Young Women Medallions

Look at these beautiful, virtuous sister missionaries - with Young Women medallions AND an honor bee!

Mission President Seminar with Elder and Sister Bednar

Great Day for the Church , for Africa

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently spent 10 days with Latter-day Saints in West Africa, observing incredible growth and activity in a relatively young area of the Church.

“Truly the Lord is hastening His work throughout the world,” Elder Bednar commented. “We saw evidence of that hastening in every country and city we visited in Africa. The devoted and faithful members of the Church on that continent are anxiously engaged in following the example of the Savior and establishing His gospel and Church. I am especially impressed by their diligent preparation to enter the house of the Lord worthily and receive the blessings to be had therein.”

During his visit, we were with him at the Mission President Seminar in Accra on January 28 - 29, where he also spoke in a member fireside that evening. (Church News, Feb 15, 2014)

Before & After - Presidents Weed and Robison

In June of 1970, President Robert Weed; Benin, Africa Mission President and President Robison, Ghana MTC President studied together in the Provo MTC (LTM) enroute to missions in Belgium and France.  Forty-four years later, they met up for the first time at the Mission President Seminar in Ghana.

In the LTM photo on top, President Weed is the 4th from the right.  President Robison is the 2nd from the right.  President Weed is the person on the right in the bottom photo.

First Glimpse - Ghana Temple

On Monday, January 27, the Robisons had their first glimpse of the Ghana Temple as they drove to the Mission President Seminar with Elder Bednar.

January 24 District Leaders and Sister Training Leaders

Before this year, the Ghana MTC had not had Sister Training Leaders.  Out of 73 missionaries in the MTC this group, 20 were sister missionaries.

MTC Presidency

Here is the MTC Presidency:

 From left to right are the Obengs, the Robisons and the Acquayes.  President Acuaye is the first counselor and President Obeng is the second counselor.  Their wives are the counselors to Sister Robison in the MTC Relief Society Presidency.

The Church in Ghana

COUNTRY PROFILE —  4 SEPTEMBER 2013

Members have been in Ghana since 1978. In the 1950s the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, a companion scripture to the Bible, along with various pamphlets about the Church found their way to Ghana. These were read by many Ghanaians who were converted to the gospel and used them as a basis to start their own Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations. In 1964 Joseph W. B. Johnson gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon and provided leadership in organizing and directing congregations consisting of hundreds of followers. In 1978 two missionary couples entered Ghana from Nigeria and baptized many of Johnson's congregations. A building program began in 1979.

Within a year more than 400 people had been baptized and branches (small congregations) were organized. By 1981 seven branches were functioning in Ghana. All converts were taught the gospel in their own language and trained in leadership skills.

On June 14, 1989, Ghana's government expelled the missionaries and banned the Church. Members were permitted to hold services in the privacy of their homes, however. Eighteen months later the government expressed satisfaction that the Church teaches members to be obedient to government laws and promotes racial harmony, and on December 1, 1990, Ghana permitted Church activities to resume. By the end of 1990, membership was more than 9,000.

In 1998, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley met with Ghana's Head of State, Mr. Rawlings, who apologized for the action taken by the government in 1989. President Hinckley informed Mr. Rawlings that the Church would build its first temple in West Africa in the capital city of Accra. He also met with thousands of members in Accra and announced the plans to build the temple.

In the 1990s humanitarian efforts have focused on member self-reliance. A number of projects were undertaken through local initiative by members in districts and stakes (dioceses). Some 90 percent of LDS Church buildings in Ghana include some form of gardening activity.

The first missionary training center in Africa, located in Tema, Ghana, was dedicated on 17 May 2002.

Thursday Devotionals

Every other Thursday morning a General Authority or Area Seventy visits the MTC for a devotional.  Prior to that Devotional a photo is taken to commemorate the occasion as well as provide a historical record of each group who attends the MTC.  Here is the first MTC group to experience the MTC with President and Sister Robison:

In this photo, taken on January 23, 2014 the speaker seated next to the Robisons is Elder Ben Davis, an Area Seventy.

Couple Called to Serve in Ghana Missionary Training Center

NEWS RELEASE —  23 JANUARY 2014

ACCRA — 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has called Reid Adams Robison and his wife, Diane Laverne Flint Robison, to serve in the Ghana Missionary Training Center.

President and Sister Robison, together with two counselors in the MTC Presidency and their spouses, will welcome new missionaries from all over the world as they guide the elders and sisters through an 11-day training program before they depart for their assigned English-speaking missions throughout West Africa. Those missionaries who serve in French-speaking African countries and Madagascar stay in the Ghana MTC for six weeks of training.

President Robison and Sister Robison are from Provo, Utah, United States. He was recently released from a French-speaking branch presidency at the Provo Missionary Training Center and is a former president of the West Indies Mission, stake president (a stake is a group of Latter-day Saint congregations, similar to a diocese), bishop and missionary in the French Mission. Currently, he is an adjunct professor and director of organizational behavior and human resources at the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management in Utah, United States. 

Sister Robison served on the Young Women general board for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She previously served with her husband in the West Indies Mission and is a former seminary and institute teacher and gospel doctrine teacher. They have five children.

Ghana MTC is one of 15 missionary training centers throughout the world, and one of two in Africa, along with the MTC in Johannesburg, South Africa.  

Life in the MTC is centered on a rigorous curriculum rooted in teaching others about Jesus Christ. It includes devotional addresses from Church leaders, daily practice teaching situations, learning good study habits and understanding how to spend all day, every day, with an assigned companion.

Missionaries in the MTC also learn how to live on their own. For many of these 18- and 19-year-old men and women, the missionary training center is their first experience living away from home. They do their own laundry, exercise daily, learn how to eat wisely and stay healthy.

President and Sister Robison will have a great impact on the lives of hundreds of missionaries before they depart for their assigned missions. Their leadership and guidance will teach the missionaries self-motivation and self-direction, creating a pattern for missionaries to follow during their missions as well as for the rest of their lives.

Couple called to serve in Ghana Missionary Training Center

NEWS RELEASE —  23 JANUARY 2014

ACCRA — 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has called Reid Adams Robison and his wife, Diane Laverne Flint Robison, to serve in the Ghana Missionary Training Center.

President and Sister Robison, together with two counselors in the MTC Presidency and their spouses, will welcome new missionaries from all over the world as they guide the elders and sisters through an 11-day training program before they depart for their assigned English-speaking missions throughout West Africa. Those missionaries who serve in French-speaking African countries and Madagascar stay in the Ghana MTC for six weeks of training.

President Robison and Sister Robison are from Provo, Utah, United States. He was recently released from a French-speaking branch presidency at the Provo Missionary Training Center and is a former president of the West Indies Mission, stake president (a stake is a group of Latter-day Saint congregations, similar to a diocese), bishop and missionary in the French Mission. Currently, he is an adjunct professor and director of organizational behavior and human resources at the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management in Utah, United States. 

Sister Robison served on the Young Women general board for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She previously served with her husband in the West Indies Mission and is a former seminary and institute teacher and gospel doctrine teacher. They have five children.

Ghana MTC is one of 15 missionary training centers throughout the world, and one of two in Africa, along with the MTC in Johannesburg, South Africa.  

Life in the MTC is centered on a rigorous curriculum rooted in teaching others about Jesus Christ. It includes devotional addresses from Church leaders, daily practice teaching situations, learning good study habits and understanding how to spend all day, every day, with an assigned companion.

Missionaries in the MTC also learn how to live on their own. For many of these 18- and 19-year-old men and women, the missionary training center is their first experience living away from home. They do their own laundry, exercise daily, learn how to eat wisely and stay healthy.

President and Sister Robison will have a great impact on the lives of hundreds of missionaries before they depart for their assigned missions. Their leadership and guidance will teach the missionaries self-motivation and self-direction, creating a pattern for missionaries to follow during their missions as well as for the rest of their lives.

How Big Is Africa?

Few Latter-day Saints in North America realize how big Africa is.  Can you see that if you super-impose the United States, China, India and most of Europe, all would fit within the boundaries of Africa?

Welcome Message from the MTC President

Dear Prospective Missionaries and Parents,

Young men and women who are called by the Lord as full-time missionaries begin their service at one of the Church's 15 missionary training centers (MTCs) worldwide. The Ghana MTC in West Africa was established in 2002 and is a choice place where staff, teachers, and leaders strive to serve the individual needs of each missionary who comes to receive training.

The length of training for missionaries at the Ghana MTC is 11 days, with each group arriving and departing together. The number of missionaries in a group ranges from 50 to 65, with missionaries in the group divided into individual classes consisting of eight to ten missionaries each. Missionaries trained at the Ghana MTC come from and serve in a variety of African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Togo. Others who are called to serve in Africa come from nations outside of Africa—such as the United States, Great Britain, and the islands of the South Pacific—and come to Ghana for their training. Training is conducted in both English and French for those who already speak those languages, which are the two major mission languages in African nations.    

During your stay, you will develop increased understanding and love for the scriptures and the doctrine of Christ. Our training is focused on the scriptures and principles taught in the inspired volume Preach My Gospel. Through obedience, personal prayer, and study of the scriptures, your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be strengthened and your testimony of His restored gospel expanded and deepened. As a result, you will become skilled in teaching the message of the Restoration in your mission language. As you learn to teach by the Spirit, you will become a mentor and righteous example for other missionaries. New friendships will be forged that will last forever and will reach across and beyond cultural and language barriers.

The typical missionary day is filled with class instruction, daily opportunities for teaching your progressing investigators, physical exercise and sports, and meals prepared by the wonderful kitchen staff. Weekly Sunday meetings and devotionals include instruction from members of the Africa West Area Presidency, MTC President and wife, and recorded talks by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. You will also have the opportunity to attend the Accra Ghana Temple during your stay at the MTC and have personal preparation time to read, ponder, and write to family and friends.  

The missionary training center experience can be fulfilling and spiritually edifying. Learning to teach the gospel in order to help in the work of establishing the Lord's kingdom throughout the world is a challenging task that will stretch your capacity and capability. The spiritual blessings that accompany this work will bring about great personal growth.

Sister Robison and I welcome you to the Ghana Africa Missionary Training Center. We know you are about to embark on an unparalleled experience. Our Heavenly Father will bless you as you faithfully prepare.                            

President and Sister Robison

Arrival in Ghana, January 21, 2014

President and Sister Robison arrived in Accra, Ghana on January 21, 2014 where they were greeted by President and Sister Graham, the outgoing MTC President and his wife, and Mathias Eguko, the Managing Director of the MTC.

Meet the Robisons

President and Sister Robison come from Provo, Utah, where President Robison was an adjunct professor in the BYU Marriott School and Directed Placement for business students in organizational behavior, human resources and strategy.  Sister Robison was recently released from serving on the General Young Women Board of the Church.  From 2006-2009, President and Sister Robison served a mission in the West Indies, where President Robison was the mission president.

In coming to Africa, they leave behind 5 children (four of whom are married) and 18 grandchildren. 

MTC President Training January 13-16, 2014

Each January one half of the MTC presidents are replaced because of the completion of their two year assignment.  This month 8 of the 15 MTCs located throughout the World participated in the MTC President Seminar in Provo from January 13 to 16th.  Included in the training were presidents and their wives headed to South Africa, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Spain,