Free resources about the Washington Vancouver Mission:
- 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: Washington LDS Missions.
Vancouver Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Vancouver Mission. We try to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
Washington Vancouver Mission
2223 NW 99th Street
Vancouver, WA. 98665
Phone Number: 1-360-574-5370
Mission President: President Dennis A. McAteer
Washington Vancouver Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Vancouver Mission (LDS). To access the official LDS.org map for the Vancouver Mission:
Videos with Vancouver RMs
Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Vancouver Mission. We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.
Videos about Washington
Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Washington. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Washington, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.
Vancouver Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Vancouver Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
Vancouver Mission Groups
Here are Vancouver Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the mission.
- Washington Vancouver Mission Group (825 members)
Vancouver Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Washington Vancouver Mission!
Shirt designs include Vancouver 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: Vancouver missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Vancouver Mission gifts
Vancouver Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Vancouver Mission.
- 2016-2019, Dennis A. McAteer
- 2013-2016, Derlin C. Taylor
Washington LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 282,356
- Missions: 7
- Temples: 3
- Congregations: 549
- Family History Centers: 79
Helpful Articles about Washington
Vancouver Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Washington Vancouver RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
When did you serve?
- July 2012 – July 2014 (Daniel)
- 2013-2015 (Mallory)
- 2014-2015 (Alex)
- 2014-2015 (Michaela)
- 2013-2015 (Courtney)
- 2013-2015 (Amanda)
- 2013-2015 (Brandee)
- 2014-2015 (Sam)
- 2013-2014 (Kelli)
- 2013-2015 (Annalese)
- 2013-2015 (Laura)
What areas did you serve in?
- Rainier, OR., Portland, OR., Longview, WA., and Vancouver, WA. (Laura)
What were some favorite foods?
- Tacos! (Daniel)
- Fresh crab, blackberries, marionberry pie, salmon (Mallory)
- We had a lot of traditional American family dinners. My favorites were ones with a lot of vegetables. (Alex)
- Taco soup. (Michaela)
- They have a lot of the same foods as anywhere else in the USA. They do a lot of fish though and it is fresh. (Courtney)
- I really loved anything and everything…especially sushi, salads and I LOVED more exotic, authentic foods – Mediterranean, Thai, etc. (Amanda)
- When I served out on the coast we had some really good seafood. A lot of people used coconut oil in their food and it was very tasty. (Brandee)
- Food wasn’t really that different as far as being in the states go. There is a ton of diversity there so you may get different culture experiences, but I didn’t have too many. (Sam)
- The members made a lot of chicken which I thought was great. Sometimes the people would be very healthy and make asparagus salads which I enjoyed quite a bit also 🙂 Also BURGERVILLE IS THE BOMB! I miss that place! (Kelli)
- Chocolate hazelnut shakes from Burgerville, Cold and wet days=lots of soup. Favorite: Chicken and gnocchi soup. Dutch Bro’s apple smoothies with caramel, Tillamook ice cream, Berries in the summer. (Annalese)
- Salmon. Fresh berries. They have a lot of those in this mission! (Laura)
What was a funny experience?
- I had a really funny surprise birthday party thrown for me, I received a stuffed animal baboon named “Cheeks.” (Daniel)
- In Portland, an old man riding on a bike ride past our trio and said, “praise the Lord! Three angels sent from heaven” (Mallory)
- A man once told me he “liked to mate” and then asked me what I was doing later. (Alex)
- You run into a lot of different people. Especially in Portland. (Courtney)
- Uh, everything heh, heh. There was a guy that my companion and I contacted, and he was a self-proclaimed Christian singer-songwriter. He sang very loudly one of his written pieces to us while we sat on his doorstep and tried to act interested…I felt pretty awesome about it. (Amanda)
- My companion and I were able to talk to a less active lady because I was choking on a mint and she let us in and gave me a glass of water. She knew she knew she wanted to come back to church but just needed a push. So God does miracles and sometimes that’s having you choke on a mint and your companion laughing at you. (Brandee)
- I think being with companion and saying funny things were always the best. Also, old men were so funny! This one guy, Brother Allen, he would get so mad when transfers came. He never wanted anyone to leave! He loved us! He said, “If one of you get transferred, I will have to call someone.” We would say “Who? Our mission President?” Then he said “No, someone higher” “The Prophet??” Yep, he would call the Prophet! Haha he was such a joy to be around! (Kelli)
- When an investigator who had smoked for the better half of her life was praying and she apologized at the end saying, “Sorry God. I have to go. I’m running out of air.” (Annalese)
- There are sooooo many! The mission was SOOOOOO fun! I loved just laughing and joking with my companions, and with our investigators and members! However, my first day in the mission, I fell down someone’s front porch stairs and face planted it on the ground because I didn’t realize that moss was slippery. (I’m from Southern Utah where it is veeeeery dry). (Laura)
What was a crazy/dangerous experience?
- We were almost robbed at 5:30 A.M. (Daniel)
- Walking down 82nd at night in Portland and ending up talking to a bunch of gang members and a cop showed up as well. (Mallory)
- A dog lunged at me and my companion. She collapsed in fear and I ran about twenty feet before I realized she wasn’t with me. Luckily, the dog was chained so he didn’t get to either of us. (Alex)
- We were walking home one night and someone threw a glass bottle at us. It barely missed us and hit the fence right being us and glass was everywhere. We thought it was gun shots before we saw the glass. (Michaela)
- Driving around was an adventure. It is very easy to get lost. (Courtney)
- My companion and I contacted a guy at a park who claimed to be an anti-Christ. He continued to talk with us for almost two hours while we tried to get away several times. We finally had to tell him we were leaving because he WOULD NOT listen to us. He started saying some pretty inappropriate things, so we peaced. (Amanda)
- My companion crashed her bike into a mailbox once… But for the most part we never had any seriously dangerous experiences. (Brandee)
- There were a ton of homeless people, at least in Oregon and they sometimes liked to give us a hard time. (Sam)
- There were a couple guys at Dairy Queen where my companion and I went for lunch, and they stared at me really weird and made weird faces at me. I felt so threatened we had to leave and go to the church for a while to get my mind off of the creepy weirdness. (Kelli)
- My companion and I were doing some 8 o’ clock miracle tracting and this rock music coming from a garage further down changed into scary movie music but it only changed for me. We prayed and I felt the Spirit tell me we needed to get away from there. Everything was all abnormally dark but we saw one house with what seemed like every light on so we went to knock. A very sweet girl greeted us and let us in. She became a new investigator. (Annalese)
- The roads are super small there in the rural areas and we totally high centered our car when we were trying to turn around. We were stuck there in the middle of the road for about 15 minutes before we finally got un-stuck! (Laura)
What was a spiritual experience?
- We had an investigator tell us they had seen us in a dream two years previously coming to her door. (Daniel)
- Showing the restoration video to an investigator and seeing her be touched by the spirit. She gained a testimony of the truthfulness of our message and later got baptized. (Mallory)
- Once, while I was praying, I learned that my purpose in serving was for me to prepare for the type of spouse I want. I was supposed to learn habits that would help me be worthy of him. (Alex)
- I loved teaching in members homes or bringing a member to a lesson and then seeing an investigator bond with the member. (Courtney)
- I loved to just testify to people because they couldn’t prove that my testimony wasn’t true or that it was wrong. I feel like there were several moments in my mission that I felt the Spirit very strongly when I was able to testify to people what I knew to be true. (Amanda)
- The moments that you were in the right place at the right time because we were listening to the spirit as well as every time someone you taught finally got what it was all about and came closer to God through faith, baptism and all the other parts of the gospel. Those moments were the most spiritual for me. (Brandee)
- There is a display in Vancouver for Easter called The Life of Christ. It is so wonderful and the spirit is so strong there! We took all of our investigators through and taught them lessons and committed one of them to baptism right after which was a miracle 🙂 (Kelli)
- One of the families I taught got to be sealed in the temple and their baby girl was there. So amazing! (Annalese)
- There are too many to record here in such little time and space! There were spiritual experiences every day!!! I think an overall spiritual experience of my mission though would probably be that God Doesn’t Do Random. He knows exactly where each of His missionaries are. He knows where all of His children are. He knows us, and it is made so obvious on the mission. (Laura)
What are some interesting facts about the Vancouver Mission?
- The mission was recently formed and has been split since. (Daniel)
- The Columbia River Gorge is the most beautiful place on Earth. There is no shortage of waterfalls, hikes, and beauty in that area. We also included some Portland suburbs, so we got plenty of interesting people. I met a lot of Russians, too. (Alex)
- There are a lot of volcanoes and the Ape caves where big foot is rumored to live. (Courtney)
- It’s only about three years old, so it’s still fairly new. It goes along the Columbia Gorge, which is super beautiful. We had part of Oregon in the mission, including part of Portland. We also had part of the coast in our mission, which I hear is beautiful, but I never got to serve over there…I don’t think this is fact as much as it is opinion, but I had THE BEST members in my mission. I loved serving with the members. So much. (Amanda)
- 99% of the time if you tell people you went on a mission to the Washington Vancouver Mission they will think you served in Canada. But it’s actually the southern part of Washington and includes parts of Oregon. (Brandee)
- The WVM has 5 active volcanoes in it’s boundaries including Mt. St. Helens, Mt Rainer, Mt Hood, 🙂 Basically Washington is the coolest place ever. If you’re in Vancouver, you can travel 2 hours to the beach, 2 hours to the snow, 4 hours to the desert, and you’re already in a rain forest. It’s the coolest ever! The beach is in our mission and it is so beautiful! We also have the “Goonies” settings in our mission. Also we have Fort Vancouver where the white people fought the Indians. It’s a cool place with cool mansions! (Kelli)
- Part of Twilight was filmed in our mission. Kindergarten Cop and the Goonies were filmed in our mission. Our mission has some of the best Independence Days along the Columbia ever! (Annalese)
- It borders the Columbia River on both sides and it is absolutely gorgeous! It also takes in the coastal city of Astoria which is a popular tourist attraction. The best ice cream you will ever have is at Salt n Straw in Portland, and the best burger you will ever have is at Killer Burger in Portland. (Laura)
What was the weather like?
- Rain! (Daniel)
- Pretty temperate during the summer, lots and lots of rain during the winter months and also quite windy in some parts. (Mallory)
- Cold and rainy in the winter, hot and sunny in the summer. My first winter it snowed, and my first summer the temperature got up to 104 degrees. (Alex)
- Either cold and rainy or hot and muggy. (Michaela)
- Lots of rain. (Courtney)
- It was fairly rainy, but honestly, the spring/summer/fall packed some good heat, which was surprising. Winter months are pretty gray and gloomy – got pack some Vitamin D! (Amanda)
- It could get pretty hot in the summer and it would rain basically all the time from October until April. Rarely does it snow there, but the winters can get cold. (Brandee)
- The weather was pretty mild. It didn’t rain nearly as much as I thought and was told it would. It is humid though in the summer, windy in the winter and it did get pretty cold some days. (Sam)
- In the summer, it is very nice and sunny and it gets pretty warm, like 80’s or 90’s. In the winter it is rainy!! hardly any snow, but there is a ton of rain, which is why it is so green there. It gets cold when it rains, but only to the early 30’s or 40’s. It is a beautiful place to be year round! (Kelli)
- Rainy and Overcast. Rain coats, boots, and vitamin D supplements are a real necessity! But some of the most beautiful summers I’ve ever experienced!! (Annalese)
- Everyone told me it was going to rain all the time. This is somewhat true, but it is sunny a lot more than I was expecting. The rain is really pleasant there. It makes everything very vibrant! There is also this beautiful rain that just mists from the sky and brushes gently against your face. That was my favorite! (Laura)
What do you like about the place/people you served?
- Many people are very open. (Daniel)
- They were all so willing to feed the missionaries and we had lots of strong members. I also love the Portland temple, it’s by far one of my favorites now. (Mallory)
- For the most part, they were very friendly. I think part of it was that the culture of the area is to be accepting of everyone, so we could have pleasant conversations even with people who weren’t interested at all. The area was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, both in person and in pictures. (Alex)
- I loved how much of a family the wards were. There was a strong bond in the wards like I have never seen. (Courtney)
- Keep it simple. You’re serving as a representative of the Lord, so look nice, but it’s not necessary to get an entirely new ward robe. You’re not there to impress other people with what you’re wearing – you’re there to serve the Lord and His people, so focus on that. When you keep your clothing simple, it will help with keeping packing fairly simple as well. (Amanda)
- It’s so beautiful there and the people are amazing. I instantly fell in love with the people I served. (Brandee)
- The members over all were strong, but some wards were not very missionary minded and didn’t care to help you out. Also, it was typically the same members over and over that were willing to help, which is nice, but you don’t want to take advantage of people and exhaust them. Try to get your ward pumped up to do missionary work so you have lots of people willing to go with you if needed. (Sam)
- What I liked about the people in Washington is that they are very mellow and laid back. they are loving and nice. And they have wonderful driving skills! Washington drivers are the best, and I miss that about them 🙂 (Kelli)
- I loved how Heavenly Father helped me have such a great love for them even if I had just met them. I was God allowing us to experience a sliver of the love that He has for the people that we interacted with. (Annalese)
- I love everything!! It is so beautiful and the people are beautiful too! It is soooo diverse! There is too much to say. I miss it every day. (Laura)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- Locals hate when people carry umbrella’s. Get a good rain coat. (Daniel)
- For sisters get scarves and things to change the look of your same old outfits. Get things that can mix and match, don’t bring too many pairs of shoes. (Mallory)
- Bring warm things for the winter, including rain boots and a good coat. Bring cool things for the summer that don’t need to be layered. Some days are especially hot. (Alex)
- Lose clothing, boots. (Michaela)
- Rain coats and make sure everything is waterproof. Also bring a GPS. (Courtney)
- Keep it simple. You’re serving as a representative of the Lord, so look nice, but it’s not necessary to get an entirely new ward robe. You’re not there to impress other people with what you’re wearing – you’re there to serve the Lord and His people, so focus on that. When you keep your clothing simple, it will help with keeping packing fairly simple as well. (Amanda)
- Bring a warm rain coat. (Brandee)
- I was grateful to have fleece lined tights for the winter. I loved cardigans as well. (Sam)
- Rain boots and rain coats and umbrellas. They say that if you have an umbrella in Washington that you are a tourist and don’t belong, but when you’re in a walking are and are walking for an hour in the rain, it’s pretty nice to have an umbrella. Although sometimes the rain is coming sideways so having an umbrella doesn’t do squat, but have one anyways because it is worth it 🙂 (Kelli)
- Rain coat, gloves, and boots. Ask for shake-activated hand warmers in packages from home! Everyone will tell you that locals don’t use umbrellas and that you’ll stick out. I thought it was a good because that what you want right? (Annalese)
- Water proof boots. Umbrella. Long sleeve sweaters for slightly cooler days, but not cold enough for a coat. (Laura)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- I met my wife! (Daniel)
- So many! I’ve been blessed in my school experience after my mission, I’ve gained a lot of confidence during my mission which is also a blessing, and I have a strong conversion to Jesus Christ and his gospel. plus I met the most amazing people and had the best mission president I could ever ask for. (Mallory)
- I loved the people more than I could have ever anticipated. I met wonderful people who are now my family, and I can’t wait to see them again. (Alex)
- I learned that Heavenly Father really does love all his children, me included. (Michaela)
- I think the biggest blessings I received were a stronger testimony, a strong love for the people and more confidence in myself. Not to mention the friendships I made. (Courtney)
- So many blessings. Dear, dear friends/family that I wouldn’t have known or come to know if I hadn’t served. I received the blessing of having several faith filled experiences, to which I will forever be grateful. (Amanda)
- So many it’s hard to say, but a stronger testimony for sure. Being able to witness so many miracles and a lot of friends that feel just like family now. (Brandee)
- I have received so many blessings from serving. Wow, where to begin. I have learned that I am a daughter of God, and that this life is not the end of the world. If we look into perspective of eternity, life is a lot easier. I have been blessed to meet the people I did and learn the lessons I’ve learned. I’ve been blessed to gain a testimony of the gospel and to know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and will redeem all people if they come unto Him. What a great privilege for us to have that knowledge! We are so blessed, and we can help others be blessed by the message also! Yay!!! (Kelli)
- An unshakable testimony of the principles of the gospel that I can fall upon whenever I’m going through a rough time. (Annalese)
- I continue to receive so many blessings from serving a mission. I am grateful every day that I finally decided to serve. I can’t even name all of the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out upon me and my husband. We truly believe that we are blessed so much because we served faithful missions. (Laura)
What are some skills you gained on your mission?
- People skills which will help me in business management. (Daniel)
- Hard work, discernment, happy attitude during hard times, pondering the scriptures and gaining insights. (Mallory)
- I learned how to be more loving of the people I served with. Quite a few of my companions had struggles with mental health, so I learned how to serve and love them to help them excel in their missionary work even during those stressful times. (Alex)
- How to bring up the gospel in casual everyday conversation (Michaela)
- I learned how to talk to many different people. I also learned how to use an IPad to teach. (Courtney)
- Being able to talk to people, and working with everyone. Learning how to be bold and make decisions. (Brandee)
- I learned how to talk to people. I am very shy and timid, so going on a mission was hard for me. But during I was able to go up to people and just start a conversation with them. Since coming home I have been able to keep my skills up and make amazing friends and have great opportunities. IT has been such a blessing! Also I have learned to take responsibility for myself and to work hard. Diligence is something I treasure from my mission. (Kelli)
- Good study habits for school. Better goal setting. (Annalese)
- I gained a lot of confidence, especially with talking to people and expressing myself. I learned how to teach something to someone in a simple way. I learned many useful communication skills that have helped me in sooo many ways since my mission! They have really helped in my relationship with my husband. (Laura)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- Broke up with the girlfriend beforehand. (Daniel)
- I wish I did always have the courage to open my mouth and share with everyone. (Mallory)
- I wish I had known what a difference a good personal study can make in your day. It really has a big impact. (Alex)
- I wish I would have gone to the temple more. (Courtney)
- Being able to recognize that I didn’t know everything, but that I knew enough and that the Lord would help me with the rest. (Brandee)
- A mission is truly an individual experience. I got really caught up in all the details of other people’s missions. You will have different experiences and learn different things. Obviously it doesn’t hurt to hear stories and get advice. You won’t know what a mission is like until you go. (Sam)
- I wish that I just jumped right in and started loving the people! I didn’t start doing that until 6 or 7 months into my mission. I didn’t know how to love people until then at least, and I didn’t like to be obedient until the end of my mission. Ah, not good! (Kelli)
- I wish I knew the scriptures and preach my gospel better! (Annalese)
- I was so worried about learning how to teach people, but once I realized that if you just really love the people, everything just flows easier. If you’re worried about knowing what to say or how to teach, just focus on loving them and the words will come. If you are willing to open your mouth, the Lord WILL fill it. (Laura)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries called to Vancouver Mission?
- It is the best, just learn to love the people. (Daniel)
- Missions are the best! If the Lord tells you to go, do it. your mission will be meant for you and you will feel like this is your second home. (Mallory)
- It is without a doubt the most beautiful mission, with the most wonderful members and people. (Alex)
- Study Preach My Gospel before you enter the MTC, don’t take any thing personally. (Michaela)
- Always follow the spirit no matter what. Learn how to listen and never miss an opportunity to open your mouth. God doesn’t do random. (Courtney)
- Don’t have expectations! And work hard, but recognize your limitations, as well as your companion’s limitations. Be patient with yourself and with others. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but definitely push yourself to be the best you can be. Don’t make up excuses. It’s okay to make mistakes, especially when you learn from those mistakes. Have faith in your leaders and pray for them. Pray for people by name – it increases your capacity to love and want to serve them. (Amanda)
- It’s the most rewarding thing to be apart of, you’ll have hard days but it will be worth it. (Brandee)
- You’ll miss your family and your friends for 18-24 months, but you’ll miss your mission the rest of your life. You will never look back and regret going. (Sam)
- Go to mission prep! It may seem tedious, but it will help you in the long run! Read preach my gospel and read the scriptures. Live the gospel and form a relationship with God before so you can recognize Him when He is speaking to you. Basically forget about your home life and jump right into serving the Lord! (Kelli)
- Going on a mission will be one of the best things you’ll ever do and you’ll see continuous blessings from it after. (Annalese)
- Never doubt that you are good enough. The Lord called YOU to serve as one of His missionaries. You are exactly who He wants. No matter how much you think you don’t know, He will qualify you, because He has promised to qualify whom He calls. (Laura)
What was a funny language mistake your or another missionary made? (if applicable)
- I once tried to ask a man if his wife was “Great with Child” because I forgot how to say pregnant. He was almost furious. (Daniel)
LDS Church & Missionary Work
Daniel (Washington Vancouver Mission)
–Paraphrased from Daniel’s mission interview–
Washington Vancouver LDS Mission Info
Serving here was one of the greatest experiences I could ever have. I started in the Vancouver Spanish branch, and there were 12 missionaries there at the time. If you go Spanish speaking you will definitely serve in that branch. There are four stakes in the city of Vancouver. It does rain a lot, especially on the coast. I remember recorded rain from October until the middle of December. It rained every day. You can serve on the coast, which is a sub tropical rain forest climate. It rains nine months of the year. You can serve in the city of Vancouver. In the winter it will get down to 20 degrees and maybe 90 degrees in the summer. It is a little humid. You can serve close to the cascade mountain range. There is this beautiful evergreen forest, mountains, and the Columbia river. Get a nice rain coat, not an umbrella. You’re considered a tourist if you’re using an umbrella. I was transferred to Oregon at one point, but then I went back to northeast Portland. Serving there was really a great experience. There are a lot of old Victorian homes. There was a large amount of Spanish speakers as well. Since 2012, four or five new missionaries have formed in Washington. In 2013 they split the missions and I was sent to the Vancouver mission. They used to have a Spanish zone, but it has since been disbanded because of the complexities of distances and so they are just part of the English speaking stakes.
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Using Facebook & iPads On My LDS Mission
You will be an online missionary. You carry an iPad with you to teach with, and you will work on Facebook for an hour a day. If you know you’re going to serve in the United States, you need to prepare yourself to be a Facebook missionary. I had many companions from Utah that said that all of their families were members. Everyone needs help and support. If you have faith and prepare yourself now, you can see lives change. I know one young lady that just needed someone to tell her to go talk to her bishop. She just needed that little impression. You have impressions that don’t lead anywhere, but it’s about Heavenly Father trusting you.
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How To Be The Best Missionary You Can Be
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