LDS Church To Reassign 30 Missionaries Initially Bound For Russia

By Moroni Channel Newsroom
Salt Lake City Utah, USA

Church spokesman released the following statement after 30 missionaries (volunteers) were reassigned.

”The church has reassigned 30 volunteers in the Provo Missionary Training Center who were originally called to serve in Russia,” said Eric Hawkins, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “These volunteers were reassigned to serve in different missions in Russia or to other Russian-speaking missions in Eastern Europe. The remaining 47 volunteers currently in the MTC will proceed to their originally assigned missions in Russia.”

After the new legislation that prohibits missionary work within the country of Russia, the church instructed mission presidents, families and relatives to refer missionaries serving in the country as “Volunteers.”

”With recent changes in the law,” Hawkins said Monday, “volunteers in Russia may not proselyte publicly, but instead focus on supporting the church and its members, and on engaging in community and humanitarian service. This has decreased the number of volunteers needed and has made it necessary to adjust some assignments.”

There are more than 22,000 Mormons in Russia within 100 congregations.