Bringing the Gospel to Bulgaria

On July 30, 1899, Mischa Markow, a Serbian missionary who preached throughout Europe, baptized Argir Dimitrov, the first Bulgarian convert, near Constanța, Romania. In Romania, Markow and Dimitrov preached in four languages and baptized several converts before being banished by local authorities. In June 1900, Markow and Michael Dimitrov, a Bulgarian convert baptized in Bucharest, preached in Ruse and Sofia in Bulgaria. After several weeks in Sofia, Markow was arrested, interrogated, and banished before baptizing any converts.

The restored gospel was not preached again in Bulgaria for 90 years. As the communist era ended, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to Sofia with other Church leaders. In February 1990, during a meeting with government officials, Nelson asked what the Church could do for Bulgaria and was asked to send English teachers.

That fall, six missionaries, most with formal teaching experience, began teaching English classes in Sofia, Pravets, and Smolyan. In Sofia, Elder Morris and Sister Annetta Mower found several members of the Church—baptized in Europe and Africa—already living in the city. On October 7, 1990, the Mowers began holding weekly services in their apartment. Within a month, more than 40 people crammed into the Mowers’ tiny apartment for the weekly meetings. When the first proselytizing missionaries arrived in November, six people were awaiting baptism. As interest in the Church grew, the need for a mission headquartered in Bulgaria was soon clear.

One evening in April 1991, Kiril and Nevenka Kiriakov were relaxing at their home in Virginia when the telephone rang. Nevenka immediately recognized the familiar voice. “May I speak with Brother Kiriakov?” President Thomas S. Monson of the First Presidency asked.

“Certainly,” she responded. Before she could hand the phone to Kiril, however, Monson continued, “How about if your husband became the first Mission President in Bulgaria?” Kiril and Nevenka had fled Bulgaria in 1962 with their children, Julia and Peter, and joined the Church in France before settling in the United States. Although communist authorities had sentenced Kiril and Nevenka to death or imprisonment if they ever returned, Kiril had been promised in a blessing that he would preach the gospel in Bulgaria. With a new government in place, the Kiriakovs felt safe to return. Despite Kiril’s significant health concerns, he and Nevenka courageously accepted a call to serve. “I was anxious to see all my relatives and friends,” Nevenka said, “and share with them the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As Kiril and Nevenka prepared to return to their homeland, the first missionaries who would serve under their leadership were arriving at the missionary training center in Provo, Utah. The language teacher who greeted them on their first day was Julia Kiriakov Caswell, Kiril and Nevenka’s daughter.

Nevenka and Kiril Kiriakov with Boyd K. Packer, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, and Dallin H. Oaks, 1991.

In July 1991, the Sofia Bulgaria Mission officially opened. With the help of the Mowers and several local members, the Church soon received official recognition. By the end of 1991, more than 150 Bulgarian Saints had been baptized.