Eastern Europe
After Thomas S. Monson's call to the First Presidency in 1985 Nelson was assigned as the apostle to oversee the work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eastern Europe. In this position he worked closely with Dennis B. Neuenschwander and Hans B. Ringger. Nelson was involved in the first meetings between LDS Church leaders and the government officials of Bulgaria, Romania and the Soviet Union, and worked to continue LDS expansion and recognistion efforts in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
In August and September 2010 Nelson journeyed to the dedication of the Kiev Ukraine Temple. He then went to LDS meetings in several European countries. He pronounced blessings upon Cortia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo while visiting each of those countries as addendums to Thomas S. Monson's 1985 dedication of Yugoslavia for the preaching of the gospel.
Nelson's only son, Russell M. Nelson, Jr., served as an LDS missionary in Russia. In 2011 Nelson returned to Russia to organize the first LDS stake in that country, headquartered in Moscow.
Read more about this topic: Russell M. Nelson
Famous quotes containing the words eastern europe, eastern and/or europe:
“Should the German people lay down their arms, the Soviets ... would occupy all eastern and south-eastern Europe together with the greater part of the Reich. Over all this territory, which with the Soviet Union included, would be of enormous extent, an iron curtain would at once descend.”
—Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945)
“See how from far upon the eastern road
The star-led Wizards haste with odours sweet . . .”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“The Afrocentric exploration of the black past only scratches the surface. A full examination of the ancestry of those who are referred to in the newspapers as blacks and African Americans must include Europe and Native America.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)