Two US Missionaries of Latter-day Saints Serve Two Years in Osnabrück, Germany

Two young American men are serving as volunteer missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Osnabrück and the surrounding Wittlager Land region. Lockley Welcker, 18, and Brock Whatcott, 19, are in Germany for two years. Both wear white shirts, ties and name tags, which identify them as missionaries of the church, and they publicly share their faith. The source says they follow strict rules and move about the city together.

Whatcott has been in Germany for nine months and speaks German as well as American English. He comes from Arizona and has six siblings. Welcker arrived seven days before the interview. He has seven siblings, and his family lives in Illinois. He had three weeks of intensive language preparation before his assignment. After their missions, Whatcott would like to work in an IT job, and Welcker hopes to study natural sciences at a college.

The church provides the missionaries with a Deutschland-Ticket for public transport, and they travel around the city and district almost daily. They live in Osnabrück in a building owned by the church and take part in its Sunday worship services. The church pays for their round-trip flights. Their living costs are covered by their parents through allowances. The source describes the missionaries as volunteers who are not paid. Church leaders are also volunteers, and the source notes that the church has no full-time bishops and no large clergy as established churches in Germany do. The church’s headquarters, including a large temple, is in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The source outlines the missionaries’ rules of conduct. They do not drink coffee, black tea, alcohol, or use tobacco, and the source states that caffeine is regarded by the church as a kind of drug. When asked about cola, Whatcott said yes, and the source notes that cola and many energy drinks also contain caffeine. The missionaries accepted an invitation to the “Wittlager Mahlzeit,” where they ate German stew with meat, a sweet dessert and table water. The source also says the church teaches that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

The article gives background on the church’s origins. It states that the 14-year-old Joseph Smith reported finding plates with words from God in New York state around 1830. The source says the founder wrote *The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ*, which has been translated into many languages. It also states that Smith was killed by a mob and is therefore regarded as a martyr by the church. Congregations under the name “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” exist in many countries, including Osnabrück. The source also notes that the church’s family history website, FamilySearch, is operated by the church and offers free access to a large amount of genealogical data.

According to the source, the missionaries are peaceable and avoid arguments. Occasionally, however, they encounter hostility and discrimination in some problem areas of the city. Their two years of unpaid service reflects a commitment to work undertaken for their calling (Colossians 3:23).

Source: Read the original report (translated from German)