by These are the top 10 things that Elder Burbank, a veteran of the Vanuatu Port Villa Mission recommended to every missionary going to Vanuatu/New Caledonia on their mission.
1.) Strong Bug Spray
You will get eaten alive and Dengue fever is a big problem that can put you out for weeks potentially.
2.) Comfortable Sandals that you can still wear socks with
Having shoes that breathe makes a huge difference when walking in the heat and humidity all day. I personally wore black keens which lasted my whole mission.
3.) 40 oz Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle
You can get dehydrated so fast especially in church clothes and you want your water to stay cold all day long so vacuum insulated is prefered.
4.) A Small Light Backpack, not a shoulder bag. If permitted, I highly recommend using a backpack over a shoulder bag. It’s much easier on the body and usually is more durable especially given the conditions you’re in 24/7.
5.) 2 Sets of Bed Sheets. After a while the first set will get disgusting/beyond cleaning especially since you usually have to air dry all your laundry outside. In some places the washing machines don’t really work and you may have to wash your sheets by hand which wears them out even faster.
6.) Antiperspirant. The stuff you can buy there does not work very well and its very expensive, so American deodorant/antiperspirant is a nice commodity.
7.) Visual/Model Teaching Aids for the plan of salvation and other lessons. The more tactile and visual the better. Islanders like being able to hold things and learn things with their hands.
8.) Quick Drying Socks and Garments. Synthetic stretchy clothing that dries quickly is always best because the air is so heavy that things do not air dry quickly however this is the only way to do laundry etc. Do not buy cotton socks or garments!
9.) Tall Garment Tops that you can tuck in! It doesn’t seem necessary but even with the short ones you’re going to want to tuck the garment top in but it will constantly keep untucking itself if you don’t have the long variant. Having more material to tuck in is better. It’s annoying if you’re riding a bike or walking all day and you have to keep tucking it in.
10.) Clothes that you don’t mind getting ripped or filthy on Pday. Many missionaries go on some crazy hikes and can get really dirty doing service activities in the mud.
