In 1988 Claude P. Toze, a citizen of Benin, met Mathias Eguko, a Nigerian member of the Church living in the capital of Cotonou. Bro. Eguko shared with Toze the missionary discussions and a copy of the Book of Mormon in French. Sacrament meetings were first held in the Eguko home and later at the home of Bryan Ermatinger, an employee of the United States Embassy. Meanwhile, war broke out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August of that year and all non-Congolese missionaries were evacuated from that country. Among them was a missionary couple, Elder and Sister Norman Langevin. They were reassigned to the neighboring country of Benin for one month (September 1998). It was here that the Langevins taught the remainder of the discussions to Brother Toze and he was baptized on 4 October, 1998. Brother Toze was the first Benin citizen to join the Church. Jan 25, 2010 Church News.
Mathias Eguko is the Manager and Operations at the MTC. He and his family were the first members in Benin as he worked in an expatriate capacity there. Now I get to work with him and feel of his pioneer spirit. It is fun to get to know the pioneers of the Church in Africa. They have a great story to tell, not unlike the original pioneers in Nauvoo. Hurrah for Israel!
Eguko Family living in Tema, Ghana
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