are there lds missionaries in venezuela

Yes, there are LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) missionaries in Venezuela today, but they are essentially all local/Latin American missionaries rather than missionaries from the United States or other âfirst-worldâ countries.
Quick Scoop: LDS Missionaries in Venezuela
Current Missionary Presence
- The Church still operates official missions in Venezuela, such as the Venezuela Caracas and Venezuela Valencia Missions, which continue to function and receive mission presidents and missionaries.
- Recent leadership calls for a new president of the Venezuela Valencia Mission (starting service in late 2025) show that organized missionary work is ongoing in the country.
Who Is (and Isnât) Serving There
- NonâVenezuelan, especially U.S. (âgringoâ) missionaries, were pulled out years ago due to safety, political, and visa concerns, and they have not generally returned as proselyting missionaries.
- Current missionaries are overwhelmingly Venezuelan or from other Latin American countries, which lets the Church keep missionary work going while minimizing international diplomatic and security complications.
Why Things Changed
- In the midâ2000s, the Church quietly removed North American missionaries from Venezuela, officially tying it to visa and safety issues during a tense period under President Hugo ChĂĄvez.
- Forum and blog discussions later described missionaries traveling in plain clothes and other securityârelated restrictions before the withdrawal, suggesting a complex mix of political risk, antiâU.S. sentiment, and bureaucratic difficulty.
What It Looks Like Today
- The Church continues to maintain stakes, wards, and missions in Venezuela, with local leaders, temples announced or under development, and active proselyting by Venezuelan members called as fullâtime missionaries.
- From a memberâs or visitorâs perspective inside the country, you can still see missionaries in name tags and standard dress, but they will almost always be Venezuelan or regional Latin American, not U.S. citizens.
TL;DR: Are there LDS missionaries in Venezuela? Yesâlocal and regional missionaries actively serve in official Venezuelan missions, but U.S./foreign âgringoâ missionaries were withdrawn years ago and have not broadly returned.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.