1st - Two Apostles visited Africa in February and March - Elder Andersen led the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple in Kinshasa and Elder Rasband visited the Saints in Ghana including the MTC.
Elder Andersen met with the missionaries, all of whom we trained in the Ghana MTC, and shared publicly stories of one of them.
Elder Rasband gave inspired counsel to the missionaries about the importance of going through the temple prior to entry into the mission field.
He taught from Section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants (the dedicatory prayer of the Kirkland Temple) He had missionaries read verses, 22,39, 59 and 73. He spoke about Joseph Smith preaching to men going forth into the mission field, armed with power, and that angels will be round about them (and you). These servants will be going out to various parts of the world, and now it's Africa, to gather the Lord's elect. The church is coming forth out of darkness.
He said to these missionaries in the MTC that their temple endowment will give them power to be one of the Lord's servants.
22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
23 And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends
of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou
hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the
mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days.
39 And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive
their testimony, let thy peace and thy salvation be upon that city;
that they may gather out of that city the righteous, that they may come
forth to Zion, or to her stakes, the places of thine appointment, with songs of everlasting joy;
59 We ask thee to appoint unto Zion other stakes besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty, that thy work may be cut short in righteousness.
73 That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;
2nd - Prayers were again answered from on high and a temple in Zimbabwe was announced. We could hear the cheers from across the ocean.
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| This is one of the three operating temples in Africa. It is located in Nigeria but very similar in appearance to the one in Ghana. The official rendering of the temple in Zimbabwe has not yet been released. |
Zimbabwe is home to approximately 14.2 million people and over 26,000 members of the Church. The temple planned for Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital and most populous city, will be the first in the country. The Church has three operating temples in Africa (Aba, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; and Johannesburg, South Africa), one under construction (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and three more announced (Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Durban, South Africa; and Harare, Zimbabwe). The closest temple to Harare is in Johannesburg, a 13-hour drive.
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