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 Clement. I was a missionary in the mission from July 1991 until May 1993. I had an unforgettable experience serving. It is now nearly thirty-five years since the Mission opened to those of us from the west. As the years roll by, I find myself drawn to learn more about other’s missionary experiences, the history of East Germany, and the roller coaster ride of those who lived through Die Wende in East Germany. 

The German Democratic Republic Dresden Mission was established in 1969.  The GDR government restricted the mission’s proselyting activities during those years to the support of local congregations and teaching only those non-members who approached the Church on their own. Active proselyting was not allowed. 

In 1989, through an agreement between the East German government and Church leaders in Salt Lake City, the Church was allowed to send foreign , full-time missionaries into the GDR, and GDR Church members were allowed to serve full-time missions outside of the GDR. 

The years following the entrance of missionaries into the GDR were exciting, historic, at times exhilarating, at times heartbreaking, and unforgettable for missionaries, German members of the Church and other citizens of East Germany. 

Join me in listening to the lived experiences of returned missionaries who served in and from the mission during the years 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 insight into those historic times. 

New episodes will air twice per month. Subscribe in Spotify, Apple Podcasts or other preferred podcast apps. You can also find the podcast on Facebook by searching Dresden Mission Connect and Reflect Podcast. 

Until next time, thanks for listening.


See the mission alumni webpage here: 

For a brief overview of the history of the Church in eastern Germany, listen to the April 1989 conference address given by Elder Thomas S. Monson, a talk given just 3 days after the first western missionaries entered the GDR.

If you are a returned missionary from the Germany Dresden Mission and wish to be interviewed for this project, please contact me at Dresden Mission Connect and Reflect Podcast on Facebook.

Update your contact information, find old friends and companions, and much more on the Dresden/Leipzig mission alumni page at Treffpunkt Deutschland Mission Dresden/Leipzig

Returned Dresden missionaries, click here for more information about the Church History Library and information about sharing your documents, photos, or oral histories from your service in the Dresden Mission. The Church’s policy on public access to donated personal history items can be read here. To communicate to someone directly about donating your mission materials, contact James Miller: jamiller@churchofjesuschrist.org.