Dresden Mission: Connect and Reflect
by Dean Clement
An unofficial oral history project of the Germany Dresden Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A place to hear the lived experiences of returned missionaries who served in or from the mission from 1989 to 1994, the members of the Church who they served with, converts to the Church during those years, and others with valuable perspective and insights into those historic times.
Episodes
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Elder John Parrett, January 1992-March 1994
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…
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Katja Dürr Schiele, convert member (1992), Leipzig Gemeinde I
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...
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Elder Craig Miles, Germany Hamburg Mission Nov 1987 - March 1989, German Democratic Republic Dresden Mission March 1989 - November 1989
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…
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Sister Stephanie Murphy (McGuire) December 1989 - September 1991
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…
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Elder Matt Jensen, Germany Hamburg Mission August 1988 - August 1989, German Democratic Republic Dresden Mission August 1989 - August 1990
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...
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Elder Stephen Van Orden, Part II
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...
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Elder Stephen Van Orden, Part I: January 1990 - December 1991
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...
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Elder Rick Stafford, May 1991 - June 1993
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...
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Elder Steven Smith, Switzerland Zurich Mission January 1988 - March 1989; Geman Democratic Republic Dresden Mission March 1989 - December 1989
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...
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Roland and Hannelore (Jentzsch) Koschnicke, members in Bischofswerda, courtesy of Jeff Lindgren
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...
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Elder Jason Kap, February 1990 - February 1992
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...
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Elder Doug Neal, November 1990 - December 1992
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…
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Sister Katie Berghammer Petersen, December 1991 - June 1993
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…
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Elder Rich Haglund, May 1991 - June 1993
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...
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Sister Lisa Slade Ertel, September 1990 - April 1992
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...
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Elder Dale Moss, Part II
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…
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Elder Kelly Dean Hansen, January 1991-December 1992
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…
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Elder Ken Brady, December 1989-December 1991
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...
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Elder Dale Moss, Part I: June 1988-May 1989 (Germany Munich Mission); May 1989-June 1990 (GDR Dresden Mission)
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…
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Sister Laura Sumsion Rawlins, January 1990 - July 1991
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...
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Elder Jeff Lindgren, August 1991-August 1993
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…
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Elder Jeff Packer, January 1990-December 1991 (July 1991-December 1991 in the Germany Berlin Mission)
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...
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Elder Will Powley, November 1987-March 1989 (Germany Frankfurt Mission); March 1989-December 1989 (GDR Dresden Mission)
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...
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Elder Jan-Peter Mueller, March 1990-March 1992
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...
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Elder Brian Thueson, December 1989-December 1991 (July 1991-December 1991 in the Germany Berlin Mission)
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...
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Elder Seth Boyle, August 1990- September 1992
In today's inaugural episode, we talk to Seth Boyle, one of the last full-time missionaries from the US to receive a call to the German Democratic Republic Dresden Mission prior to reunification in October of 1990. Here is a link where you can purchase "Fortress of Faith", a documentary video…
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Welcome to Dresden Mission: Connect and Reflect Podcast
Welcome to Dresden Mission: Connect and Reflect, an unofficial oral history project of the Germany Dresden Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which operated out of the city of Dresden from 1969 until 1994, when it moved headquarters to Leipzig, Germany. My name is Dean...
About this show
An unofficial oral history project of the Germany Dresden Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A place to hear the lived experiences of returned missionaries who served in or from the mission from 1989 to 1994, the members of the Church who they served with, converts to the Church during those years, and others with valuable perspective and insights into those historic times.
Hosted by
Dean Clement
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