When the LDS Church announced the dedication of its 56th temple in Madrid, Spain, many Americans-- especially those who had served missions there-- made plans to return for the occasion.
Religion Specialist Carole Mikita continues her special report.
Hundreds of LDS Church members returned to Spain this March and among those we met there were a couple of famous Utahns... both singing stars.
One Friday night in mid-March, a group of former missionaries gathered for a reunion. But this wasn't your typical missionary gathering. These men and women have bragging rights about being the first missionaries assigned to Spain. With them, a television perfomer who had to do a lot of rearranging of schedules to get there.
Marie Osmond says, "I talked to the people at 'Donny and Marie' and Dick Clark and Charlie Cook and all of our executive producers, and I explained to them that it was a religious thing and, I'm telling you, people worked so hard to have this happen."
Brian Blosil, Marie's husband, was in that first group of missionaries. He remembers one day in the early '70's, when he and his companion were teaching a large crowd in a park.
"After about an hour of this, all of a sudden, everyone dissappeared and I thought, Oh, it must be lunch hour, because everyone just scattered... I mean, instantly. And I looked around and we were surrounded by the Guardia Civile, which is the national police. And they put us in a paddy wagon and hauled us off to jail."
All in a day's work for a missionary back then. It was not legal for this first group to proselyte but that eventually changed. They paved the way for another generation.
Blosil says, "My nephew here darn well better be keeping the faith. The only reason he looks good is because he's standing on the top of giants. That's all I can say."
Brian is talking about David Osmond, Marie's nephew... now a missionary in Madrid.
Marie says, "I think it says a lot about his family, a lot about his dad, Alan, who I just think is an amazing brother. But David is a great kid."
David is also a famous kid. He took over the lead role in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" from Uncle Donny, and soon had offers for Broadway and recordings. But instead, he is now walking the streets of Segovia, passing out Books of Mormon with his senior companion, Elder Derek Link.
David says, "I remember telling a lot of my friends in the business, 'You know, I'm going on a mission.' And they're just like, 'What are you thinking? You're crazy, look what you've got going on here. You're stupid to leave now.' I'm just like, 'You know what? This is something I've prepared for my whole life. I feel like I've been given a gift in my life that I just want to share with everybody."
And he's trying... whether knocking on doors or visiting the few church members in Segovia. Elders Osmond and Link see themselves in the midst of a great spiritual adventure.
David says, "I've toured the world with my brothers as one of the Osmonds, as David Osmond. But now I'm touring the world as Elder Osmond and it's a different aspect. But I love it. It's a whole new arena for me, but I would never change it."
Elder David Osmond will be in Spain for a little over a year and half. His companion, Elder Derek Link, is on his way home to Riverside, California, even as we speak.
