Costa Rica San José West Mission

Costa Rica San José West Mission

Misión Costa Rica San José Oeste:

Free resources about the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission:

Aquí están algunos recursos gratuitos sobre la Misión Costa Rica San José Oeste:

*Other Mission Pages: Costa Rica Missions.

Interesting facts about San Jose

  1. A popular breakfast dish is Gallo Pinto- beans and rice.
  2. San Jose is the largest city in Costa Rica and the capital.
  3. The Metropolitan area accounts for one third of the nation’s population.
  4. The city is named in honor of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
  5. The city’s demographics are largely European.
  6. Coffee is a major industry in San Jose.

San Jose West Mission Address

Here’s a recent address for the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission. We try our best to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to double check the mission address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.

Cost Rica San Jose West Mission
Apartado Postal 859-1000

San José, San José

Phone Number: 506-2588-8100
Mission President: President German Laboriel Guitty

San Jose West Mission Map

Here’s a link to the mission map for the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission (LDS). To access the official LDS.org map for the San Jose West Mission:

  1. Log into your LDS account here.
  2. Click here.


Videos with San Jose West RMs

Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission.  We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews. Coming soon..

San Jose West Missionary Blogs

Here’s a list of missionary blogs for the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission. This blog list includes the missionary’s name, blog URL and when their mission blog was last updated.

*Email alexbalinski@gmail.com to add your blog to the list.

Elder Cyrus Godivala ggodivala.wixsite.com/website 2019
Elder Connor Ireland mymission.com/elderconnorireland 2019
Sister Corinne McClelland sistermcclelland.wordpress.com 2018
Elder Noah Toney eldernoahtoney.blogspot.com 2017
Sister Jessica Bass jessicaebass.blogspot.com 2017
Elder Joshua Stott elderjoshuastott.blogspot.com 2017
Sister Rachel Douglas hermanaracheldouglas.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Brady Black elderbradyblack.blogspot.com 2016
Sister Erika Hubler hermanahubler.blogspot.com 2015
Sister Brooke Gibson hermanagibson.blogspot.com 2015

San Jose West Mission Groups

Here are Costa Rica San Jose West Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni who served in the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission. Coming soon..

San Jose West Mission T-Shirts

Here are T-shirts for the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission!

Coming soon..

San Jose West Mission Presidents

Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Costa Rica San Jose West LDS Mission.

  1. 2015-2018, German Laboriel Guitty

Costa Rica LDS Statistics (2015)

  • Church Membership: 44,627
  • Missions: 1
  • Temples: 1
  • Congregations: 74

Helpful Articles about Costa Rica

Coming soon..

San Jose West Missionary Survey

Here are survey responses from Costa Rica San Jose West 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?

  • 2015-2017 (Rachel)
  • August 2015-December 2016 (Jessica)

What areas did you serve in?

  • San Rafael de Heredia, San Roque de Liberia, Santa Ana and Tejar de Alajuela. (Rachel)
  • Esparza in Punterenas, Pavas, Escazu, San Jose Don Bosco, Ojo de Agua in Alajuela. (Jessica)

What were some favorite foods?

  • Gallo Pinto was my favorite food. It is a mixture of rice and beans. They also make a dish called Rice and Bean, which is made with chile peppers and coconut milk. It is the best! (Rachel)
  • Avena Mosh (Water or milk drink mixed w/ rolled oats & some sugar….so yummy!) Costa Rica also has THE best and THE biggest soups filled w/ different types of vegetables, some that we don’t even have or see in the USA. Platinos or plantains are a must in Costa Rica…its like how the potato is to America, the platino is to Costa Rica. Any way you eat it, its delicious! Gallo Pinto w/ Salsa Lizano, nothing screams Costa Rica more than this dish. (Jessica)

What was a funny experience?

  • There was a drunk guy that would follow us everywhere and he wasn’t dangerous, just weird. He kept telling me that he needed my glasses so that he could read his Bible. (Rachel)

What was a crazy experience?

  • Any encounter with drunk people could take its turn. In the park with the elders, one guy got extremely close to me and so four elders pushed him away and got in between. He started threatening to fight them and hurt them, so we had to leave. (Rachel)

What was a spiritual experience?

  • I loved meeting the incredible people from Costa Rica! Once while knocking on doors, an old woman in her 90s let us in. She was so kind and we could feel what an amazing spirit she had. When her daughter walked in the room, we were kicked out for not being Catholic. As we left, both of us got the feeling that the old woman was someone who would be in the celestial kingdom, as she would have accepted the gospel if given the chance! It was a very holy and sacred moment for my companion and I. (Rachel)

What are some interesting facts about the San Jose West Mission?

  • The Costa Rican people are known as Ticos. They are very laid back and use the phrase “Pura Vida” as a motto for life. It is very green in Costa Rica and an absolutely amazing place! (Rachel)
  • The west mission has the temple in its area unlike the east side. Every time a new missionary comes in they will go to the temple to do a session with all the other new missionaries along with the Mission President and his wife and those missionaries who will be training during that transfer. (Jessica)

What was the weather like?

  • Rainy!! The rainy season is from the months of June-November. The rains come on very quickly and are very strong. It is amazing to watch, but your feet do get very wet! Costa Rica has the most incredible sunsets as well! During the other months of the year it is windy and hot, though it does depend on what area you are in. Guanacaste is in the north and is probably the hottest place on earth. (Rachel)
  • Amazingly beautiful and wet. So so so tropical yet so so so humid during some seasons and areas. It is honestly the garden of Eden on earth. The sights are breathtaking and the wind is lifesaver. (Jessica)

Any things you really like about the area/people?

  • I love the culture! People just love to be alive and are so helpful! I love the music playing in the streets and the laid back atmosphere. People love futbal (soccer) and love the missionaries! In my mind, Costa Rica is the most beautiful place on Earth! (Rachel)

Any packing/clothing advice?

  • If you go to the West Mission, make sure you have a suit if you are an elder. Also, mosquitos are a problem while there, so bring bug spray. I got dengue while in one area (I was fine though) so make sure to wear long skirts if needed. And take a backpack. The satchel is horrible for your back! (Rachel)

What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?

  • I received peace with my family. I knew that they were taken care of and protected while I was on my mission. I also was blessed to serve under President Laboriel, who taught me to be disciplined and to love the Lord. (Rachel)
  • I met some of my bestest friends on the mission. My mission president was also one of the main reasons I believe I was called to serve in the Costa Rica West Mission. He taught me discipline, blessing of exact obedience, diligence, better understanding and practice of faith and trust in the Lord and in Jesus Christs Atonement. I also have been blessed to use Spanish after my mission in ways that have continued to bless not only my life but the lives of others. Thanks to companionship inventory I know how to more effectively communicate my feelings and wants and be humble enough to receive correction which has been a huge blessing in my marriage. The blessings are endless honestly I can’t testify enough of how incredibly better my life is from serving a mission. I cant imagine where I’d be or what I’d be doing in life if I didn’t serve a mission. A mission is honestly the school/education for life. It put things into perspective, made me realize my blessings on a deeper level and allowed me to love & connect with people that we crossed paths with on the street. I have a more service-minded attitude. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about or apply something I learned from my mission. (Jessica)

What are some skills you gained?

  • I became better at talking to people and at resolving conflicts. (Such as with companions or other missionaries). I also learned a lot of leadership skills. As my mission President believed that everyone was a leader in my mission. (Rachel)
  • The ability to better communicate with people. Not just in express what I wanted to express clearly but to better understand an individual, how they must feel and how our Heavenly Father feels for them. The ability to walk and walk and walk for forever and have sweat running down my face/back due to the humidity & not be bothered…which was a fun adjustment coming from the Arizona dry heat. (Jessica)

What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?

  • I wish I had known that it is ok to not be perfect. God speaks through us, and even the imperfect things we say sometimes can be filled with the spirit. I wish I had known that the best way to connect and teach was to simply be myself and love those around me. (Rachel)
  • It is okay to trust in the Lord completely. It requires a lot of faith to decide to serve a mission and then to go out and actually serve. If you give all you have to the Lord, He will make more of you than you ever could. He knows who is ready and willing to receive the gospel so its silly yet so easy to try to do the work on your own by your own ways. Trust Him and watch the miracles and blessings unfold right before your eyes. (Jessica)

Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to San Jose West?

  • I know that this mission will change your lives. You will feel so connected to the people of Costa Rica. The Lord lives all his children, and he has a special place in his heart for his missionaries. I feel that God answers a missionary’s prayers before anyone else’s. Remember simply to learn, love, and live the gospel! Make it part of your every breath! It is hard at times, but never give up hope. Just hang in there. (Rachel)
  • Enjoy it! Take pictures and VIDEOS of everything. Give yourself to the Lord and be humble. He can only help those who are willing to be taught and just like with the investigators, you also have to be one of those people whose willing to learn. (Jessica)

What was a funny language mistake?

  • There is a town in Costa Rica called Siqquirres. With the members accent and with my bad Spanish, I would say “Shakiras”. I got teased a lot about that! (Rachel)
  • One time in a practice in the Mission Training Center, we were teaching about the word of wisdom and I was trying to promise our investigator that he would ” have dominion over his body, thoughts and actions” but instead I promised that he would have demons…haha our investigator/teacher tried so hard not to break out of character and we couldn’t help laugh about it afterwards. (Jessica)