Post #4 - Berlin's Place in World History

         In July 1961, officially the first Berlin Mission was created out of the North German Mission.  There were only 50 missionaries at first, and they were excited to greet their new Mission President, Percy K. Fetzer and his family at the Berlin Tempelhof Airport.

The Berlin Mission's First President, Percy K. Fetzer and his Family arrive in Berlin.  

         During the summer weeks, the tension in Berlin was extremely high, and the Berlin Mission received many distinguished Church leaders including Pres. Henry D. Moyle, First Counselor in the First Presidency.

          On August 12-13, 1961 the ugly Berlin Wall and the Berlin Fence were built.

This is THE Fence along a road near one of our apartments in 1965.

Most people only think of the Wall itself which went right through the heart of Berlin, but they don't think of the complete no-man's-zone - very mean, multi-layered, barbed-wire fence complete with vicious guard dogs - which was built all around the perimeter of West Berlin.

When I arrived in Berlin in 1964, The Wall (& The Fence) were just part of life. 

   

The Wall in those days was not pretty.  It was later covered by the West to be less ugly.

     

This is The Wall that I knew during my mission from 1964 to 1966 in Berlin.

Then came the Hand of the Lord with a pillar of light for Berlin.  Under the direction of President David O. McKay, Apostle Delbert Stapley of the Quorum of the Twelve with Alvin R. Dyer, an Assistant to the Twelve organized the Berlin Stake on September 10, 1961.


This was the
FIRST stake in continental Europe, the second the Stuttgart Germany Stake and the third the Hamburg Germany Stake were created in the late summer of 1961.  The Berlin Stake was at that time the smallest stake in the Church with only 1,061 members but it doubled in size within a couple of years.  During the 1950s over 5,000 German Saints emigrated to the United States leaving a weakened membership behind.

         TODAY there are SIX stakes within the Germany Berlin Mission.
They are ... #1 = Berlin Stake 1961, #2 = Hamburg Stake 1961,  #3 = Hannover Stake 1977, #4 = Neumuenster Stake 1985,  #5 = Dresden Stake 1990, #6= Leipzig Stake 1990.
          Our specific call over the signature of Pres. Thomas S. Monson reads "Your primary assignment is to labor in the Stake Young Single Adult Program."  Our Mission President just wrote to us a couple of days ago saying that it still has not been determined in which of the SIX stakes we will be working.

          IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE MARVELOUS HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN GERMANY, HERE ARE SOME SUPER SOURCES:
        
         https://www.lds.org/manual/church-history-in-the-fulness-of-times-student-manual/chapter-forty-the-saints-during-world-war-ii?lang=eng

        http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/58576/Country-information-Germany.html

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2000/11/a-foundation-of-strength-in-germany?lang=eng

        https://www.mission.net/germany/berlin/history/develop.htm