Elder Mischa Markow's Inspired Testimony Before the Court
Published October 13, 2026 at 3:22 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
After being arrested and imprisoned in Bucharest, Elder Mischa Markow felt the Spirit of the Lord fill him while testifying before the court and officials. He reports that the Lord was with him, allowing him to preach the gospel to his judges, which resulted in some of the officials defending him and acknowledging that his doctrine was the true gospel of Christ.
Following his arrest by police after a confrontation regarding his preaching, Markow was held for 48 hours. During his court appearances, he was initially questioned by a Chief Inspector before being brought before a Higher Court. Markow utilized two testaments in the local language to facilitate his explanation of the gospel. He noted that the court proceedings were documented, as the authorities had him sign a written statement regarding his beliefs. His eventual release was facilitated by the American consul, who intervened after being contacted by local Church members who were concerned when Markow disappeared.
In Their Own Words
“They took me before the Courts; first before the Chief Inspector and afterwards before the higher Court, but the Lord was with me and filled me with His spirit, until I rejoiced in even that opportunity of preaching the Gospel to them. I had two testaments in their language which I gave them so that they could read the answers to my questions. I told them that I was an American citizen and a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that I had come to preach the Gospel of Christ as it was preached in the days of the Apostles. They took down my testimony in writing and I had to sign it. In a little while some of the head men began defending me and said: “This missionary is right, that is the true Gospel of Christ, and our orthodox religion is wrong.” I was kept in prison for forty-eight hours, and then the American Consul came and took me out. I was very glad to get out, but I was sorry to leave the people, for I had made many friends.”
— Mischa Markow, letter dated June 1, 1900, published in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 62, No. 28
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 12 July 1900 (Vol. 62, No. 28). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1900-07-12_62_28 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Richard O. Cowan, “Mischa Markow: Mormon Missionary to the Balkans,” BYU Studies 11:1, p. 92. https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/mischa-markow-mormon-missionary-to-the-balkans Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 12 July 1900 (Vol. 62, No. 28), p. 445 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1900-07-12_62_28
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