In 1991 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) was registered in Bulgaria.
     It was one of many churches which found their way into Bulgaria at that time. It was a time of confusion and misunderstanding in which some people were lucky and quickly advanced forward, while the majority of the people in our country all together collapsed. From boisterous rallying in the city square came the phrase "the new time."
     The majority of Bulgarians viewed these newcomers from foreign countries as untrustworthy - ignoring whatever good intentions they may have had.
     The Bulgarians saw how the red-dyed communists or people who all together fell under the red communist flag, banded together with questionable firms and deceitful people from foreign countries who embezzled from banks, aero companies, and other such organizations. Following this intentional catastrophe, the common person became unemployed, a burden on society, living without protection and supervision, living in a world of robbery, corruption, political alliances, and a gray economy.
     In this turmoil often times even the most prosperous found the Mormon missionaries receiving them not only with suspicion but also with hostility. With great patience and faith, with humility and understanding incomprehensible to us, however, the Mormons continued their works full of devotion and love towards their fellowman. Their charity and social works made us gradually realize that, by following our Savior Jesus Christ, good can be victorious over evil…

     The Difficult Mission of the Mormons
     The faith of the Mormons became more and more apparent, showing that kindness among people in the name of God is the strength that will save mankind. They showed that the love towards their neighbor is not only prayer and worship, but also expressing it with actions. The support of family values, strengthening the potential of every person, is the idea and goal of the Mormons' teachings - leading towards Salvation.
     Humanitarian aid and social projects of the Mormons in Bulgaria total over two million dollars. They direct their efforts mainly towards the sick and social places, supporting orphans, and children with mental problems. These resources come from volunteer donations, including from the missionaries, who come and work in their particular country. Most Mormons go without food one day during the month and give the money they would have spent to charity. The missionaries don't receive anything for their work - caring for children, the elderly and sick, teaching free English classes, computer literacy, etc… but they pay for their own lodging, food, expenses, even buy their own necessities, medicine, etc.
     In Phoenix, we met with one of these people. A young person, who with other Mormons spent 2 years in Bulgaria. The conversation started with this, that Andrew Johnson and friends realized that the Laboratory for Prenatal Diagnostics in the Medical Academy - Sofia, didn't have the means to perform testing for some complications occurring in pregnant women. They immediately used their connections to provide the most urgent supplies to the laboratory in the amount of 2287 lev. I thought to myself that now somewhere in Bulgaria play under the sun the children of which Andrew and the Bulgarian medical professionals helped to come into this world. Who was this young man, with whom we spoke in this Fitness Club in Phoenix "La Camarilla?"

     Only for good we were with you
     Andrew Johnson was born in California, but has lived in Phoenix for a long time, where he graduated with a degree in Information Systems. He arrived in Bulgaria with about 100 men and women between the ages of 19 and 27 years old to serve the people which had need of spiritual and physical support. The Bulgarians at that time lived in heavy shock, afflicted people, disillusioned by the realities which proved to be the root cause of their differences in expectations. The young Mormons are scattered in our cities - Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Sliven, Haskovo… They buy food and take it to the poor and elderly, they live the phrase - to be or not to be. They aided in taking care of the necessities of others. These volunteer works included teaching English. In Haskovo, Andrew taught classes with 10 - 15 people consisting of every age and every profession, some even unemployed. In Sofia around 100 people signed up for his classes and they had to divide them in half, working without rest some days in orders for everyone to receive their free English class regularly and effectively.
     Only for good did they come to us - said my interlocutor in good Bulgarian. Ready to return again to our country to be with the people, whose difficult language was persistently studied in order to understand and to feel better.
     Even though now it is more difficult. After graduation, he started a family and already has an 18-month old child. The three of them, Renae and Tatum, live in Glendale. Andrew works for a bank, but not as a banker, but as a specialist of electronic financial information.

     We are talking about the Mormons in the USA and all over the world. They have over 13 million people united in faith in Jesus Christ and helping one another, which will save the world, a united pursuit to do good. They are good people, who wish to do good.
     Always telling the truth, never speaking badly about another, abstaining from alcohol, smoking, overeating meat, and not even drinking coffee… Among them there is no malice, greed, or envy which plagues our materialistic world, millions of people in all nations…
     Will they prosper? Will we prosper with them?

By Kliment VELICHKOV

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