Getting Ready!!!

With the change in the age requirements announced at the October 2012 General Conference, Hayden and his buddies started to put their papers in and receive their calls before some of them graduated from high school.

From left to right:  Tanner Park, Connor Kohler,  Auston Vance and Hayden

Hayden and Auston at the opening of Auston's call. 

Connor and Tanner at Tanner's farewell.

Elder Auston Vance 

Omaha Nebraska

8/13 - 8/15

Elder Philip Hayden Washburn

Osorno Chile

8/13 - 8/15

Elder Tanner Park

Bogota Columbia

11/13 - 11/15

Elder Connor Kohler

Mexico City, Mexico

12/13 - 12/15

Elder Kyle Nelson

Chihuahua, Mexico

11/13 - 11/15

PACKING INFORMATION:

When Hayden received his call we didn’t know anybody who had served in Osorno Chile.  I started to research the area on the internet, read missionary blogs and joined a forum (ldsmissionarymoms.com) for mom’s of LDS missionaries that groups moms with other moms that have children serving in your specific mission.  I learned a lot!

The Osorno mission extends all the way to Punta Arenas, which is near the most southern tip of Chile.  Antartica is only a few hundred miles away.  The weather is very extreme.  When it is cold it is bone chilling cold.  Because it is on the coast it is a damp penetrating cold.  The apartments/home are heated with a single wood burning stove.  Several missionaries said that it felt as cold inside their apartments as it did outside.  It rains a lot.  Not sprinkles like you would find in Seattle but in sheets of rain!  Also the wind blows really hard in the south and missionaries said this caused the rain to come at them horizontally. Several missionaries talked about their rain gear not being able to hold up to being exposed to several hours of constant rain. They advised that if it wasn’t made out of rubber then it wasn’t really waterproof.  Because of the strong winds, most umbrellas become disposable! Look for a vented umbrella.  The summers in the northern cities of the mission can be very hot and humid. 

So based on what we learned we knew that Hayden needed warm and waterproof gear.  Also he needed shirts and clothing that would dry out easily.  We were advised to send him with the warmest sleeping bag we could find. 

Our son is extremely allergic to mosquitoes.  There aren’t any mosquitoes in his mission but the Mexico MTC was plagued with them.  One missionary counted one hundred bites on his hand after leaving his window open one night!

It is very expensive to ship things to Chile.  A padded flat rate padded 10" X 14" priority ENVELOPE costs $25.00 to ship and takes about 4-7 weeks to arrive. You can fill it  as full as you want up to 4 lbs. We tried to send our son with everything we thought he might need so we wouldn't have to worry about the reliability/timing of the postal system and the cost of shipping if he needed something he couldn't get over there.  The Chilean people are on the small side so if you have over a size nine shoe or are very tall, you will have difficulty finding clothing to fit.

Here is a shopping/packing list I kept to keep track of what he needed to take with him.  Getting him prepared was pretty pricey but we were very fortunate to find several items on clearance since we were shopping for winter gear in the summer.

To Be Purchased:

Ben’s mosquito repellant

Journals

Winter hat/scarf

Waterproof gloves (REI)

First Aid kit

Pens/highlighters

Memory cards

Ordered:

Contacts

Waterproof backpack (purchased from a boating supply store)

Done:

Suit

Ties

Belts

Short-sleeve shirts(5)  Wal-mart $13

Long-sleeve shirts (6) CTR Brand $25

Suitcases (2) TJMaxx $200

Spanish scriptures/Preach My Gospel

Missionary Reference Books

Microfiber washcloths (Dollar store)

Rain Gear (purchased at sporting good store in Oregon)

Columbia Rain Pants online $29.99

Patagonia Rain Shell (REI Clearance $133)

Patagonia 800 ct down liner ( REI Clearance $99)

Patagonia non-down liner (Patagonia outlet Clearance $99)

Patagonia Thermals (Patagonia outlet)

Thermals Wool pair (1) Back Country $130

Merrell Boots winter/waterproof Back Country (Clearance $70)

2 Waterproof shoes (Ecco $168 & $184 less $100)

Shoe shine kit (Amazon $19)

Dress socks CTR Drymax brand (12) $9

Wool socks Costco $11

2 Sweaters (Missionary Mall $32)

4 Slacks (CTR $30) (1 Ross $20)

Foot Fungus treatment  Ryan Anderson ($18)

Exercise Clothing 

Running shoes 

Shower shoes (TJ Maxx $13)

P-day attire (polo shirt/no Tshirts)

Hoody (black AE)

Microfiber towel (Recreation Outlet 2 for $12.99)

Garments (10 pairs)

Baptismal clothing (pants, shirt, tie & socks)

Mosquito repellant 100%  DEET

Lip balm-stick sunscreen (2 $10)

Neutrogena  sunscreen ($13)

Contacts $100

Contact solution

Glasses and case

Hair Gel ($15)

Nail Clippers ($5)

Vitamin D (for the cloudy season)

Camera

Memory cards

Electrical adapter

Passport holder (CTR $11)

Twin sheets (TJ Maxx $30)

Sub zero Sleeping Bag

Silk sleeping bag liner (Amazon $50)

Mosquito net for Mexico MTC (Amazon $10)

Waterproof Gloves/ (Seirus All Weather Amazon $30)

Dog Zapper (Amazon)

Umbrella (Amazon Gustbuster $35)

Church Videos 4@ $1.50 1@ $4.50

CD Holder (Wal-mart $8)

Permethrin spray and lotion

***Notes

Get feet completely dry once a day

Vacuum pack his stuff to pack. Ziplock bags

Wool thermals don't get as stinky at synthetic

Spray permethrin on all outer clothing and luggage, helps with ticks, mites, and mosquitos.

Hope this helps!