SOPRON

This last Saturday we had an opportunity to visit the city of Sopron. It is one of the largest cities in Hungary, next to Budapest. It is located up in the Northwest corner next to Austria. We had the opportunity to participate in a Relief Society birthday celebration with the small Branch there. Elder and Sister Jensen ( Senior Missionaries ) serve here! They helped the members reenact the very first Relief Society meeting held. It was all in Hungarian but we were given a script in English so we would know what was being said. Enjoyed a nice Hungarian lunch afterwards.

Sopron Branch members with Elder Oakes , Elder Mortensen and Sister Peterson

Later we drove out to the Austrian border where the famous country picnic crossing occurred on August 19, 1989. The Hungarians were trapped behind what is called the 'Iron Curtain '. The border was surrounded by barbed wire and electric fences, security gates and armed guards. At this location on August 19th the borders were opened for one day so that families from Austria and Germany could meet with their families from Hungary. The Hungarians were so anxious for freedom that thousands of Hungarians streamed over the borders to Austria, putting their lives in peril. The Russian guards had been given orders to shoot to kill but on this day they laid down their weapons and let the people go. This was the beginning of the "freedom movement " that brought about the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall. We were really touched by the pictures and stories of these brave people who gave up everything for freedom.