Church News: Missionaries celebrate season

[joelconte]

Source: Church News, Dec 9, 2006

Missionaries celebrate season

    SOFIA, Bulgaria — On an unusually sunny afternoon in late November, a group of missionaries from the Bulgaria Sofia Mission performed an improvisational concert of Christmas music in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia — a popular place among the young to walk and find amusement.
   One by one, the choir increased in number as passers-by stopped to listen and joined the group. Hymn books provided by the missionaries made it easier for new chorus members to sing.
   Many young people and some older couples stopped to look at the Church booklets exhibited on a table. Missionaries befriended spectators by giving copies of the Book of Mormon, brochures and leaflets with information for free English learning courses, organized by the Church.


Missionaries in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission stand on steps of the National Palace of Culture to present an improvisational Christmas concert. Spectators gathered to enjoy the music, and were then invited to join.

[Blindspot]

I'd like to point out that about 1/3 of that Choir was made up of members.  It was organized by the Missionaries, but members were invited.  It was a wonderful experience.  And as the picture shows, it was not sunny at all.  It was late afternoon on a Sunday in November as was extremely foggy and got dark quickly.  Nevertheless, spirits were high and it was indeed a very good experience.  And...no spectators joined.  It was just missionaries and members.  I'm not sure who reported on this but some of the facts have been turned around a bit.  And it wasn't Christmas music...we only have two hymns officially translated.  We sang them, but it was mostly just regular hymns.