Chile
Chile La Serena Mission
La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile
- Location
- La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile
- Country
- Chile
- Region
- South America
- Local time
- America/Santiago
- Coordinates
- 29.9° S, 71.3° W
- Population of La Serena
- 154,521
- Climate
- Cold desert (Köppen BWk)
- Currency
- Chilean peso (CLP $)
- Languages in Chile
- Spanish
Where is the Chile La Serena Mission?
The Chile La Serena Mission is based in La Serena, in Coquimbo Region, Chile. La Serena lies about 400 km (250 miles) north of Santiago, at 29.9° S, 71.3° W.
La Serena has a recorded population of about 155,000. It is one of 11 missions based in Chile.
Missionaries assigned here serve across areas set by the mission, which can reach well beyond La Serena itself, and they are transferred between those areas during a mission.
Where this information comes from
Local time in La Serena
Missionary Tracker shows this clock and today’s weather next to your missionary, so nobody has to work out whether it is a reasonable hour to write.
Climate and seasons in La Serena
La Serena has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). Arid, with very little rainfall in any month and cold winters. The warmest month is February, averaging a daily high of 23 °C (73 °F); the coolest is July, averaging a daily low of 7 °C (45 °F). Around 88 mm (3.5 in) of precipitation falls in an average year, most of it in July and least in January.
Summer
December – February
- Average high
- 23 °C (73 °F)
- Average low
- 14 °C (57 °F)
- Rainfall
- 0 mm (0 in)
Autumn
March – May
- Average high
- 19 °C (66 °F)
- Average low
- 11 °C (52 °F)
- Rainfall
- 13 mm (0.5 in)
Winter
June – August
- Average high
- 16 °C (61 °F)
- Average low
- 8 °C (46 °F)
- Rainfall
- 66 mm (2.6 in)
Spring
September – November
- Average high
- 19 °C (66 °F)
- Average low
- 10 °C (50 °F)
- Rainfall
- 9 mm (0.4 in)
This describes the weather, not what to pack. Your Missionary Portal and the mission’s own “what to bring” instructions decide your clothing and equipment, and they take priority over anything here.
Languages
Languages most widely used in Chile are Spanish.
- Spanish
This describes the country, not the assignment. The language a missionary is called to speak is set by the Church and stated in the call itself — it can differ from the languages above, and missionaries in one mission are not always assigned the same one.
Preparing to serve in the Chile La Serena Mission
Start with the instructions in your Missionary Portal and the mission’s own letter — those are the only sources that speak for the Chile La Serena Mission. These guides cover the practical side nobody sends you: the paperwork, the shopping, the packing and the last weeks at home.
What to Do After Receiving Your Mission Call
The call answers where and when. This is the order to do everything that follows, starting with the parts that have deadlines.
Read the guideLDS Mission Preparation Checklist: Everything to Do Before You Leave
The whole runway in one place — from the year before you submit a recommendation to the morning you leave for the MTC.
Read the guideLDS Missionary Packing List
Everything worth packing, in the order you should buy it, and the things most missionaries wish they had left at home.
Read the guideWhat to Bring to the MTC
The quick answer first, then the detail: what you actually need on arrival day and what can stay in the suitcase.
Read the guideVisa and travel arrangements are handled through your Missionary Portal and the Church’s travel office. Follow their instructions rather than any third-party summary, including this one.
Mission tools
Both tools are free, run entirely in your browser, and open with the Chile La Serena Mission already selected.
Know your mission dates?
Enter the start and expected return dates for days served, days remaining and the halfway point — then download a shareable countdown card.
Create a CountdownPrintable countdown map
Turn the mission length into a free printable countdown map of Chile, with one numbered square for each mission day to colour in.
Create a Countdown MapCalled to the Chile La Serena Mission?
Set up your mission before you leave. Add the Chile La Serena Mission and your dates to Missionary Tracker so your family has one private place to follow your countdown, current serving area and updates once your mission begins.
Free on iPhone and Android. Profiles are shared by join code, not published anywhere.
Create Mission CountdownExplore all 11 LDS missions in Chile
Mission boundaries, assignments and instructions change; always use current information from the Church and your Missionary Portal.