Missionary work in Europe in times of COVID-19 – it does not go unnoticed 

The COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting the entire world is also impacting the way missionary work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving ahead in Europe. Restrictions to free movement, as well as the establishment of social distancing rules, among other measures have fostered new and creative ways of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope that emanates from it.

In the second of a series of articles regarding the impact of COVID-19 to the Church in Europe, we report how young volunteer missionaries are enduring these challenging times and how they are using inspiration and technology to advance the work. And that has not gone unnoticed.

Four missionaries serving in the Spain Barcelona Mission are demonstrating their resilience while they are bound to their apartments and were asked to restrict social contact to the bare minimum. This has not stopped their work. Apartment windows and balconies have become a great way to share the good news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And neighbors are noticing it too, including a reporter that works for ‘El Periódico’, the second highest circulation newspaper in Catalunya and the fifth largest in Spain. It is published in Spanish and Catalan, and the reporter happens to live in the same building where four sister missionaries live, in the city of Barcelona.

The reporter interviewed them for an article he was creating on how the inhabitants of Barcelona are enduring the difficult situation of being obliged to stay in their apartments. The title of the newspaper article was “We will resist: dozens of residents describe the daily fight against the virus’, and the missionaries are featured in it. In the section of the article that mentions the young missionaries, the reporter explains that their names are Sister Hannah Brown, Sister Hailey Bradley, Sister Jillian Jarvis and Sister Lucinda Sowards and they are all 20 years old. The come from the United States and live on the very same first floor, where the reporter, lives.

In the reporter’s words, since the missionaries cannot go outside, they do what they can to drive away ‘sin using WhatsApp and video calls. “We are volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God, such as maintaining our bodies and spirits worthy and holy, and avoid illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and sexual relations before marriage. Our recommended reading: The Book of Mormon.”

The original article, in Spanish, can be found here .The reporter goes on by saying that these missionaries exhibit the most beautiful smiles, maybe ‘because God is with them and not just a little’. Their normal work routine has been disrupted - they used to talk to people on the streets and in their homes - but now they are actively using technology to deliver the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and reach the hearts of their fellow Barcelona neighbors.

In the Czech Republic, the online news portal ‘iDNES.cz’ also conveys an article that demonstrates how missionaries of the Church in that country are dealing with the restrictions and making the best of it. The article mentions that some missionaries have been sent home to their countries of origin, but the large group is staying in the country and have quickly adapted to the difficult circumstances.

Hana Šnajdarová, who is the National Communication Director of the Church in the Czech Republic, explains why the missionaries who came from abroad will remain in the Czech Republic and are complying with all government regulations. “Most of the time they are staying in their flats and moved the service to the online world or are helping where necessary and within the framework and regulations they are getting from the competent authorities in the country”, she says.