Elder Christofferson Concludes European Ministry Tour, Urges Focus on Jesus Christ

The 11-day ministry visit of Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the European continent concluded in Copenhagen on March 4, 2024, with a meeting with missionaries of the Church currently serving in that country. Throughout the tour of six European countries, Elder Christofferson, accompanied by his wife, Katherine Christofferson, shared a message of hope and invited members and friends of the Church to center their lives on the teachings of Jesus Christ and follow His example more closely.

For most of the ministry trip, which included Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Spain, Elder Christofferson and Sister Christofferson were joined by Elder Brent H. Nielson, of the Presidency of the Seventy, with his wife, Marcia Nielson. Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, with his wife, Carol Waddell, also joined them for most of the meetings. In these various locations, they met with members and missionaries of the Church, inviting them to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and become more committed disciples.

Elder Christofferson also had meetings with government officials in Croatia and Hungary. Below are the highlights of the ministry tour, with photographs telling the larger part of the story.

Madrid, Spain

The first meetings were held in the meetinghouse of the Madrid temple complex, over the weekend of 24 and 25 February 2024. In this first stop of the ministry tour, Elder Rubén V. Alliaud, the first counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, accompanied by his wife Fabiana Alliaud, joined the visiting General Authorities.

The weekend included a historic meeting with the three Missions in Spain, a meeting with Young Adults Advisers from most countries of the Europe Central Area, and a devotional meeting for the young adults that was broadcasted to all the Spanish-speaking units of the Europe Central Area.

On Sunday, Elder Christofferson presided over a special stake conference for the three Madrid stakes. This special meeting was also broadcast for the Madrid region, as the capacity of the building is limited to 1,000 people.

Frankfurt, Germany

Elder Christofferson, Elder Nielson and Bishop Waddell held meetings at the headquarters of the Europe Central Area of the Church, in Frankfurt, Germany. On 28 February 2024, a special devotional meeting with the employees for the Church of Jesus Christ that work in Frankfurt and across the entire Area was held. A tour of the building and its dedication by Elder Christofferson concluded the stop in Germany.

Zagreb, Croatia

On 29 February 2024, Elder Christofferson, accompanied by Elder Nielson and Elder Jack N. Gerard, second counselor in the Europe Central Area presidency, together with his wife, Sister Claudette Gerard, travelled to the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, to hold an high-level meeting with the Minister of Culture and Media of the Government of Croatia and other officials.

Elder Christofferson expressed his appreciation for the efforts the government of Croatia made during the Covid-19 pandemic that allowed the missionaries of the Church to travel and reach their assigned destinations across Europe.

He also discussed with the government officials how the Church and its members could contribute to the betterment of the society in the country. “We spoke about the goals and the interests of the (Croatian) government and found that there were a lot of different ways we felt we could collaborate in, especially those who are in great need," he said. A mission conference with the Adriatic North Mission was later held in the Zagreb meetinghouse.

Budapest, Hungary

The following day, on 1 March 2024, Elder Christofferson, Elder Nielson and Elder Gerard meet with the mayor of the Óbuda municipality in Budapest. Mr László Kiss. The Church purchased a property in the Óbuda district and is planning to build in that site the future Hungary Budapest temple, which will be the first house of the Lord in the country.

In the meeting, Elder Christofferson introduced the Church to the mayor and explain why Latter-day Saints consider temples as houses of the Lord. The meeting was "very cordial and fruitful," said Elder Christofferson.

After the meeting in the Óbuda town hall, the group travelled to the Pest meetinghouse to hold a special conference with missionaries who serve in the Hungary Budapest mission. Bishop Waddell who was also in Hungary and took the opportunity to visit on the previous day several institutions that the Church is helping in Hungary, as part of its humanitarian and welfare efforts in the country.

Vienna, Austria

On the weekend of 2-3 March 2024, the group travelled to the capital of Austria, where Elder Christofferson participated in a conference with the missionaries who are serving in the Alpine German-speaking Mission. He then presided over a training meeting with the leaders of the Church of the Europe Central Area. The entire Europe Central Area Presidency was also in attendance. 

Elder Christofferson was also interviewed by radio Ö1. This radio station is part of ORF, the Austrian public radio and television network. On Sunday morning, 3 March 2024, a special stake conference was held in a hotel in the center of Vienna. 

The stake conference was broadcast to the entire country. A clear message was delivered by Elder Christofferson in Vienna. He said that those who "align their lives with the message of Jesus Christ feel more joy." He also affirmed there that "repentance is a joy for our lives."

Copenhagen, Denmark

On 4 March 2024, the last day of the ministry visit to the European continent, Elder Christofferson travelled to Copenhagen, to hold a mission conference with the Denmark Copenhagen Mission. The meeting was held at the stake center of the Church.