President Johnson Concludes Eurasian Ministry

“The tenacious faithfulness of the Saints in Eurasia is the standout memory of my visit there,” said Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

“They are small in number, but just huge in heart, love, kindness and care for one another,” said President Johnson.

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The leader of the faith’s eight million women worldwide concluded an eight-day ministry to Eurasia on Friday, March 7, 2026. She visited the countries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Georgia. 

She was joined by members of the Eurasian Area Presidency and her husband, Doug. 

Humanitarian Outreach 

President Johnson met with Latter-day Saints and humanitarian organizations during her visit to the area. 

“We had the opportunity to see some beautiful projects in the Eurasian Area,” President Johnson said. “We visited two orphanages, one in Kyrgyzstan and another in Kazakhstan, and in both of those places, the Church had contributed significantly to the success of those programs.” 

Igor Vasilyevich Belyaev, 33, grew up in an orphanage in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and founded the Public Foundation for Legal Protection to help orphanages and children with disabilities. President Johnson met with Belyaev during her visit and learned how the Church is collaborating with his foundation.

“Thanks to the Church, we receive washing machines, equipment and financial assistance,” said Belyaev. “And thanks to caring people like you, we are able to extend a helping hand to those children — the underprivileged, those with disabilities, those who have neither a mother nor a father. Together, we can provide the support that is within our power.”

Olesya Pronina, welfare manager for the Eurasian Area, oversees the many projects the Church supports to assist those in need.

“We have a lot of projects all over these countries. These countries have different cultures, different obstacles and different problems we are facing. But a lot of warm hearts of the people of the countries,” said Pronina.

Pronina said that the area works with the countries’ government leaders to determine local needs. 

The Church of Jesus Christ is experiencing growth in Kazakhstan. Missionaries serve in the country that is home to several Latter-day Saint congregations and a new meetinghouse in Almaty, the country’s largest city.

In Almaty, President Johnson attended a puppet show at an orphanage performed by missionaries. 

“It’s a way to teach children about healthy habits,” President Johnson said. “It was a way for [the missionaries] to serve and bring hope and relief to those children.” 

President Johnson concluded her ministry in Tbilisi, Georgia, where the Church is collaborating with the Children of the Sun daycare center, which serves children with disabilities. 

“The Church had just recently donated a keyboard, a piano and also a drum set and other musical instruments and toys that they were making use of, and they sang with great joy and fervor for us,” she said. 

The head of the Church’s Relief Society organization also met with women leaders in Georgia who organize the many humanitarian projects the Church supports, including wheelchair distribution. 

“I love these people, and I am inspired by them. I feel like I can dig a little deeper. I can be a little bit more tenacious in my [own] faithfulness. It was inspiring to witness their commitment to living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” President Johnson said. 

Ministering to Families

President Johnson made home visits to Latter-day Saint families while in Georgia.

“We had some wonderful family visits. We met with a dear sister and her seven-year-old daughter, who is preparing to be baptized. Her very young husband had recently passed away from a heart attack. We felt the Spirit in abundance in their home,” President Johnson shared. 

“We had the opportunity of being with [grandparents] and [their] two granddaughters who are so musically [talented], grandmother sat down at the piano, and we all sang together,” she said. “They were expressing their testimony and confidence in Jesus Christ through their music.” 

In Tbilisi, she also attended a special meeting for Relief Society sisters. 

“I saw the sisters ministering to each other when we gathered for a women’s devotional in Georgia. … While there are few members of the Church in these countries, their hearts are knit together in unity and love,” President Johnson said. 

“Georgia is one of the world’s oldest Christian nations, and the people remained faithful to those Christian roots even during times of political upheaval and turmoil,” she concluded. “I see it now in the Saints of Georgia and the other places we visited. [The Saints] are tenaciously faithful in living the gospel of Jesus Christ.”