Elder Guidia Overcame Difficult Moments of Despair

Elder Nesmoh Serge Privat Guidia from Ivory Coast lost both of his parents by the time he was 14 years old.  His parents were no longer living together and his mother had found another home and was with a man and his mistress.  The other woman poisoned his mother and she died.  Then three years later his father, with whom he had been living became ill and died.

In recounting his life story, Elder Guida said that he must stress that he did not have a stable upbringing.  In fact, he remembers some very lonely and difficult moments.  One in particular was when he was 14 and realized that he was an orphan and did not have anyone to support him.  So he went to live with his mother's sister (his aunt) and found a trade as a jockey at parties and celebrations.  Although it was not a peaceful  work environment, he never had the desire to drink, inspite of being surrounded by opportunities to do so.  After two years of this line of work, he decided to pursue studies in computer education.

It was about this time that a female cousin came to visit his aunt and being a member of the Church, this cousin invited him to attend Sacrament Meeting.  For the next year, he had off and on exposure to the Church, but during the last week of August 2011, he became serious about finding out if it was true.  Three weeks later, on September 17th, Elder Guidia was baptized a member of the Church.  On Tuesday, he will be endowed and the baptisms and other temple work will be done for his parents.

What is the story behind this painting on wall of the MTC?

Excerpted by Marnae Wilson from “Faithful Portraits,” Michelle A. Lizon, BYU Magazine, Spring 2008

"I'll Accept You As My Son"

source:  http://africawest.lds.org/i-accept-you-as-my-son 

 
When young people want to join the church, they frequently encounter opposition from friends, relatives, and parents. It takes a great deal of faith to leave your family and join with Christ in His restored Church. So it was with Bishop Kofi Sosu of Kumasi, Ghana.

Sosu was baptized as a young adult, despite his parents’ severe opposition. Shortly after he became a member, the government initiated a “freeze” on the Church, forbidding members from worshipping. The Ghanaian mission was closed, and all the missionaries were sent to other missions or were sent home. Sosu tried to show devotion inside his home, but he was hindered in his efforts to study the gospel and nurture his faith by his parents’ threats to inform the police.

After the freeze ended, Sosu began to meet with the Saints again. Soon he became determined to serve a mission. However, his parents threatened him again, promising to disown him if he chose to wear the suit and nametag for two years. Sosu chose his faith and was renounced by his family.

While serving in Nigeria, Sosu sent a letter to his family once a week, but not one was answered. After two years he arrived home with no one to contact but his branch president, who found him a place to stay temporarily. Unsure of where to go next, Sosu prayed and fasted. Despite his apprehension, he felt he should return to his father’s house. As Sosu approached the gate, his father saw him and asked who he was.

“I am your son,” Sosu replied.

“My son?” his father said.

“Yes—your son, Kofi.”
Tears came suddenly to his father’s eyes. No longer able to subdue his emotions, Sosu’s father embraced him.

“Oh, my son, my son. I am so sorry,” he said, pulling away for a moment to look at Sosu’s face. “I have not had a moment’s peace since I disowned you. I know you did the right thing, and I accept you as my son.”
As they mature and grow in the gospel, many young people are able to heal broken family relationships. Their parents see the growth these young people have experienced and can appreciate the great blessings that come to those who live the gospel. Similarly, Bishop Kofi Sosu was able to renew his relationship with his father and feel the joy of being accepted by his father.
But for some of those people who choose to leave their families and follow Christ, there is no joyful reconciliation in this life. For those faithful Saints, though, their loving Heavenly Father embraces them and comforts them as they follow the Savior in faith.

Freetown - The Movie Will Be Shown in Ghana This Month

 

 

1. Three principle cast members are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Three of the six missionaries in the cast are LDS and one member was placed in each of the three companionships. Two are returned missionaries and the other is preparing to serve a mission. The casting was done in West Africa and over 125 actors came to the audition.

2. The underlying theme of Freetown” is to follow faith over fear

The director of “Freetown,” Garrett Batty, says that his purpose in making films like “Saratov Approach” and “Freetown” is to shed light on faith.
“Faith is tough, it’s exhausting, and yet it’s what we endure to keep moving forward and place our trust in God,” Batty said. “[God] is always watching over us. If I can make a film about [faith] that people want to go to the theater to see, I think it’s a worthy effort.”

3. Movie addresses Blacks and the Priesthood

There is one scene in the movie that addresses blacks receiving the Priesthood. One of the missionaries shares with a member how he became one of the first Priesthood holders in West Africa and how he overcame the initial “cognitive dissonance.”

4. The missionaries ended up staying in Freetown for over 7 years

After the missionaries completed their full-time missions, they remained in Freetown until the war in Liberia was over, almost 7 years later. Most of the missionaries lived in refugee camps during that time.

5. “Freetown” was chosen as an official selection for the 2015 Pan African Film Festival

The Pan African Film Festival is the largest and most prestigious international black film festival. The festival’s goal is to feature a broad spectrum of creative works featuring black filmmakers and casts which reinforce positive messages that lead to better understanding of diverse cultures, races, religions and lifestyles.

6. The film was shot on location in Africa

Batty’s previous film, “Saratov Approach,” was shot in Draper, Utah and Ukraine. Afterwards, Batty committed to not filming a movie on two continents. All of “Freetown” was shot in Africa, mostly in Ghana.

Africa Before It Was Colonised

Before Africa was colonised, the continent was characterised by a large degree of pluralism and flexibility. The continent consisted not of closed reproducing entities, equipped with unique unchanging cultures, but of more fluid units that would readily incorporate outsiders (even whites) into the community as long as they accepted its customs, and where the sense of obligation and solidarity went beyond that of the nuclear family.

Ghana is scenic - especially Labadi Beach!

His Member- Missionary Friend Touched His Life - Meet Elder Ama-Gbodonon

Elder Folly Ama-Gbodonon, Cote D'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission

When Folly Ama-Gbodonon was four years old his mother became ill and passed away. (He was born February 12, 1990.) His dear mother left behind a 7 year old daughter; Folly, age 4; a little sister aged 2 and a little 8 month old baby boy.  His father felt he could not face raising the four children so sent the oldest daughter to live with a aunt in a different town, left the other three children with their 65 year old ailing grandmother, and moved to another country (Benin Cotonou). He does not wish to have contact with his children and has only seen them a couple of times during Folly's life.

Little Folly remembers well the lack of clothing or food as a child.  They lived in a one room house without electricity.  He and his siblings and his grandmother were always hungry. And his sweet grandmother was often ill.   At the age of ten he would go to the market and beg for money to go to school and run errands for people for money.  His little sister sold small bags of water.  Using this money, and fending for themselves, he and his siblings attended school when they could.  At the age of 17, Folly would work one year and go to school one year, and thus completed high school in what should have been 3 years, but took him 7 years. He recalls that during his childhood life seemed pretty bleak and was merely a matter of survival.  During those high school years, the missionaries found his older sister and she wanted him to listen to the discussions with her but he was not interested.  Life was not good to him and he did not see how religion could help. 

At the end of his high school experience in order to go on to college, he was required to pay for the exams.  Folly decided once again to ask people in his neighborhood for help.  This time he asked a very kind man, named Joel Lawson-Kiniadga for help.  It just so happened that Joel was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Joel and his wife had a small child and he felt prompted to help the plight of Folly and his siblings.  He also invited Folly to Church.  Folly took the lessons and joined the Church in 2013.  His older sister, who was still interested in the Church encouraged him to serve a mission.  She had just married and had a baby.  However early in 2014 she was taking a taxi to work and was killed in an auto accident.

Brother Lawson-Kiniadga offered to not only support Folly on a mission but help him and his little brother and sister through school.  Brother Lawson-Kiniadga is the first counselor in the Be-Kpota Ward, Folly's home ward.  This is in the Lome Stake.

Elder Folly Ama-Gbodonon is filled with the light of the gospel.  His future and that of his siblings is now bright.  He is honor-bound to serve a wonderful mission in gratitude to the Lord, in tribute to his deceased Sister and in appreciation to the member missionary who brought him the light of the restored gospel.  He leaves the MTC on Tuesday, March 3rd to serve in Cote D'Ivoire.

Ghana MTC 20 February 2015 Slide Show