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Going on a Mission to: Western Europe – France

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Going on an LDS mission is an experience that brings much joy and requires considerable preparation. Here at Zion Bags, we want to help Mormon missionaries prepare ahead to succeed when they are in the mission field. To that effect, we will be posting weekly advice on the necessary preparations for elders and sisters going to each specific mission area in the world. This advice will be drawn from experience, official LDS sources, and guest bloggers. In continuation of this series, we will focus on Europe and each week will post about the countries within it. This week: France. Feel free to ask us questions or give suggestions in the comments! We welcome your input.

France is a popular tourist destination for both Europeans and Americans. You might have had the chance to visit it yourself before receiving your mission call. In any case, you should read on for advice specific to the missionary experience in France. Bon voyage!

Formality in the Language

The French are more formal in their interactions, especially in larger cities, compared to Americans. They will use the polite form – “vous” instead of “tu” (plural “you” instead of singular) – to greet people they don’t know. In cities that are large metropolitan centers, smiling or speaking to people walking by is frowned upon. If street contacting is not yielding very good results for you, try different ways to spark a conversation, and understand that you will have to adapt your methods to the culture.

While speaking to people on the street is not recommended, it’s considered rude not to greet shopkeepers or clerks that are helping you out with your purchases. You can greet them with a simple “Bonjour madame/monsieur,” which can lead to short conversations on everyday topics, and small opportunities to share the joy of the Gospel.

Contrary to popular belief, most French don’t speak English, but they will greatly appreciate your attempts to speak French. If you have no experience with the language, and find yourself having a hard time the first few months in the country, don’t be discouraged. Try to speak as much as possible, whether it is when you visit members or investigators, and let them help you and correct you. It really is the best and fastest way to learn a new language.

Formality in Clothing

While in the States most people wear casual clothing unless required by their job, in France different activities require specific dress codes. You won’t have a problem looking professional because of the mission attire requirements, but in addition to wearing dark colors and suits or skirts, make sure your clothes are clean and wrinkle-free. You should be able to purchase a small clothing iron in France, which will be your best friend in helping you blend in.

If you will be eating at a restaurant, observe what people going in are wearing – this will help you gauge not only the appropriate dress, but also the price of the food (the more dressed up people are, the more expensive the restaurant). As mentioned before, make sure your clothes are clean and ironed for any occasion.

Ironing

Source: http://thedudesociety.com/2011/07/how-to-iron-a-dress-shirt-correctly/

Differences in Food

The French place an emphasis on fresh food, and at least once a week you may find a type of farmers’ market in the city where you serve. You will also find many pastry shops where you can stop to get food when on the go. Take the chance to eat healthy by avoiding canned or super-processed foods, which are usually harder to find and best avoided entirely. Your body will thank you, and you will be blessed with the health and strength to do the Lord’s work, as promised in the Word of Wisdom.

Word_of_wisdom

Source: https://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-exaltation-teachers-manual/lesson-26-the-wisdom-of-the-word-of-wisdom?lang=eng

Differences in Greetings and Behavior

As mentioned above, the French are more formal with their greetings, but they are also more likely to go for a cheek kiss than a hand-shake. They will usually do air kisses, not a full-on kiss on the cheek, but knowing this beforehand can help you avoid many an awkward situation. Another custom you should be aware of as a missionary in France is that you don’t acknowledge when someone sneezes. You’re better off pretending it didn’t happen.

kiss

Source: http://www.myfrenchlife.org/2012/06/14/when-in-france-kiss-dont-hug/

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Zion Bags

Going On a Mission To: South America

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Going on an LDS mission is an experience that brings much joy and requires considerable preparation. Here at Zion Bags, we want to help Mormon missionaries prepare ahead to succeed when they are in the mission field, especially to South America. To that effect, we will be posting weekly advice on the necessary preparations for elders and sisters going to each specific mission area in the world. This advice will be drawn from experience, official LDS sources, and guest bloggers. To start off this series of blog posts, we will cover the best advice for missionaries going to the South American continent. Let the journey begin.

1. Know the Climate

An essential part of preparing for a mission is getting to know the climate of the country you are going to live in. Generally, South America has a humid climate, with lots of rain and high temperatures year round. The closer you are to the Equator, the warmer the weather. For missions like northern Argentina and Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru, you will most likely only need a warm jacket to get you through rainy days. Keep an umbrella with you at all times, as in some areas it’s sunny in the morning, but it rains in the afternoon.

Elder in Rain

Image Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/126734176987830744/

2. Know the Culture

An LDS mission comes with a good portion of culture shock for any elders and sisters who haven’t traveled outside the United States. Here are some differences you need to be prepared for:

  • People value relationships above tasks – they will need to get to know you better before setting on a baptism date
  • Most purchases are made in cash instead of cards, so make sure to carry enough around
  • Non-verbal communication is highly valued and often comes in the form of hugs, handshakes, and cheek kisses

Your area will have a specific culture and history that you must research, but the above three behaviors are similar across the board.

Hug

Image Source: http://missoulian.com/missionary-courtney-barkdull-gets-a-hug-from-stephanie-meacham/image_8ac4f77e-0e60-11e3-879e-001a4bcf887a.html

3. Lesson Materials

In the States, Church materials are relatively easy to access in physical stores or online. You will find this harder outside the border, so bring with you a Plan of Salvation diagram in your mission language, or other similar visual materials. This will help your lessons be clearer, and it will capture the attention of your younger investigators.

Plan

Image Source: http://www.themissionarydepot.com/shop/accessories/puzzles/the-plan-of-salvation-puzzle/

4. Sending and Receiving Mail

The postal service is likely to be unreliable, and the mail you get (or send) from your parents or friends might often be late, or tampered with. To avoid tampering when expecting a care package, tell your parents to attach a picture of Christ or the Virgin Mary on top of the line where the box flaps close. This helps because it reminds people that they should do the right thing. DHL is pretty reliable and we have found it more reliable than USPS.

5. Sturdy Clothing and Accessories

While you don’t want to break the bank with your mission spending, you should take into account that if something breaks, it will be difficult to replace because you won’t have too much time to go shopping, and you often won’t find something of equal quality easily. Sturdy shoes and durable clothing are a must, as is a sturdy bag. Check out our offerings for shoulder/messenger bag options and accessories.

Deseret_Book_Zion_Bags

 

7 Fears Most Pre-Missionaries Have About Serving a Mission (+ Why They Shouldn’t Worry)

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Preparing to serve a mission can be scary. There are lots of things you might worry about—money, knowledge, shyness—but no matter the concern, you can find the reassurance and courage you need. Here are some common questions and answers to help you overcome your fears and find the faith to go forward.

Missionaries_teaching

What if I don’t know enough about the scriptures or the gospel?

Mission preparation should definitely include learning about the gospel, but you don’t have to know everything before you go. For example, as a young man, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was worried he wasn’t prepared to serve a mission. He said, “I remember praying, ‘Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?’ I believed in the Church, but I felt my spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling came: ‘You don’t know everything, but you know enough!’”

Read the rest of this story at lds.org

 

Missionary Class of 2015

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The school year is almost over and the Missionary Class of 2015 will be graduating! This means many high school seniors are going through the final phases of their LDS mission preparation. Perhaps you are among this group. If so, you are awesome…and busy! By now you’ve been meeting regularly with your bishop, probably been interviewed by your stake president and maybe even had your wisdom teeth pulled. Ouch!! If your mission papers went in 2 weeks ago you are no doubt rushing home from school each day to check the mailbox for that white packet. We know that many of you have already read those words “Dear Elder or Sister (fill your name in here)….”. If so, Congratulations on your call! If not, don’t worry…its coming!

Like many in your shoes you’ve probably also begun the process of checking out, either online or, if you live in and around Utah, the retail stores who specialize in providing clothing and other supplies for missionaries. With the recent changes in missionary clothing and accessory standards you now have a wider variety of choices that missionaries only a couple years ago didn’t have.

Among the items that have seen changes recently are missionary bags. As you are probably aware by now, backpacks are no longer acceptable. The primary reason given for this change is that backpacks don’t present a professional look, a look worthy of representatives of the LDS church. The new direction given for missionary bags is that they be over the shoulder style bags. Another type of bag that is acceptable for missionary use is the messenger style bag.

This is where Zion Bags comes in.

Missionary_Messenger_Bags

In one of our next blogs we will discuss the differences between shoulder bags and messenger bags and what makes Zion Bags the best choice for the Missionary Class of 2015!

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