Sunday, November 10,
1968
Met this morning with
the German Saints in the Dresden District—my first meeting with the Saints in
the German Democratic Republic. A marvelous spirit prevailed. My, how the German
Saints can sing the hymns of Zion! One of the songs was especially beautiful
and so meaningful when one considers the humble circumstances of these wonderful
people . . . I was touched by the sincerity of these wonderful Saints. I was
humbled by their poverty. They have so little. My heart filled with sorrow
because they have no patriarch, they have no wards or stakes—just branches, they
have few teaching materials. They cannot receive temple blessings, neither
endowments nor sealings. They are forbidden to leave their country. Yet they
trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not unto their own understanding.
I stook at the pulpit
with tear-filled eyes and a voice choked with emotion and made a promise to the
people: “If you will remain true and faithful to the commandments of God, every
blessing any member of the Church enjoys in any other country will be yours.”
Although this was a dramatic promise, I believe it was inspired by our Heavenly
Father and will be fulfilled under His direction as the Saints in the German
Democratic Republic continue to demonstrate their faith. (Faith Rewarded: A
Personal Account of Prophetic Promises to the East German Saints—From the Journal
of Thomas S. Monson [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], 4, 5)
