Misión República Dominicana Santo Domingo Oeste
(Get this design on a T-shirt!)
Free resources about the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission:
Aquí están algunos recursos gratuitos sobre la Misión República Dominicana Santo Domingo Oeste:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Video interviews with returned missionaries
- 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: Dominican Republic LDS Missions.
Santo Domingo West Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Santo Domingo West Mission. We try to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the mission address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
La Iglesia de Jesucristo SUD
Misión Santo Domingo Oeste
Calle Manganagua #15
Santo Domingo,
República Dominicana
Phone Number: 1-809-482-7545
Mission President: President Jose M. Santos
Santo Domingo West Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission (LDS). To access an official, up-to-date LDS.org map:
Videos with Santo Domingo West RMs
Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Santo Domingo West Mission. We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.
LDS-Friendly Videos about the Dominican Republic
Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about the Dominican Republic. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos, free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.
Santo Domingo West Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Santo Domingo West Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
Santo Domingo West Mission Groups
Here are Santo Domingo West Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Santo Domingo West Mission.
- Misioneros Regresados Santo Domingo Oeste Group (482 members)
- Santo Domingo West Reunion (Pres. Platt) Group (464 members)
- Santo Domingo West Alumni Group (192 members)
- Mision Santo Domingo Oeste RD Facebook Group (137 members)
- Santo Domingo West Mission Group (131 members)
- Misioneros de la Mision Santo Domingo Oeste Group (52 members)
- Santo Domingo West Mission Group (9 members)
DR Santo Domingo West Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission!
Shirt designs include Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West 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: Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Santo Domingo West Mission gifts
Santo Domingo West Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Santo Domingo West LDS Mission.
- 2017-2020, Jose M. Santos
- 2014-2017, James H. Nuckols
- 2011-2014, Raul Osvaldo Rodriguez Morel
- 2008-2011, Juan Evangelista Almonte
- 2005-2008, Larry K Bair
- 2002-2005, C. Henry Platt
- 1999-2002, Laren M. Gertsch
- 1996-1999, David R. Stone
- 1993-1996, Carlos E. Madrid
- 1990-1993, Ronald Jamison
- 1987-1990, Charles Gary Sorensen
- 1986-1987, Michael D. Stirling
- 1983-1986, Arthur F. Coombs
- 1981-1983, John A. Davis
- 1979-1981, Richard Millet
Dominican Republic LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 127,530
- Missions: 3
- Temples: 1
- Congregations: 205
- Family History Centers: 29
Helpful Articles about the Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo West Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Dominican Republic Santo Domingo 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?
- 2013-2015 (Joshua)
- 2012-2014 (Brendan)
- 2004-2005 (Carol)
- 2004-2006 (Braden)
- 2004-2006 (Chris)
- 2004-2006 (Bryce)
- 1994-1996 (Chad)
What areas did you serve in?
- Los Angeles, Las Matas de Farfan, Madre Vieja Sur, Pedro Bran, San Juan. (Joshua)
- I served in San Jose de Ocoa, Pedro Brand, Manoguayabo, Buenos Aires de Herrera, and Pedro Brand again. (Brendan)
- Santo Domingo: San Geronimo, las Caobas, Independencia. Barahona: Batey. (Carol)
- Najayo, Villa Altagracia, Mesopotamia (San Juan), and La Yuca, Buenos Aires de Herrrera, and Piantini (all Santo Domingo). (Braden)
- Santo Domingo, La Fe, San Cristóbal, San Juan de la Maguana, Las Matas, Baní. (Chris)
- Las Caobas, Los Alcarizos, Palenque, Azua. (Bryce)
What were some favorite foods?
- Arroz con leche, pasta, arroz con pollo and empanadas. (Joshua)
- Arroz con leche, chuleta, and a good moro de maiz o de habichuelas. (Brendan)
- La bandera, espaguettis blancos, and tostones. (Carol)
- La bandera and guandules guisado con arroz and pollo frito. (Braden)
- Guandules guisados con coco, con chivo guosado (stewed pigeon peas in coconut milk over rice, with stewed goat.) Empanadas Mangu (boiled mashed plantain usually served with eggs and cheese) Tostones (fried plantain {chips}). (Chris)
- Jugo de china, chinola, cereza, tamarindo, guava, lechoza, etc… Arroz con guandules, Aguacate con vinagre y sal Empanadas! (Bryce)
- Pan de Agua con queso y jamon en un colmado. La Bandera Dominicana. Platanos Fritos. Jugo de Guineo. Coconut water fresh from the coconut after I watched as the Dominican scaled the tree to get it and then used a machete to let the water flow into my mouth. Bananas fresh from the tree in my backyard. Mangu de Platanos y huevos fritos. (Chad)
What was a funny experience?
- My companion joking around with me about buying a pig head. (Joshua)
- Just having a good time with my companions and other missionaries. We would scare each other from time to time in one of the apartments I lived in with two other companionships. Fun memories. (Brendan)
- Trying to flush the toilet sin agua, falling INTO a main road, and falling in wet cement. (Carol)
- My companion broadsided a sheep on his bike and went flying over the handlebars (both he and the sheep were fine). Another is when a different companion fell in a manhole while we were wading through a flooded road. (Braden)
- Well, as 19-21 year old kids, the whole thing was fun and we never ceased to find humor in different places. You’ll see things like you’ve never thought you would and laugh. Like seeing cars running on propane tanks or vendors selling plastic cups on a trailer pulled by a donkey. There’s just lots of random stuff that might give you a chuckle. Also, it’s a bit graphic but everyone will go running from an appointment home to hit the restroom at some point, the adjustment to the food, will give you diarrhea at some point and I’ve seen some pretty funny things regarding this ha. (Chris)
- Walking along side my companion and suddenly he disappeared due to falling in a random hole in the sidewalk. (Bryce)
What was a crazy experience?
- A man once was attacked by someone with a machete, in the street we were walking on. It was in broad daylight in front of others as well. My companion also got hit by a motorcycle head on, but was okay. (Joshua)
- I feel like I had a pretty chill experience for the most part. I remember though, in my 3rd area I woke up in the middle of the night to my companion falling out of his bed, tangled in his mosquito net (we were required to hang one over our beds) while he was flailing his arms and legs. Apparently he felt a rat run up the length of his body as he was sleeping! (Brendan)
- Falling into that main road, being American because everyone thought you were rich, riding in the publicos. (Carol)
- Hanging from the side of a taxi van on the interchange between the Churchill and the Lincoln. (It’s a narrow, curved overpass about 50 feet in the air. (Braden)
- I saw a guy get his arm chopped off in a machete fight. I saw tons of fights like that. Lots of shootings too. People know the missionaries though and it’s rare to be caught in the middle. (Chris)
- Plenty of those! I could tell stories… (Bryce)
What was a spiritual experience?
- We saw an area completely transform from a struggling area to a successful area. (Joshua)
- Too many to count. There were a few people that I taught that got baptized that I really felt had a solid testimony. One man in his early 20’s was particularly bright. He had the most intense and sincere questions I ever had an investigator consistently ask. He was so smart and sharp. I remember hearing him share his testimony after he was baptized and had received the Holy Ghost. What a powerful experience that was. You could tell that he had felt a very real and literal change take place in his soul and in his life. (Brendan)
- Listening to an investigator tell a dream where someone from the other side was encouraging them to read the Book of Mormon, watching my native companion teach the people, being saved from getting run over, being inspired to pray for safety when danger was imminent. (Carol)
- Many. In general, just finding people who were ready for the gospel and looking back to see how we were lead there without realizing it. (Braden)
- Too many for specifics. No need to go into detail as the whole thing was a deeply eye opening spiritual experience that changed my perspective on life and it’s purpose so deeply that it changed the person I am today. Be prepared to come back closer to God, his children and more connected to and concerned for all living things. (Chris)
- Teaching most nights by candlelight due to lack of electricity. (Bryce)
What are some interesting facts about the Santo Domingo West Mission?
- The Dominicans are really easy to speak to about God and religion. (Joshua)
- Hmmm…I’m not really sure on that one. I think it has the oldest units (wards/branches) in the country, like San Geronimo and Piantini. Natives call the area our mission covers “el Sur.” In some areas it is more like a desert in comparison to other tropical and lush places on the island. Also, baseball in huge in the Dominican Republic. One of my areas is the hometown of Pedro Martinez, a famous pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. (Brendan)
- Dominican time is Mormon Standard plus 30 minutes, the people are very loving, but fearful of commitment, you don’t really know when a hurricane is coming… there’s just more rain, it’s a peaceful feeling country in general. (Carol)
- The Dominican Republic has some of the most dangerous roads in the world (as measured by deaths per capita). Probably due to the number of motorcycles and the crazy way they drive. (Braden)
- You may spend a lot of time without electricity. We typically only had about 6-8 hours of it during the day time. Sometimes less, and at night it was also sporadic. There’s an energy shortage on the island, so the electrical grid shifts electrical flow by neighborhood. This may have changed since but was the case when I was there. (Chris)
- Only got turned away from a door one time only because the family was busy and asked us to come back the next day at which point they listened. The work is very strong there. Retention is also quite strong. Great food, great people, great work, lots of rain, lots of sun, occasional hurricanes, lots of learning and serving opportunities. (Bryce)
What was the weather like?
- Super sunny and humid, or really stormy. (Joshua)
- For the most part it was pretty constant. As expected, it was hot and humid. Sometimes the rainy season could get kind of crazy, but you learn to get along just fine even if you’re soaking wet. (Brendan)
- Hot and humid with occasional torrential rain. (Carol)
- Hot and rainy. (Braden)
- Hot, and humid like you’ve never experienced. People I talked to about it say things like (Yeah, I’ve been to Florida or Louisiana so I get it) Yeah, you don’t get it. It’s intensely more humid than anything you can experience in the states. You do get used to it but be prepared to be punched in the face by it when you step off the plane. It also makes your living situation a bit rough because you will not have air conditioning, only a fan which only works when the electricity is flowing. The houses there are made of block and not insulated so if you don’t have a fan on, you can’t really escape the heat. So just prepare to sweat… A lot. Believe it or not I miss that part of it. It’s also easier to breathe and exercise. (Chris)
- Hot, humid, loudest thunder you will ever hear. (Bryce)
- Rainy, and when not it was very humid and hot. (Chad)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country. The people are really humble and they really have a lot of faith. (Joshua)
- The people are so kind and humble. They are such a believing people. Nearly everyone believes in God. (Brendan)
- Their kindness and love and genuineness. The vegetation and the ocean. The freshness of each meal. (Carol)
- Humble, faithful people. We didn’t ever have a problem finding people who wanted to listen to us, the problem was “weeding out” those who were actually interested in progressing in the church. (Braden)
- Everything. The food, the music, the people are incredibly friendly. People are super humble and appreciate life in a way it’s hard for Americans to understand. You’ll get what I mean once you get there. (Chris)
- Such great people. Friends for life and beyond! Very welcoming. Willing to share all they have with anyone. A very loving culture that loves to be outdoors, not inside watching TV. (Bryce)
- I absolutely love the Dominican people. They are so humble and friendly and full of a desire to serve. (Chad)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- In the Dominican Republic, you can get a lot of pants made and fitted for very cheap. (Joshua)
- Try to pack light. Despite what you might hear, you can find everything you need once you’re in the country. Definitely get good quality white shirts and shoes, because those probably won’t be found in the country. Pants though, you can get custom made dress pants for probably less than what you could buy them for in the U.S. (Brendan)
- Light, knee length skirts (longer gets stuck in your legs when it rains), short sleeve, loose shirts, keep your hair long so you can tie it up. (Carol)
- Pants are cheap to have made down there, you won’t ever wear a suit, you can buy pretty much whatever you need so don’t stress too much about it. (Braden)
- Just follow what they tell you to take. You’ll figure the rest out when you get there. Take lots of gold bond powder though. (Chris)
- Although the climate is hot and humid, when January/February roll around and your body has acclimated you may want a jacket in case you get a cold and it’s still 75 degrees outside. (Bryce)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- I have seen the hand of the Lord, and my testimony has really grown. (Joshua)
- Greater awareness for the world around me, a greater vision for my future, and a greater testimony of the Plan of Salvation and the eternal scope of things. (Brendan)
- I was able to finish college sooner by switching to a Spanish class, I learned to relax and love life more, I learned to be more loving and less judging, I learned to socialize and do small talk. I learned to live frugally and eat cheap, delicious food. (Carol)
- Everything. I think about it literally every day. It changed me in more ways than I can count. (Braden)
- Everything I have. I’m married with four kids. If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have come home and met my wife. I’m a blessed guy. (Chris)
- Language skills. Perspective gained. Optimistic outlook on life. Acquired a grateful attitude and a feeling of empathy for others’ situations. More blessings beyond what space I have available here to share. Spiritual, temporal, characteristic blessings, etc… Blessings that couldn’t be obtained any other way in my opinion. (Bryce)
What are some skills you gained?
- Talking with people and teaching. (Joshua)
- Spanish, responsibility, teaching. (Braden)
- The Spanish of course, but I also learned how to jump in to a project or situation even if I wasn’t comfortable. You’ll gain a confidence you didn’t realize you had before. (Chris)
- Language, physical fitness mentality, gratitude, respect, admiration, service, outside the box approach to problems and solutions. (Bryce)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- I wish I would have been more patient with my progress. (Joshua)
- I wish I would have paid better attention to the people around me and talked with people more in every situation, even just small talk, not necessarily gospel talk. I wish I would have known that I could make requests of the Mission President (as far as telling him what areas I felt I needed to be in). (Carol)
- I was pretty culture shocked for the first few weeks, so knowing that it would get better and I would assimilate well. (Braden)
- There’s nothing I didn’t know prior that you need to know once you get there. Part of the growth is going into the unknown. That’s a trial of faith that you have to go through. Your rite of passage so to speak. (Chris)
- We are all held accountable for our own actions. It’s alright for a guy to show emotion. Spanish is an entirely different language so once you stop trying to draw parallels between it and English, then you start progressing in the language. (Bryce)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Santo Domingo West?
- Never lose patience with your companion. Work every day like it’s your last. (Joshua)
- Just love the people as they are. They’re wonderful people who make the best of often difficult situations. Always compliment them. Embrace the culture and the weather. Ask advice from the members-they know how to live in their country and how to work with the people. Talk to everyone. (Carol)
- Learn to love the people once you’re there. Know the scriptures well as you will run into people who know them better than you. (Braden)
- Go in, not with the expectation that every person needs to be baptized and receive the discussions or have lessons I guess I should say. Rather, enter every conversation and encounter with a human being as if you were really representing Christ. Serve, help, be a friend, never judge only love. Some people aren’t ready to hear your message but every person can use a friendly hello, how is your day going. You don’t need to lead so hard with the we’re missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It’s a small island. They know who you are. Go into every confrontation with a person as though you want to become a friend, not that they are a prospective baptism and the rest will work it self out, and it’ll save you a lot of frustration. People are not numbers, people are God’s children, and we are just there to serve however they need-remember they, not you, dictate what those needs are. The ones who are ready will come to you requesting baptism and you’ll know who they are as things progress. (Chris)
- You will never regret the decision to serve. No other experience will prepare you more for the world that is waiting to hit you in the face after the mission. It’s invaluable. There are difficult days, but not so difficult that you can’t do it. It’s a one day at a time thing. There is a lot of hard work and lots of walking, sweating, biking, teaching, and running away from mangy dogs, interspersed with absolutely incredible moments of palpable spiritual experiences that change peoples lives and eternities, including your own. You will never be the same, nor will you want to. To this day I am grateful every time I walk into a room and can flip a light switch, or take a warm shower. At times I will leave the lights off in a room not thinking there is electricity. I have been home more than 10 years at this point. It’s a great place. You learn more than you would ever imagine. The language is a challenge, but you can do it. Don’t stop studying the language once you have “enough to speak it”, keep studying every day. The more you master the language the more doors you will get into. I have been back since and will be going back in the next few weeks again. It’s my home away from home. (Bryce)
What was a funny language mistake?
- I said a swear word over and over again. (Joshua)
- Even before my mission I was making funny mistakes. Before my mission I was out with the Spanish-speaking Elders in my home ward and I was ordering a snow cone from one of their investigators. I ordered a “cerveza’ flavored snow cone, when I meant to order a “cereza” flavored one. (Brendan)
- In Spanish, molestarse means to bother (someone). Playing with one of the kids after church, I accidentally Spanglished into “I’m going to molest (instead of get or tickle) you!” I froze in horror as my brain translated the meaning of what I’d just said. One of the elders heard and started laughing. (Carol)
- Fell asleep while teaching a lesson. (I was actually talking at the time and just slowly slurred my speech and fell asleep for a few seconds. I wouldn’t think it were possible if it hadn’t happened.) (Braden)
- Well, not a mistake just prepare for this version of Spanish to sound more like Chinese than the Spanish you’ll learn in the mix. (Chris)
- There were many of those and most of them got me into very embarrassing situations…..You will simply have to figure those out on your own… (Bryce)