Thank you to Jeff Lindgren and the Koschnickes for recording this interview. The interview is in German with an English transcript (translation and transcription courtesy of Jeff Lindgren). Listen to their lovely native Saechsisch language as they tell their story of growing up Mormonen in The German Democratic Republic, their recollections of the formation of stakes, the building of the Freiberg Temple, interactions with members from other Warsaw Pact nations, run-ins with the Stasi, discoveries from their own Stasi Files, life during and after Die Wende, and much more.

For photos from their life in East Germany click here.

See photos they shared from their life before Die Wende here.

The book In Harm's Way, East German Latter-Day Saints, is referenced in the transcript and has more information about members of the Church fleeing East Prussia and other areas in the East the Germans fled after World War II.

Click here for information about the "Russentod" device that the East Germans used to counter Soviet signal-blocking of West German TV and radio transmissions. 

If you wish to be interviewed for this project, please contact me at Dresden Mission Connect and Reflect Podcast on Facebook.

Update your contact information, find old friends and companions, and much more on the Dresden/Leipzig mission alumni page at Treffpunkt Deutschland Mission Dresden/Leipzig

Returned Dresden missionaries, click here for more information about the Church History Library and information about sharing your documents, photos, or oral histories from your service in the Dresden Mission. The Church’s policy on public access to donated personal history items can be read here. To communicate to someone directly about donating your mission materials, contact James Miller: [email protected].