A common question we get is, "How many ties should I bring on my mission?" and the question that usually follows is "Really?"
This brief article is going to take you into the life of a missionary so you can better determine how many neckties you should bring on your mission!
How Many Ties Should I Bring on My Mission?
The classic question, and yet the answers always vary! Some might recommend 5, others might recommend 50. To tell you the truth, there is no right answer. But, we will give you some insight on how many neckties we wished we would have brought on our mission based on our experiences as missionaries. To get a better understanding we are going to have to give you a small glimpse inside the life of a missionary. We will do this by discussing briefly three parts of a mission life that have an impact the number of ties you might want to bring on your mission!
MTC Life
First, right off the back we are going to tell you, ties become one of a missionaries most prized possessions. We know, how can a necktie mean so much to someone?! It was always the first thing that was torn off after church. And most likely thrown on the floor each week. Surprisingly though, as soon as you get to the MTC things start to change and The Game of Tie Trading begins!
We experienced everything from the basic tie trades, tie drafts, tie tournaments, and even tie competitions. In each and every case the goal was to get the neckties you want in your possession. We have first-hand experience of seeing companionship's walk away with the award of 25 ties after winning a round robin tournament of slap jack. To seeing Elders trade one tie and receiving five neckties in return. It might sound crazy, but these are some classic MTC activities. You will have a lot of opportunities to trade, compete and play for ties. So, it might be important to bring ties that others will actually want!
With this small insight of a common activity that takes place among the Elders at the MTC we would recommend bringing at least 18 ties. This way you have at the least 2 neckties per day of the week and 4 extra ties that you can use for trading and competitions in the MTC.
Transfers
Sometimes the hardest days of the mission, transfer days. It's time for you to leave your current companion and receive a new one. One thing I wish I would have known before my mission was a common practice that took place between companions right before transfers. As a show of respect and as a way to remember the times you had within the companionship's, it was popular for the Senior companion to give one of his ties to his younger companion. Normally, the Senior Companion would write a short note, his name and the date on the back part of the necktie he was giving to his companion. Still we have multiple ties that our Senior Companions gave us. These ties sill have our Senior Companion's notes, names and dates on the back of them. To this day these neckties act as a trophy for the memorable times that took place in that companionship. And to be 100% honest with you, they are some of our most prized possessions.
This small tradition that takes place in many missions has a huge effect on determining how many ties a missionary should bring out on his mission. On average an Elder has around 11 companions during his 24 month on a mission. If this is a common tradition in the mission we recommend bringing near 18 ties. This way you can easily giveaway ties to your companions and still have plenty to wear throughout the rest of your mission.
Converts
The day has come! After months of searching and seeking in the area for people to teach you and your companion have taught and properly prepared an investigator for baptism. The ward is excited and you and your companion are ecstatic! These are some of the most spiritual days on the mission. The day where you get to see a small glimpse of the fruit your companionship has been working so hard to nurture.
An amazing thing that takes place at many baptisms is the one receiving of the covenant will receive gifts from ward members and their missionaries who fund and taught them. In a tender devotional before the ordinance many Elders give the new convert to the Church a one of their favorite ties. This tie is often worn by the convert that following Sunday when they receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost! We have a few converts that to this day send us pictures of them ready to go to church with the exact tie that we gave them on the day of their baptism.
This might be another piece of information you might want to know when determining how many neckties you should bring on your mission.
Conclusion
The mission will be one of the best and most memorable times of your life! We hope that this short insight on the life of a missionary will help you answer that question, How many ties should I bring on my mission?
We sure know that if we would have known these small details in the life of a missionary it would have had a great impact on the number of neckties we would have brought out in the mission field.
Save on Mission Ties Here With Ty's Tiess
See out last blog post: Can your tie make you look more attractive? This article takes you through the scientific phenomena on if a tie can make you ore attractive. Future missionaries dont click here, we dont need you buying ties that make you more attractive for your mission!