The Czechoslovak Mission opened on July 24, 1929, but most work initially took place in Czech-speaking cities. The first known Slovaks to investigate the Church did so during the Communist era, when Otakar Vojkůvka, his family, and others began teaching “Christian yoga” classes, combining principles of the gospel with yoga exercises. By 1993, when Slovakia and the Czech Republic separated, there were 20 to 30 members in Slovakia.
At the time of the division, a procedural error left the Church without official recognition in Slovakia. With fewer than 200 members in the country, the Church needed 20,000 Slovakian citizens to sign a petition supporting the application for registration. The task seemed insurmountable. In 2006, members, missionaries, and Church leaders joined in faith to gather the necessary signatures in just seven days. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called this miracle the “dawning of a brighter day.”
Since 2006, the Church has become more firmly planted in Slovakia. In 2013, the Book of Mormon was published in Slovak. Two years later, the Bratislava District was created. Latter-day Saints in Slovakia have faced their challenges with faith and have found happiness in the tender mercy of God (see James 5:11).
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