Members wait with patient excitement
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President Gordon B. Hinckley's seven-nation tour includes Vladivostok, Russia; Seoul, Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong, China; New Delhi, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Aba, Nigeria.
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — A delay in President Gordon B. Hinckley's flight plans postponed the first stop of his seven-nation tour by almost a day. But members here along Russia's east coast waited with patient excitement until they were able to finally meet the president of the Church for a short, early-morning meeting the next day.
Vladivostok is a port city to the Russian Pacific naval fleet. Until 1992, under Soviet rule, visitors were not allowed into the city. Today, it is the headquarters for the Russia Vladivostok Mission which covers an area roughly equivalent to the continental United States and is seven time zones removed from Moscow. President Hinckley is the first Church president to visit this city.
Original travel plans called for President Hinckley to meet with members at the airport during a short 45-minute refueling stop on July 30 as part of his travels to Nigeria where he will dedicate the Aba temple.
But an accident during the flight required the plane to return to Anchorage, Alaska, where President Hinckley's son Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy received medical treatment for an eye injury.
President Hinckley resumed his flight, arriving on a cloudy and cool morning in Vladivostok for a belated meeting July 31 with 200 members.
In anticipation of the meeting that morning, members gathered at the chapel at 6 a.m., to be taken by bus to the airport where they waited in a meeting room in the airport terminal for President Hinckley to clear customs.
His visit to them was memorable. "The words that I remember most," said Elena Kalabina from Ussurisk, "is that if you want to be blessed you must live the gospel. It is a good reminder to hear it from the prophet."
Looking over the congregation, approximately one-third of the membership in the mission, President Hinckley reflected on his years of service in Asia when there were few members in Korea.
"Tomorrow we will be in Korea," he said. "It is now 50 years since the gospel was introduced there. Fifty years ago I would have wondered at a congregation this large. Now, there are thousands and thousands of saints there.
"I believe we will have thousands here also. You are the pioneers. Years from now we will look back at Vladivostok and wonder again at such a large congregation as we did in Korea. . . . Live the gospel and establish the work in this great place," he said, admonishing them to be strong, faithful and true.
Yevgenny Khramov and his wife, converts of about one month from Vladivostok, sat on the front row holding their 6-year-old son. "When we shook the prophet's hand it was like a seal from heaven. It was so unique and so unforgettable," he said.
Another member, Tamara, said, "When he came in there was a special feeling. I didn't expect so much. There was a special spirit when he entered the hall."
Nastia Maltzeva, a member of five years from Sakhalin, traveled three hours by plane. "When I heard the prophet was coming I decided right away to be there. My son, 9, sat in business class at twice the fare to see the prophet. I never expected to see him. When he said, 'Hello' I started crying and couldn't stop."
Nina Serveryukhina said, "I didn't ever dare to dream of seeing the prophet. I am so happy that I got to shake his hand." — Shaun D. Stahle
Senior missionary couple Garold and Pauline Sessions contributed to this report.
