Russia




On a freezing winter day, Elders James Durrant (left) and David Dayton (center) talk to a potential convert. Both are 20 year old missionaries from Utah serving a 2 year mission in St Peterburg. The Church of the Resurrection of Christ (a Russian Orthodox church) is in the background. The elders ignore the women, instead looking for males to stop and talk to since the Mormons are trying to find strong church leaders - only males hold leadership positions in the LDS church.

winter scene 



11 year old Sergei Kompanest of St Petersburg beams with pride as he climbs out of a heated bath house pool after being baptized by Elder Gary Sims. The LDS church believes in full immersion baptisms and since the church does not own any property in St Petersburg, they have to rent a "Banya" which is a Russian bath house. In the 5 years the church has been in St Petersburg, they have had over 1,800 baptisms.

baptism 


In St Petersburg, a perplexed bartender stands behind the bar at a Russian bath house with nothing to do as Mormons sing hymns during a baptism. The LDS church does not own property in St Petersburg so they rent the bath house for the evening because it has a pool. Since the Mormons do not drink, the bartender had nothing to do.

bartender 



In Russia, Mormon families tend to be small mostly because of the economy - this is in sharp contrast to the US Mormons who believe in having large families. A couple and their child read from a Mormon history book in their small St Peterburg apartment. On the living room wall behind them is a throw rug - commonly found in many Russian homes.

russian family 


back