Working in Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
 is the home of the European Union Court of Justice, 
as well as many other EU administrative offices
and multinational financial centers. 

Everyone we met in Luxembourg speaks at least three languages,

and many are fluent in five or six.

You can see the shelves for Hymnals hold many languages!
The members are cheerful, energetic and well-educated.

We came to this small but important country 
to assist with their Grande Porte Ouverte (Open House)
on June 13-15, featuring their
newly refurbished meetinghouse.

Jonathan created a virtual tour of the Open House

The Sunday morning meetings are for
members speaking Spanish and Portuguese,
and the afternoon meetings are for
English and French speakers.

The two Luxembourg wards are part of the Nancy Stake
which meets just over the border in France,

in this stake center.

The stake also includes this ward building in Metz,

and this one in nearby Toul.

On the way to Luxembourg we stopped
to meet members in the Dijon ward.

(Yes, their building is the color of their city's famous mustard!)

And we gathered oral histories in Chalon-sur-Saône,
which we learned is the birthplace of
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.

(You haven't heard of him?

He's celebrated there as the inventor of photography,
whose methods were used by Louis Daguerre
of daguerrotype fame.)

There is definitely a lot to photograph in Chalon-Sur-Saône

TRANS-EUROPEAN CHURCH HISTORY

Being in Luxembourg has been an amazing multinational experience for us, highlighting how countries' borders fade as Israel is gathered from every land. Following is an example of how one man learned of the gospel and later returned to preach the gospel, as a remarkable multinational missionary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frederick Pieper spent his childhood in Belgium. In 1888 when he was 16, he and his mother were the first to be baptized in Belgium. Their conversion story was unusual. His mother Henrietta had dreamed that a man would bring her Christ's gospel, and the next day when her husband invited a stranger to dinner, she recognized him from her dream. The man was Mischa Markow, a Serbian from Constantinople who had travelled to preach the gospel through many countries without success but was led to Antwerp, Belgium where he met their family.

Henrietta and her son Frederick wanted to be baptized. When her husband objected, she said, “My children and I believe. If we're not baptized, our sins are on your head.”  He had a change of heart and was baptized himself two weeks later. Frederick and his family were enthusiastic missionaries. Three years later the first branch was organized in Antwerp with 34 members, and Frederick at age 19 was the first Branch President.

As they were encouraged to come to Utah, the family emigrated to the U.S. several months later. There Frederick met Oline Johanssen from Norway. Within a few months after they were married, they were both called to return to Europe as missionaries. Sadly, Oline fell ill the next year and passed away. However, Frederick stayed and increased his efforts in missionary work.  He traveled throughout Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, preaching for many years in German, Dutch, French, and English. 

Story source: Global Histories in the Gospel Library

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