Dresden Mission: Connect and Reflect

John recalls some wonderfully funny, vivid, and poignant memories of serving in many cities throughout the Dresden Mission. Enjoy, and be sure to enjoy to the end as he shares some new and exciting details about one of our Dresden Mission cities.  For photos John has shared from his mission service including current service, click here If you wish to be interviewed for this project, please contact...

Katja was born in 1978 in Leipzig as the 2nd of 4 children to a stay-at-home mother and Electrical Engineering student father.  She enjoyed a normal, happy childhood full of outdoor activities. She experienced die Wende as a pre-teen and teenager and gives a unique perspective of life during this time. Her family was introduced to the Church 2 1/2 years after the fall of the Wall. Hear how life ha...

After 14 months in the Germany Hamburg Mission, in March of 1989 Elder Craig Miles received a transfer to become one of the first missionaries into the German Democratic Republic. He experienced a wide range of unique experiences including traveling back and forth through Checkpoint Charlie, being tailed by the Stasi, witnessing some of the earliest Monday Demonstrations in Leipzig during the fall...

Stephanie Murphy McGuire always wanted to serve a mission and hoped and planned for a mission to Germany. Initially called to Hamburg, her call was switched in an unusual way while in the MTC. Listen as she describes this and many other fun and inspiring stories from her service. Click here to see photos she has shared.  If you wish to be interviewed for this project, please contact me at Dresden...

Matt Jensen grew up hoping to serve a mission to Germany, the same as his father and grandfather had. Initially called to serve in the Germany Hamburg Mission, he details what it was like in the Hamburg mission, including crossing over the inner German border on the train to and from West Berlin for transfers and zone conferences. He also shares details of what it was like to be transferred into t...

In today's interview, Stephen discusses the 2nd half of his mission including thoughts about the change in teaching/proselyting after the currency changeover, his time in Dresden, and his final months in the mission. He also shares how the mission influenced his career, his continued German language and culture study, the acquisition of his Trabi, and other interesting and memorable mission e...

Thank you for listening to the first half of our interview with Stephen Van Orden. Stephen has a vivid recollection of key moments prior to and during his mission, and a single interview was not enough time to capture it. Today’s interview covers the time prior to his mission and up to the period that the mission took on West Berlin, with the difficulties that came with it. He speaks with candor,...

As a young man growing up playing basketball and enjoying the outdoor offerings of western Washington state, he felt drawn to praying for the opening of East Germany and the desire to serve a mission there. He received a call to the Dresden Mission and arrived in July, 1991, coincidental to the changeover of mission presidents from President Paul to President Meiser. Listen as Rick shares the ups...

A convert to the Church, Steve describes what it was like to gain gospel knowledge and testimony while serving in one of the most historic times for the Church and for East Germany. For photos and other interesting items that Steve has shared, click here . If you wish to be interviewed for this project, please contact me at Dresden Mission Connect and Reflect Podcast on Facebook. Update your conta...

Thank you to Jeff Lindgren and the Koschnickes for recording this interview. The interview is in German with an English transcript (translation and transcription courtesy of Jeff Lindgren). Listen to their lovely native Saechsisch language as they tell their story of growing up Mormonen in The German Democratic Republic, their recollections of the formation of stakes, the building of the Freiberg...

As a 4th grader, Jason Kap had a memorable impression about the future of East Germany. Although raised a member of the Church, through various conflicts he became agnostic toward God as a teenager. Through the influence of college friends and his own personal desire to know if God were real, he grew to gain a testimony of God and the need to serve a mission.  As one of the first to receive an ori...

Doug Neal grew up in a Catholic family that joined the church when he was 5 years old.  His parents divorced when he was 13. He went out on his own at age 16, drifted away from the Church and established a successful career in the computer industry by his early twenties.  After renewed conversion and a period of spiritual struggle, he acted on the prompting to serve a mission. You can see photos D...

Katie Berghammer was raised in Wisconsin as the first member of her German-heritage family to be born in the United States. She grew up in the Methodist Church, but found herself with more questions than they had answers.  Her search for answers led her to discover an ad for the Book of Mormon in a most unexpected place. The rest is history. She the many photos she has shared here :  If you wish t...

Rich Haglund first visited the inner German border as a 5th grader while living with his family for a year in West Germany. He arrived in the mission in July 1991 in the first  MTC missionary group to arrive in the recently split Dresden mission under newly called President Meiser. See the many great photos Rich has shared from his mission here If you wish to be interviewed for this project, pleas...

Lisa Slade grew up in Utah, longing and praying for the gospel to be taught in East Germany. After completing college and beginning her career, she felt drawn to serve a mission. Little did she know she would be one of the last to receive a mission call to the GDR Dresden Mission before unification.  Lisa has shared many great photos from her service that you will want to see here If you wish to b...

Today we finish our conversation with Dale Moss. Listen as he shares observations of East Germany before and after the fall of the Wall, navigating the streets of Leipzig from the Church to the Bahnhof during a Monday Demonstration in October, 1989, and other fun and interesting stories. Dale also shares with us his feelings about the mission and the happenings in his life after returning home. If...

Kelly grew up with a background in classical music, including knowledge of much of the German culture and experience with the German language. He received his call to the Dresden Mission on the day of German unification, October 3, 1990. See photos Kelly has shared from his missionary service here . You can read about Kelly's work and contributions to the field of classical music here . If yo...

Ken Brady grew up in a bilingual, Spanish-English household. He also grew up with a fascination with East Germany and a desire to serve a mission there. His mission call to Zurich Switzerland, Spanish-speaking threw him and his family for a loop. More unexpected calls awaited, starting soon after arriving in the MTC. See photos Ken has shared with us here . Hear the interview Ken gave at the Cold...

Dale has many great stories, in fact he has more than we could fit into one session. So check back in a few weeks for part II of Dale's interview. After one year of studies and football at BYU, Dale Moss was called to the Germany Munich Mission. After 5 months of service there, and feeling a little like something was missing from his service,  he was notified of a pending transfer to the new...

Laura Sumsion grew up with an interest in Germany and the German language.  In 1987 she was a college student living in West Germany on a summer internship. While there she had the opportunity to travel across the border into the GDR and visit  East Berlin with her student group. Later that summer she was able to visit other GDR cities with her host family, including Dresden. Two and a half years...

 Always expecting to serve a Spanish language mission, Jeff Lindgren took Spanish throughout high school. He received his call to the Germany Dresden Mission in the summer of 1991. In addition to valuable experiences in the mission, Jeff shares with us his family history ties to Dresden in addition to some little-known facts about the struggles of German members in Saxony in the immediate aftermat...

While waiting for his mission call, Jeff Packer watched on TV from the basement of Deseret Towers as the Berlin Wall opened on the night of November 9, 1989, and hoped for the chance to go to the East. 2 days later he received a call to Zurich Switzerland.  While in the MTC he and his MTC district were reassigned to the GDR Dresden Mission.  More great surprises awaited him in the GDR. See photos...

Will Powley was transferred with 7 others and President Wolfgang Paul into the GDR at the end of March, 1989, becoming one of the first Western missionaries into the country in 50 years. Hear what it was like to be one of the first to know that an East German mission was being reopened, the drive across the border, and the unforgettable people and memories that awaited them upon arrival. See photo...

Today we hear about Jan-Peter (JP) Mueller's missionary service in the Dresden Mission. A native of West Germany, he grew up near Frankfurt in a convert family, the second son of a German father and French mother.  While waiting for his mission call in November 1989, the Berlin Wall opened.  A few short months later, he had the unique experience of serving just a few hundred miles from where...

Welcome to today's episode. Brian Thueson received his call to the Germany Frankfurt Mission in October of 1989, about three weeks before the opening of the Berlin Wall. One week after entering the MTC in December, 1989 he and his entire district had their calls switched to the German Democratic Republic Dresden Mission. He and his MTC district were the first missionaries to enter the GDR as...