Stories: LDS Saints Rejoice in 1st Prophet's 1st visit to Russia
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| Wednesday, September 11, 2002
LDS Russians rejoice in visit
By Shaun Stahle
Deseret News staff writer
MOSCOW — Some parents living in Saratov in southern Russia didn't have bus fare to send the entire family to hear President Gordon B. Hinckley.
President Gordon B. Hinckley waves to Russian Latter-day Saints.
Shaun Stahle, Deseret News
So, they sent just their children to Moscow, sacrificing their desires with the hope that a few minutes with the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would give their children a lifetime of memories.
With a change of clothes in one bag and food for three days in another, LDS Church members in Saratov, like members across Russia, gathered at their branch meetinghouses Monday night where they set out on a 15-hour bus ride.
"I never dreamed I could come to Moscow, Russia, and see a congregation of this kind," President Hinckley said Tuesday to the LDS Church members, missionaries and others.
Though there were seats for only 1,750 members, 2,197 packed the Kosmos Hotel in Moscow to catch a glimpse of the man Latter-day Saints believe is God's prophet on Earth.
Also Tuesday, prior to the member meeting, President Hinckley met with six dignitaries of the Russian government, including Viktor Zorkaltsev of the Duma and chairman of the Public Unions and Religious Organizations and members of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Their conversation was friendly and informal. President Hinckley emphasized that LDS missionaries became the best ambassadors for Russia when they return home.
Following the reception, the dignitaries also attended the member meeting where they heard President Hinckley speak of the good and honest citizens who are members of the church in their countries.
Monday, President Hinckley met with government officials in Kiev, including Viktor Bondarenko, chairman of the State Committee of Ukraine for Religious Affairs, and others from the Ukraine Palace before holding a 90-minute worship service with some 3,216 church members present.
Elder Douglas Callister, president of the church's Europe East Area, said the topics of that meeting were much the same as those in Moscow. He said there was no discussion of a site selection for a temple in Kiev, which the church announced would be built back in 1998.
On this East European tour, the 92-year-old church leader has been to five countries in five days — Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Iceland. He left Russia Wednesday, planning to meet with church members in Reykjavik, Iceland, during a refueling stop.
For weeks, anticipation of President Hinckley's arrival in Russia was feverish. Members grasped the historical significance of the first LDS leader to walk on the former Soviet Union's soil.
"The prophet is very handsome," said Anna Volkova, a Moscow teen who shuddered with excitement when she first saw him. Anna was scurrying down the hallway toward the conference hall, fearing she was too late for a seat, when President Hinckley suddenly walked past her. She shrieked in surprise, drawing a wave and a smile from President Hinckley as he walked by.
Often characterized for their robust and expressive nature, these Russian members erupted in applause as President Hinckley and his wife, Marjorie, entered the stage. He acknowledged their response with a smile and a wave of his cane. Later, the congregation applauded again following President Hinckley remarks.
"They know he extended himself to be here," said Elder Keith K. Hilbig of the Seventy and counselor in the Europe East Area presidency. "With some here who have only been members for a few months, they wanted to show their approval the best they knew how."
President Hinckley visited Russia more than 20 years ago as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at a time when there were no missionaries and no members in the country. In 1903 Francis M. Lyman dedicated the land, but a president of the church has never been to Moscow.
"We are glad to be here," President Hinckley said in greeting. "You look so good."
In his Moscow speech, President Hinckley emphasized the importance of marriage and traditional family life, urging members to marry within the faith, Elder Callister said.
He also urged the young men to prepare for and serve full-time proselyting missions, to become educated and to take their place as leaders in their communities.
The divorce rate in Russia is 65 percent, Elder Callister said, and the life expectancy for males is only about 57 years, compared with 69 years for women. Also, statistics show that two-thirds of all Russian men die while intoxicated, he said, meaning that traditional family life is often hampered by alcohol.
President Hinckley urged members to avoid bringing alcohol into their homes and mentioned the dangers inherent in its use. He urged them to be good citizens and encouraged payment of one-tenth of their income in tithing to the church.
Elder Callister, who is based in Moscow, said as a result there are lots of older women and not a lot of traditional families.
Church members who attended waved white handkerchiefs as President Hinckley departed, Elder Callister said, adding the members have been in tears and overwhelmed over his visit.
Now 13 years since foreign missionaries were allowed into the country, church growth has been steady in the former Soviet Union and includes members in all regions of this vast and historically rich country, as well most of the other countries in the European East Area.
They have grown up in a system in which no one has ever kept their promises, Elder Callister said. The Soviet system has not done so. So, having a prophet to visit them is reaffirming that they belong to a church which is here to stay and does keep its promises. It tells them they are meaningful part of the church as evidenced by inclusion of themselves in a visit by the prophet, Elder Callister said.
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Contributing: Carrie Moore in Salt Lake City.
E-mail: shaun@desnews.com |
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