everything you need.
Our Favorite Sister Missionary Slacks
A simple pair of loose, comfortable slacks will do wonders for you. Sister missionary slacks are awesome because you can get away with some pretty loungy pairs.
Our Favorite Sister Missionary Shoes
A missionary’s shoes have to be close-toes which can feel very unfortunate during the summer months. A pair of shoes like these are comfy, durable, and will go with any outfit.
Our Favorite Sister Missionary Games
Pickleball
Pickleball is all the rage amongst California missionaries. If you bring your own set, you won’t have to rely on the mercy of others to let you play. Pick a set with distinguishing features/colors so that you don’t get your paddles confused with others.
Catch Phrase
This is my favorite game, and it was a huge hit on my mission. It was easy to bring around, could be played for any amount of time, and was great for groups.
Beach Ball
One of the best activities I did as a missionary was the questions beach ball. You can write questions all over a beach ball in permanent marker, and get to know a new district/zone by passing the ball around and having people answer questions on it. Big hit!
Card Games
All of the typical card games like UNO, Phase 10, a plain deck, etc. are great to bring. You’ll definitely get use out of them!
Conclusion
It’s pretty clear that what they tell you to bring as a sister missionary going to California is not the same as what you should actually bring.
If you’re an RM from California and have some extra ideas that we didn’t include, leave us a comment!