The LDS Church is pulling its missionaries out of Sierra Leone and Liberia as a precaution against the deadly Ebola virus, which has already killed hundreds of people in West Africa.
Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in those countries are being “reassigned to other missions,” the Utah-based faith said in a news release Friday.
“In recent weeks measures have been taken to reduce risk to missionaries, including asking them to remain in their apartments,” the release said.
“To date, there are no reports of illness among the missionaries.”
According to the church’s website, there is one mission in Sierra Leone and one in Liberia. Few of the missionaries are likely to be from North America. Typically, most West African missions are staffed with volunteers from within the country or other nearby African nations.
Meanwhile, families of missionaries who are being transferred will be contacted, the release said, “as the missionaries arrive in their new assignments.”
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE PUBLISHED: AUGUST 4, 2014 11:14AM
In his address to the missionaries in the MTC, Elder Curtis, Africa West Area President said that 274 missionaries were withdrawn from the two nations this past week. Over half of them were from Africa and were reassigned to other missions in the Africa West Area. The balance of the missionaries were reassigned to missions throughout the world.
There are over 20,000 members of the Church in these two nations and they are following up with each of the investigators as recorded in the area books. We are hopeful missionaries will soon return to these two nations.
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