What to Wear on Your Next Missions Trip

While I was in Uganda, I observed some cultural idiosyncrasies that I made a note of and thought that it would be helpful for me to pass them along to others. 

I have thought about and put together some Do’s and Don’ts of what to wear and what not to wear for your next mission trip.  One thing to be cautious of is wearing scented perfumes including scented shampoos and lotions can attract mosquitoes and other bugs which can cause malaria.  You will not want to wear any heavily scented items just to be safe.

There are many cultural differences in foreign countries which we are not always aware of here in America.   I was riding on a “Boda Boda,” (which is more commonly known as a motorcycle) in Uganda, Africa where I was told that I need to make sure I wear a small purse because if my purse is too large, someone may think that I am very wealthy and will try to steal my purse!  

I was also told that women need to wear long skirts and not pants.  This was partly based upon our individual missions base, however, this was a more widely accepted way of dress for women.  Someone mentioned to me that it is not considered “lady-like” for a woman to be riding a bicycle!  This seemed a little strange to me due to our cultural differences here in the United States.  From what I understand, this is a bit degrading for women in Ugandan culture to be riding a bicycle.    

Also you will want to make sure that you pack the lightest weight clothing as possible, based upon the weather in your destination of choice.  This will help you to avoid baggage fees for your baggage being too heavy to check in at the airport.  Universally, a fifty pound baggage limit is standard, so packing too much can cost you extra cash.

As a woman, I am finding that dressing modestly is very important.  Many people have differences in opinion regarding this topic.  However, to keep it simple, modest dress will cause less problems than dressing in a more revealing way. 

I was surprised that the people in Uganda were dressed very nice.  The word that I learned was a very British sounding word that is used to imply that a person looks very classy.  If a Ugandan says, “You are very smart today!”  (Smart pronounced “Smaat”)

This means, you look very classy and well put together!  I loved hearing this from them! 

It still makes me smile thinking about it.

If you are visiting an African country for your missions trip, you can expect that people will not be dressed shabby no matter how much or how little money they have for that matter.

So, what do you do with all of your gold and silver necklaces?  What about your wedding ring for that matter?  Well, you leave all the valuable jewels at home!  Flashy jewelry and flashy hairstyles will need to be deescalated.  You will want to downsize some of the “Bling” so to speak.  Careful attention must be taken to avoid any unnecessary or problematic attention being drawn to yourself. 

In fact, the attention should be focused upon the Lord and not on us, so we will want to deflect some of the attention away from us if possible.  I suggest purchasing wooden jewelry to replace your gold and silver or precious jewelry.  Many jewels and beads can be purchased while in the foreign country you are visiting.  This can be an economic stimulus to the economy of the country you are visiting as well!  This is just another reason to leave the expensive jewelry at home.

Ok, now for shoes!!!  You will want to make sure your shoes are appropriate for the nature of your trip.  If you are going to a very hot place, you may want to pack some sandals or buy them there in that country.  Also, tennis shoes are very valuable in the airports for comfort when walking long distances. 

I hope this information was helpful to you in planning your next missions trip!  Please feel free to visit our website where you can find out about the benefits of missionary airfare for your next missions trip. 

Safe Travels,

Tabitha Lovell, International Travel Specialist

MKI Group Travel

www.cheapmissionstrips.com

Having a Prayer Agent

Sometimes when working with teams and individuals in the travel industry, I am reminded that there are other agencies out there which can compete with prices that we offer.  However, I am not certain that there is any competition that can compare with having a PRAYER AGENT vs. just having a Travel Agent for your travel.  I got this email today from a brother in Christ who is on our team at MKI.  I am so excited to be working among a team of individuals who truly CARE about each customer's needs.  Praise GOD for such a testimony!!!  Here is the email from J.D.:

"Thought you would enjoy hearing this little story.  On Wednesday I got a call from someone  I sold a flight to a while ago.  He told me that a friend of his had a brother who was on his death bed in Amsterdam, and wondered if we could get a last minute flight for her to go say goodbye to her brother. 

I found a great fare for her and she left the next morning.  I got a call on Friday afternoon from my original client.  He called to tell me that she had made it to Amsterdam, made it to his bedside, had a wonderful conversation with him, and that he died 4 hours after she arrived at the airport.  He thanked us for having a ministry mindset about our business.  It was a very encouraging conversation that reminded me of why I'm doing this thing!  Thought you'd like to hear it too."

Blessings,

J.D.


You see, these things happen as we wait upon the LORD and prayerfully choose flights for our customers.  I don't know if there is a price tag that can be placed upon something like this. 


I had a customer in a situation that happened around the time of the Ugandan terrorist attack a few weeks ago.  They were in Uganda and the bombings had caused some of the computer systems to be unavailable.  My customer was leaving to come back home but had lost their itinerary!  They contacted me and I was able to get their itinerary to them within a few minutes.  They were SO happy that this worked out for them and they were able to come home safely.  I received a video from them after their trip.  I was literally in tears after I saw this video.  I felt my heart breaking as I saw the beautiful things they were doing in Uganda and how I was able to be a part of this through prayer and being used by the Lord to serve them. 

In fact, I posted their video on our website at http://www.cheapmissionstrips.com where you can view it and see some photos as well.  This was such an encouragement to my heart!


This is truly more than just a business for those of us involved with MKI and Cheap Missions Trips and all that is involved.  This is a ministry and we are truly here to serve the Body of Christ as we prayerfully work as not just TRAVEL Agents, but PRAYER AGENTS for the Lord and for you!!!

Safe Travels!

Tabitha