“Never Feeling like Work”

Marious Dimitrov Tcherpokov was baptized on May 20, 1990, while living in Munich, Germany. At the end of 1991, Marious went to the United States, where he attended Brigham Young University from 1992 to 1995, studying business. He returned home to Bulgaria in the summer of 1995.

Katya Vladimirova Georgieva was raised in the Bulgarian Orthodox religion. She was influenced by her grandparents, who were rather devoted believers. Katya believed in God and sought inspiration through prayer. After moving to Sofia in 1984 to work as a nurse and, later, to study chemistry in one of Sofia’s universities, she would often visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral—the largest Orthodox worship building in Bulgaria—where she would pray and ponder. Katya met the missionaries in March 1993 and was baptized on May 9, 1993.

Late in 1995, Marious and Katya met for the first time in one of the church buildings in Sofia. As they were passing by each other in the corridor of the building, they stopped to shake hands and say hello. At that moment, Katya received a revelation. She felt God was showing her that perhaps Marious was the man God had for her. Later, they became friends and also served together in the Church from 1997 to 1998: Marious as the branch president of one of Sofia’s branches and Katya as Relief Society president. In January 1999, they were married and sealed in the Freiberg Germany Temple.

Their early life together involved setbacks and hard work. Marious suffered persistent health problems. Both of them worked full-time—Katya as a nurse and Marious at a bank—while also serving in Church callings. Additionally, Marious reviewed the Bulgarian translations of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants and interpreted for general conference. In late 2000, Marious and Katya had a son. From 2004 to 2007, Marious and his family moved to the United States while Marious attended business school at Brigham Young University. Then Katya, Marious, and their son returned to Bulgaria, settling in the city of Plovdiv.

Around this time, Bulgaria joined the European Union, and many Church members moved out of the country for economic or educational opportunities. High member turnover led to certain difficulties in the life of the Church in Bulgaria, which also increased the burden of a concerned Marious, who served in many demanding leadership callings, including president of Plovdiv Bulgaria District (dissolved in 2011) and later as president of the Plovdiv Branch. While serving in these callings, Marious had to persistently train new leaders and teachers and fill gaps to keep the Church functioning. “Yeah, it was work, but never feeling like work,” said Marious, reflecting on those hectic years. “Just enjoying serving.”