Elder Caleb Bradbury, oldest son of Collin and Stephanie Bradbury, entered the Provo MTC on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 where he will begin learning to share the gospel message in Romanian. According to Elder Bradbury, when he opened his mission call, he was unsure of the actual location of his mission field, believing it was probably in South America. He later realized not only is it in Eastern Europe, but his 2 years of missionary service in the Hungary Romania Mission will include serving the Lord and His children in two countries.
In 1885, Elder Thomas Biesinger and Paul E.B. Hammer entered Budapest, Hungary, after preaching in Prague, Bohemia (Czechoslovakia). After a month with little success in the area, Elder Biesinger and his companion left Hungary. Later, Hungarian Mischa Markow was converted near Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1887 and returned to preach in his native land the following year, but he was banished from Hungary after being imprisoned in solitary confinement. In 1900, Elder Markow and his companion preached in Temesvar, Hungary, until the government forced them to leave. The day before they left, they baptized 12 people and appointed leaders for a congregation of 31 people. Due to the efforts of these missionaries and others who arrived later, a total of 106 people were baptized prior to World War I. The war forced missionaries to evacuate Europe and join the other half of Hungary's Church membership who had already emigrated to the United States. Several of those who remained in Hungary continued to live gospel teachings while the Church organization was away from their area.
In June 1988, Hungary gave the Church legal recognition. Ground was broken for the first meetinghouse in eastern Hungary about 20 miles from the Romanian border. Hungary's first meetinghouse was dedicated in October 1989, by President Thomas S. Monson, a Counselor to the Church President. The Hungary Budapest Mission was created in June 1990. In 1991, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed in Budapest to an enthusiastic audience which gave the choir eight curtain calls. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Hungary in 1992 for an international consultation on religious liberty and ethnic rights for Eastern European nations, partially sponsored by the Hungary-based Democracy after Communism Foundation.
Mischa Markow, a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arrived in Constanta, Romania, in July 1899. While there, he baptized his Bulgarian missionary companion. Others joined the Church in Bucharest, where the country's first small congregation was organized.
In 1990 Church leaders met with Romania's ministers of justice, health and religion; the mayor of Bucharest; and members of the Romanian district council. Subsequently, the Church embarked on a project to aid orphanages and provide medical supplies to Romania. Also in 1990, Church leaders reorganized the boundaries of the Church's Austria Vienna East Mission to include Romania. This mission was discontinued in 1992 but missionaries in the Hungary Budapest Mission provided humanitarian services to Romania until the Church formed the Romania Bucharest Mission in July 1993. In July 2000, about 70 young people from 17 Church congregations gathered on a mountaintop overlooking Romanian farmlands as they attended the first youth conference since the organization of the mission.
Până când ne vom întâlni din nou, Elder Caleb Bradbury.
Până când ne vom întâlni din nou, Elder Caleb Bradbury.