Elder Ezra Taft Benson Visiting Saints in Poland

Elder Ezra Taft Benson in Warsaw, Poland — Assigned by the First Presidency, Elder Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles oversaw the Church’s relief efforts in Europe after World War II. In his 11 months there, he traveled more than 60,000 miles (96,000 km). Behind him are the ruins of Warsaw, Poland.

On a cool Sunday evening in the summer of 1946, Ezra Taft Benson and two traveling companions drove along the eerily quiet streets of Zełwągi, Poland. Rough roads and heavy rains had vexed the travelers all day, but the foul weather had finally cleared up as the men neared their destination.

Zełwągi had once been part of Germany and had been known as Selbongen. National boundaries had shifted after the war, however, and much of central and eastern Europe had come under the influence of the Soviet Union. In 1929, the thriving Selbongen Branch had built the first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Germany. But after six years of war, the Saints in the village were barely surviving.¹

The fact that Elder Benson was in Poland at all felt like a miracle. With no telephone lines operating in Poland, he and his associates had struggled to contact officials who could help them secure paperwork to enter the country. Only after much prayer and repeated contact with the Polish government was the apostle able to obtain the necessary visas.²

As the jeep neared the old meetinghouse in Zełwągi, most of the people in the streets scattered and hid. Elder Benson and his companions stopped the vehicle in front of the building and climbed out. They introduced themselves to a woman nearby and asked if they had found the Latter-day Saint chapel. The woman’s eyes filled with tears of relief. “The brethren are here!” she cried in German.

Immediately people came out from behind closed doors, crying and laughing with joy. The Zełwągi Saints had been out of contact with general Church leaders for three years, and that morning many of them had been fasting and praying for a visit from a missionary or Church leader. Within a few hours, about a hundred Saints gathered to hear the apostle speak.

As Elder Benson spoke to the Saints, two armed Polish soldiers entered the chapel. The congregation stiffened with fear, but the apostle motioned for the soldiers to take a seat near the front of the room. In his talk, he emphasized the importance of liberty and freedom. The soldiers listened attentively, remained in their seats for the closing song, and departed without incident. Afterward, Elder Benson met with the branch president and left food and money for the Saints, assuring them more aid was on the way.³

A short time later, Elder Benson wrote the First Presidency. He was encouraged to see the Church’s aid reaching the Saints in Europe but worried about the difficulties the Saints still faced.

“Perhaps the many benefits of the great Church welfare program to these and our other Saints in Europe shall never be known,” he wrote, “but many lives have undoubtedly been spared, and the faith and courage of many of our devoted members greatly strengthened.”⁴

people gathered outside a church — Church members in Selbongen, Germany (renamed Zełwągi, Poland, after the war), gather outside their chapel in about 1930.