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. 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
24 episodes
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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1:18:30
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 inne...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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1:29:14
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 miss...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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2:24:00
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 cove...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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2:26:55
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 Mis...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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1:58:22
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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2:07:40
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 t...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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1:50:21
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:46:19
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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...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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1:46:05
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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 a...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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1:46:59
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 m...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:26:19
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 mis...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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2:34:13
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, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:10:22
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.
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:18:41
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 loo...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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2:36:50
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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2:08:30
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 v...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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2:15:05
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:58:31
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:57:59
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:43:21
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 mi...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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2:19:39
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 distri...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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1:37:07
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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1:25:06
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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2:33
