Elder Welker and Elder Brunken are currently serving in the Leest Branch. It was great to be with them in this historic building with faithful members of the Church. The history is worth reading:LEEST, GERMANY (Church News, July 24, 1993)
In the true pioneer spirit, members of the Leest Branch built their own meetinghouse under difficult circumstances. The Church was organized in 1923 in this tiny village a few kilometers west of Potsdam, Germany. When Ernst Richter, baptized shortly after World War II, was called as branch president in 1956, the members still had no meetinghouse.
The Church could not purchase property in the German Democratic Republic. However, in the late 1970s, Pres. Richter was visited by a representative of the ministry of religion. In 1980, the government gave the Leest Branch permission to build a meetinghouse. However, the government said the branch would not receive any supplies from the state building material providers.
Gradually, members in Leest collected materials - a few building blocks at a time, according to Matthew Heiss of the Church Historical Department, who recently visited Germany. It took them three years to collect the needed 55,000 cinder-like blocks and other materials before they could begin building. Often, a member purchased a single sack of cement at a time, with much gratitude, and added it to the collections of materials to build the meetinghouse.
"When they had collected enough, they were ready to begin building," Brother Heiss said. "In March 1983, they broke ground for the meetinghouse, designed by one of the sisters in the branch. Henry Burkhardt dedicated the ground."
To provide water for the meetinghouse's facilities, a well needed to be dug. The water table is at 18 meters, but good water is found at 42. The members decided to dig a shaft 13 meters deep that would prepare the way for a professional well digger to dig to 42 meters. Thomas Heller, because of his slight build, was selected to dig the shaft. He filled buckets with dirt and passed them to Pres. Richeter and his son, Berndt.
The Leest Branch meetinghouse was dedicated in 1990, 10 years after members began building it with their own hands.
We love it when missionaries return for a visit. (Elders) Mason, Killpack and Grooms stopped by as well as (Elder) Pauli and Elder Münzer.
“The Berlin Mission … was separated out of the North German Mission in July of 1961. There were a few over 50 missionaries assigned to the new mission. We were excited to greet our Mission President, Percy K. Fetzer, and his family at the Berlin airport when they arrived to begin presiding over the new mission. The Berlin Mission was created just a month before the borders between West and East Berlin were closed.
“Our isolated little mission received visits from some high profile Church leaders after Berlin tensions became so intense. One visitor was Henry D. Moyle of the Church's First Presidency. I remember him looking us over in a meeting of Berlin missionaries and saying with a smile, "You are a sorry looking bunch, but you are all the Lord has to work with here." He then exhorted us to do our best in service of the people of Berlin.
The Berlin Mission was later recombined with the mission in Hamburg and then, years after that, the Berlin Mission was created again. It is now exactly one year since the latest change – combining the Hamburg and Berlin Missions. We honor all who have served here over the years and who now serve here. We are grateful for the many miracles the heavens have sent and continue to send.
Sister Nelson and Sister Pimentel were asked to help out the Tiergarten Sisters. We met at the Alexanderplatz train station and then
How great to see their joy, especially considering what President Pimentel just taught. He related that President Monson encouraged each mission to build an Esprit de Corps, which is the shared spirit of the group, being comrades and working together. It is a positive group spirit. When we have shared goals we build an Esprit de Corps. We help each other, we share and we rejoice together.
