by 1. Sunscreen
Congo and Cameroon are right on the equator so it might seem like a good idea to bring sunscreen. The problem is it’s so humid there that your sweat will drip the sunscreen off and get into your eyes or you will accidently wipe the sunscreen off while wiping your sweat. So sunscreen isn’t very helpful and you just have to put up with the sun.
2. Life Straw
You won’t need to bring a life straw or your own filtration device because they already have high quality water filters in each apartment and if there is no fresh water in your apartment you can just buy some at a store close to your apartment. There was one apartment I was in that had no running water and we had to use bottles of water to do everything.
3. Mosquito nets
You won’t have to bring mosquito nets because the mission provides them for you. Also the best way to avoid malaria is taking the anti-malaria medicine they give you. If I had continued taking them maybe I wouldn’t have gotten malaria.
4. Umbrellas
It rains a lot in Africa. Also when it rains in Africa, it rains very hard. Even if you have an umbrella you are still going to get wet and carrying an umbrella everywhere even a small one adds unnecessary weight to your bag which will make you more tired. My advice is when it rains, enjoy it because it’s always a refreshment from the intense heat of Africa.
5. Toothpaste/toothbrushes
I knew a few missionaries who brought gallon bags full of extra toothpaste and toothbrushes. You won’t need to, they sell them in nearly every little store in Africa. Each store is like a little 7-11 and you can find all of your basic living supplies like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, and even cereal!
6. Shampoo
It’s not necessary to pack a lot of shampoo. What you can do is bring a little bottle that you can use at the MTC, then buy some more when you get in the field. Like said above, you can find shampoo in Africa.
6. Hangars
I also came on the mission with a BUNCH of hangars. They are provided by the mission.
7. Crocs for teaching
When I was on the mission they didn’t allow us to wear crocs or shoes when we were out teaching but we could wear them on P-Days. Policies may change based on the mission president so ask before going out if they are allowed. I think it’s also unsafe to wear crocs in the rain and mud because there could be parasites in the ground so it’s best to just wear heavy duty shoes. Get some waterproof and durable shoes that won’t fall apart because of rain and mud but that are also very comfortable. This is why I also recommend buying shoe insoles to make your feet more comfortable.
8. Super fancy/heavy scriptures
Bringing a large English quad is heavy and you will have to carry it around your whole mission. Also you will have a phone so you won’t need physical scriptures. If you want physical English scriptures I would recommend buying the pocket sized scriptures.
9. Stickers/candy/give-aways for children, etc.
If you want to give little gifts to kids on the mission you can just buy them some stuff you can find locally where you serve. Like in Congo we would buy the kids these little drinks and eat beignets at the end of teaching lessons with some of our younger investigators. They really liked that.
Children eating beignets and drinking bissap in Congo.
