Mission guide
Arizona Phoenix East Mission
The Arizona Phoenix East Mission serves in the Valley of the Sun, where desert history and a long Latter-day Saint presence meet.
- English
- Spanish
Arizona Phoenix East Mission shirts
Every style made for this mission, printed when you order.
Arizona Phoenix East Mission T-Shirt
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Arizona Phoenix East Mission Heart Map Shirt
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Arizona Phoenix East Mission Flag Map Shirt
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Choose size & color →I Glory in My Jesus, in the language of this mission
2 Nephi 33:6 as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
Weak Things Become Strong, in the language of this mission
"I make weak things become strong" (Ether 12:27) as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
About the mission
Mission languages are English and Spanish, helping missionaries communicate across the Phoenix area.
At a glance
- Country
- United States
- Main city
- Phoenix (1,608,139 people in 2020)
- Time zone
- Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7)
- Climate
- Hot desert climate with long, extremely hot summers and short, mild winters
- Languages
- English and Spanish
- Church in Arizona
- 442,094 members, 120 stakes, 892 congregations
A short history of the area
Phoenix was incorporated on February 25, 1881. It became the capital of the Arizona Territory in 1889 and the capital of Arizona when the state entered the Union in 1912.
The Church here
- 1850sLatter-day Saints traveled from the Utah Territory to preach the restored gospel and explore permanent settlements in Arizona.
- 1854Jacob Hamblin was called to lead missionary efforts among Indigenous peoples in the area and began frequent trips to Arizona.
- 1876Latter-day Saint settlers began building forts and communities along the Little Colorado River Valley in northeastern Arizona.
- 1877Daniel Webster Jones and Henry Clay Rogers established Fort Utah in the Salt River Valley.
- 1877–1879Wagon companies from Utah and Idaho helped Fort Utah grow into a well-established farming community.
- October 23, 1927The Mesa Arizona Temple, the first temple in Arizona, was dedicated.
- 1973Spencer W. Kimball, a native of Thatcher, Arizona, became the Church’s 12th President.
- Recent yearsLatter-day Saints in Arizona joined efforts to help migrant refugees and asylum seekers, provide clean water to the Navajo Nation, and support charitable organizations.
Temples nearby
Mesa Arizona Temple
Dedicated October 23, 1927 · Near Phoenix
Phoenix Arizona Temple
Dedicated November 16, 2014 · Near Phoenix
Gilbert Arizona Temple
Dedicated March 2, 2014 · Near Phoenix
Queen Creek Arizona Temple
Announced · About 20 miles from Phoenix
The Book of Mormon here
Missionaries in this mission share the Book of Mormon in these languages. Tap a cover to read it free.
Cover art is an illustration. Links open the free edition on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Before you go
Phrases to learn
- HolaHello
- Buenos díasGood morning
- GraciasThank you
- Por favorPlease
Foods to try
- Mexican food (a major Phoenix cuisine)
- Barbecue (a popular local style of food)
- Southwestern cuisine (food shaped by the region's desert and borderlands setting)
- Cajun/Creole cuisine (one of the cuisines found in Phoenix)
Fun facts
- The Hohokam people created about 135 miles of irrigation canals in the Phoenix area.
- Phoenix has the only thriving feral population of rosy-faced lovebirds in the United States.
- The first McDonald’s location to use the now-famous golden arches opened in Phoenix in 1953.
Just got the call?
Turn the opening into a game: family and friends guess where the missionary is going before the reveal.