Here are free resources about the California Long Beach Mission:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Missionary blogs
- Facebook groups
- LDS Mission t-shirts and gifts
- List of past mission presidents
- Cultural articles written by returned missionaries
- Survey with RMs
*Other Mission Pages: California LDS Missions.
Long Beach Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the California Long Beach Mission. We try to keep this info up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
California Long Beach Mission
6500 E Atherton St
Long Beach, Ca
90815
Phone Number: 1-562-248-1300
Mission President: President Brian P. Patterson
California Long Beach Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the California Long Beach Mission (LDS). To access the official LDS.org map for the Long Beach Mission:
Long Beach Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the California Long Beach Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
*Send your missionary a gift (mission-specific shirts, ties, Christmas stockings/ornaments, pillowcases, etc.)
Long Beach Mission Groups
Here are California Long Beach Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Long Beach Mission.
- Long Beach Mission July 2004- July 2007 Group (173 members)
- Long Beach/Mission Facebook Group (34 members)
- Long Beach Mission Moms and Friends (LDS) Group (28 members)
- California Long Beach Mission (since July 2007) Group (4 members)
California Long Beach Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the California Long Beach Mission!
Shirt designs include California Long Beach Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL. The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.
*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: California Long Beach missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Long Beach Mission gifts
Long Beach Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Long Beach LDS Mission.
- 2016-2019, Brian P. Patterson
- 2013-2016, Ryan Melvin Tew
- 2007-2011, Edwin A. Sexton
- 2004-2007, Ronald W. Evans
- 2001-2004, Roger P. Christensen
- 1998-2001, Grant L. Pullan
California LDS Statistics (2016)
- Church Membership: 773,762
- Missions: 20
- Temples: 7
- Congregations: 1,357
- Family History Centers: 222
Helpful Articles about California
Long Beach Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from California Long Beach RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
*Click here to take a survey to help pre-missionaries going to your mission.
When did you serve?
- 2013-2015 (Heather)
- 2004 (Austin)
- 1998-2000 (Dustin)
What cities/areas did you serve in?
- Long Beach (NW), Midway City, Westminster, and Lakewood. (Heather)
- Westminster, Whittier, Norwalk, Cerritos, Cypress, North Long Beach, Compton. (Dustin)
What were some favorite foods?
- Fish tacos, shaved ice. (Heather)
- Wahoos fish tacos, Claim jumper, In n out, Chipotle. (Austin)
- Samoan foods. (Dustin)
What was a funny experience?
- Running into Dennis Rodman and offering him a pass along card. (Austin)
- Having people try and speak Spanish to me when I was on splits with a Spanish speaking elder and not having a clue what they were saying. (Dustin)
What was a crazy experience?
- I was serving in north Long Beach and Compton during Y2K it was a long night but we listened to our Mission President and his councilor so we were safe. (Dustin)
What was a spiritual experience?
- Hearing a soon to be baptized sister praying out loud for the first time ever. (Austin)
- Watching people who we taught change and seeing the Atonement change their lives. (Dustin)
What are some interesting facts about the Long Beach Mission?
- One of the most populated yet geographically smallest missions in the world. (Austin)
- When I was there, the mission area was approximately 20 square miles with 1.5 million people. (Dustin)
What was the weather like?
- The summers I was there were pretty hot, over 100℉, and a bit humid, with very mild winters, about 50-60℉. It rarely rained. (Heather)
- Heaven. 75-85 in summer, 54-60 in winter (Austin)
- It was great. I loved it when it rained. (Dustin)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- The communities I served in were filled with people who were religious in some way, and open to hearing what we had to share, even if they were not ready to change their beliefs. (Heather)
- Laid back, fun loving, good sense of humor, and dedicated. (Austin)
- The members were awesome they helped as much as they could. Most people already found Jesus…we just helped them get to know him better. (Dustin)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- Short sleeve white shirts. (Austin)
- Light weight dress slacks and shirt sleeve white shirts. (Dustin)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- Countless, but a few would be how close I cane to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I had to rely only on them daily, no family or friends. It really taught me what faith really is. (Austin)
- A greater understanding of the Atonement, life long friendships and the knowledge that families are forever. (Dustin)
What are some skills you gained?
- Getting out of my shell, story telling, and figuring out what matters most in any situation. (Austin)
- I learned how to teach and how to listen to people and to help others. (Dustin)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- Cliche, but dump that girlfriend before you leave. If she’s there when you get home, great, but don’t plan on it. Instead, dive fully in to the work. Otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot of neat experiences and opportunities. (Austin)
- Listen to your companion and work like it is your last day as a missionary. (Dustin)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Long Beach?
- A lot of people in Southern California are under the impression that they’re as happy as they’ll ever be. Exercise patience as you strive to teach them, along with the spirit, what REAL happiness is. (Austin)
- Work hard and serve the people and love them in time they will see the love that the Savior has for them by your example. (Dustin)
What was a funny language mistake?
Chantelle (California Long Beach Mission)
–Paraphrased from Chantelle’s mission interview–
California Long Beach Mission Geography
The California Long Beach Mission is one of the smallest proselyting missions in the world. You can get from one end to the other in 45 minutes or less. But there’s a lot of people in those boundaries. There’s about 8 or 9 stakes total within the long beach Mission. It’s a great area because it’s right along the coastline. The mission covers a lot of Orange county and a little bit of orange county. Huntington Beach, Catalina Island, and Compton are part of the mission. A lot of Mom’s get scared when they here that, but don’t worry! Sisters don’t serve in Compton and the Elders that do are well taken care of. We were pretty close to Disneyland as well, and sometimes at night you could hear the fireworks
Diversity in the Mission and in California
Languages spoken by missionaries include Spanish, English, and Cambodian. The missionaries had a lot of different nationalities, including some from Korea, Laos, Tonga, and Samoa. It’s amazing to see the melting pot aspect among the missionaries and among the people of California as well. I had to call the mission office for a Book of Mormon in Croatian, Farsi, Italian, Persian, and Korean. It’s pretty neat how the work moves forward with all of these different people from many different backgrounds.
Long Beach Mission Culture
Most Sisters in the mission had access to cars, but the Elders had bikes. We rarely used public transportation since most of the ward areas were pretty small. What was great about the mission being so small was that we could have a lot of encounters with the mission president, his wife, and other missionaries. I felt really unified with the rest of the mission because I got to see the missionaries I worked with on a regular basis. The California Long Beach Mission is a Preach My Gospel, White Handbook, obedient mission. We learned to study Preach my Gospel and abide by its precepts. We would also study the White Handbook every day during companionship study. We always knew what Heavenly Father expected of us. To be a California Long Beach Missionary means something, and I’m so grateful to Heavenly Father for providing me with the blessing of serving.
Josh (California Long Beach Mission)
–Paraphrased from Josh’s mission interview–
Mission Geography
The Long Beach Mission is one of the smallest missions in the world; from North to South it’s about 15 minutes long. Without traffic it was about a 30 minute drive. From East to West it’s only a 20 minute drive from one side of the mission. One town, called Whittier, had a population that was about 50 % Spanish speaking. Walking down the street you would run into White people, Hispanics, Asians, etc. In Huntington Beach there was a large population of immigrants from Egypt, Jordan, and other parts of the Middle East. It was interesting to share the gospel with people from a completely different perspective.
Diversity in the Long Beach Mission
Almost a majority of our mission was Spanish Speaking, there was 60-70 Spanish speaking missionaries, six Cambodian speakers, and about 100-120 English speaking missionaries. There were 7 stakes, and each one has at least one Spanish Ward or Branch. Today there are about 5 Spanish wards, and a couple branches. Where I served in Whittier there were a lot of Phillipinos and Koreans, along with many Spanish speakers and then some English members all in one ward.
Long Beach Mission Climate
One thing I remember is how short it was to get from one place to another for transfer. Most of the time the climate was cooperative, with it being very sunny and generally in the 60’s or 70’s. Sometimes there would be a heat wave to bring it up into the 80’s or 90’s, and in winter it would sometimes get down to 45.
Religious Background
I most enjoyed the diversity. It was amazing to see people of all different races and backgrounds work together to build the church in their wards and stakes. California is definitely a tough area to serve in as far as getting a high number of baptisms. With all the diversity, there’s a lot of different religions. Many Spanish speakers, for example, are Catholic and are weary of the church. They are friendly and may even know some members, but they don’t want to depart from their traditions. No matter where you serve, however, it doesn’t matter how many people you baptize but how many you keep in the church.
Helping Your Investigators
Prepare your investigators, because there’s a lot of opposition. High school kids are faced with trials in their religion, alcohol, drugs, and gang activity. The most important thing is to be their friend, love them, and teach them the gospel. Another difficulty is the struggle of immigrant families. Some of them work 40 hours a week, with both parents in the family working as hard as they can. You just have to remember that they’re trying to get back to God too.
Love your mission. Enjoy the weather and the people and the experience as much as possible.