Financial

Just a bit of info for those of you who don't know how financial stuff works in the mission field.

In your first few days in the field, you will get a debit card for your Missionary Support Fund. The mission office will put a certain amount of money on that card every month (we got $120 each but it depends on the mission). This is your money to spend on groceries and other necessities for the month. Any souvenirs, clothes, etc. will need to be bought with a debit card from home. If we budgeted carefully, $120 just barely lasted one month for us. We didn't have to worry about paying rent or utilities or any other bills, just groceries and personal stuff. I had a friend who had to pay rent on her mission so I guess it just depends on where you are. The mission office gave them what they needed for rent every month in addition to the grocery allowance.

If/when you have family members and friends who would like to donate money to you while you're in the field, have them give the money to your parents who will then put it in the account associated with your debit card from home. You may have a hard time cashing checks, especially if you go foreign. And if you do go foreign, you will probably not have access to money exchange places. Another idea is to have your parents add money on your card for your birthday or other occasion to go buy something fun. You will only have a limited amount of time to shop, so don't expect to spend a lot. (Although I imagine most of you probably won't have a lot to spend anyways.)

Be sure to warn your bank/credit union that you will be going out of town so you don't have to deal with the possible fraudulent activity stuff.