Moldova
430
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
4
Congregations
1
Family History Centers
History
Following the Soviet Union’s demise, Moldovans were able to travel abroad. During the mid-1990s a few joined the Church: Vitalii Volosin in Moscow, Russia; Sylvia Vacarciuc in Odessa, Ukraine; and Lilia Carasciuc in southern California.
In September 1995, Paul and Betty Morris arrived in Chisinau, where Paul worked in the U.S. Embassy. In June of that, John Nielson, a private contractor doing development work, arrived in Moldova. And in May 1996, Janet Jasen, a nurse with the Peace Corps, began her tour in Chisinau. These four Latter-day Saints met each week.
Elder Charles A. Didier, a member of the Seventy (one of the highest governing bodies of the Church) and Romania Bucharest Mission president, Robert F. Orton, traveled to Chisinau in September 1997 to meet with Moldovan and American Latter-day Saints and friends. It was announced that the first branch (a small congregation) was shortly to be organized and missionaries were to be assigned to labor in Moldova.
Five weeks after that visit, missionaries arrived in Chisinau. At that time, missionaries could not wear name tags or openly proselyte; rather, they provided service and taught people who had been referred to them by Church members or waited for people to ask them about the Church. On November 11 of that year, five people were baptized in the bathtub of the Morris home, the first baptisms in Moldova. On that same day, a branch was organized with Paul Morris as president.
On December 23, 1998, the first complete translation of the Book of Mormon in Romanian arrived. This “special Christmas gift” was a blessing to the majority of members who could now read the Book of Mormon in their native language.
For Journalist Use Only
Sergei Antamanov
Africa
Total Church Membership
666,508
Members
2,327
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
4Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,230,515
Members
2,130
Congregations
Missions
44Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
497,436
Members
1,374
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,419,307
Members
18,256
Congregations
Missions
173Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
110Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
572,895
Members
1,283
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,178,375
Members
5,570
Congregations