35th Anniversary

 On Sunday we celebrated the 35th Anniversary of then-Elder Russell M. Nelson dedicating Romania for the preaching of the gospel. Missionaries had been in the country before World War II, but once communism fell on December 25, 1989, it was only a short time later on February 9, 1990 that Elder Nelson arrived to deliver the dedication. 

We watched a video that included President Nelson reflecting on his calling to be over Eastern Europe by President Ezra Taft Benson in 1985. Almost all the countries were under communist rule during that time and he felt completely overwhelmed by the challenge to open the areas to missionary work. By 1990, these countries had emerged: Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany, Bulgaria, and Romania.

We had quite a few members attend the Panduri chapel, more than I have ever seen. We had a one-hour sacrament meeting and two hours of talks and music. I played for a small group of women singing "Come, Come Ye Saints."

Elder Stevens came from the area office to share the story about his grandfather. Before Elder Stevens left for his mission to Frankfurt as a young man, he visited his grandfather to talk about his own mission to Frankfurt. But it was only recently that he found out his grandfather (pictured 2nd on the top left) had served in Brașov and Sibiu. These areas were part of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1911, but now they are in Romania. Pictured above are the missionaries with President Thomas E. McKay (center front), older brother of David O. McKay. I'm so glad Elder Stevens, who is serving with his wife as area auditors, could come to Romania as the second member of his family to do so.