Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve dedicated the Voronezh Branch meetinghouse on Oct. 20, a little more than 17 years after the first members of the church from the city in southern Russia were baptized.

Elder Nelson dedicated the building, originally constructed in the 1950s as a theater of classic design and recently renovated to serve as a Mormon meetinghouse, to be "a sanctuary of safety and a haven of peace where the everlasting truths of the gospel will be taught" and as "a gathering place for thy sons and daughters to rejoice together and strengthen families."

The dedicatory service brought to Elder Nelson's mind fond memories of an earlier visit to Voronezh. He visited the city in 1993, when his son Russell M. Nelson Jr. was serving there as a missionary in the Russia Moscow Mission.

"Back then, my son served as my translator," Elder Nelson told the Church News in a telephone interview shortly after he dedicated the meetinghouse.

About 176 people attended the dedication, a number Elder Nelson described as "quite amazing for a Tuesday night in Russia."

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This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.