Ghana MTC 06 March 2015 Slide Show

Want To Know What Missionaries in Africa Are Like? Go See the Movie "Freetown"

Six missionaries are portrayed in the movie Freetown

Left to Right Garrett Batty (director), President Robison, Sister Robison, Adam Abel (producer)

Freetown is the next missionary thriller from the makers of the Saratov Approach. The story depicts the desperate journey of Liberian missionaries caught in the middle of a brutal civil war. With their teaching stymied by the conflict, they flee the widespread violence of their native country for a new place where they can continue to proselyte: Freetown, Sierra Leone.

A thrilling story told in beautiful detail, Freetown promises to live up to its hype. After seeing it for the first time, Elder Menti, one of the young men depicted in the film, said, "As I sat in my seat it was just like I was reliving the events, just as vivid as they were."

The movie releases to general audiences in the United States starting April 8th.  It was filmed entirely in Ghana and all of the actors are from Ghana. It is now showing at the Accra Mall in Ghana for the next week.

Elder Vinson Celebrated His 64th Birthday With The Missionaries at the Ghana MTC

Elder & Sister Vinson Spoke to the MTC for the Area Devotional March 12th

Two Sealings Highlighted our Visit to The Ghana Temple Yesterday

Today was our temple day. We attended a session and then following the session stood in a proxy representing the parents of two of our missionaries who had lost theirs. What a sweet experience to know that their parents are now sealed and that these missionaries are sealed to them. Their names were Elder Afangbedji (left) and Elder Lakougnon (right). Both are from Togo.

Sierra Leon Mission President Shares Two Favorite Stories

 Faith & The Sabbath Day

"We were teaching the N's about the Sabbath day and taught how we were not supposed to work or buy food on Sunday. This man and woman looked at each other and I knew why. The family has nothing. The man, John goes and does anything he can to make money everyday. He ends up bringing home 2 or 3 thousand (50-75 cents) a day. If he doesn’t work they don’t eat along with their two children. He looks at me and explains to me that if he makes enough on Saturday to buy for Sunday he will do it. But if he doesn’t after Church they will warm water and drink it and sleep till the next day so they will keep the Sabbath day holy. Then he bore me his testimony how he knew he wouldn’t have to do that because God would provide a way for him."

The Power of the Book of Mormon

"I would like to share one experience with you about a woman named Salimatu. She is the neighbor of a family that we are teaching and her and her daughter usually join us in the lessons. However she is unable to read, so we never gave her a Book of Mormon. She wanted to know if the book was true though so what she would do is go and borrow the book from the family and then pray about it and then put it under her pillow fully believing that she would receive an answer to her prayer as we had told her. She received a vision in which she was walking on a path that was leading her to go and see Jesus Christ. She walked and walked and then started to feel very tired so she decided to sit down, but many different people came to her and told her to continue she continued to walk even though tired found the strength to walk. She said she knows the book is true, but even me it strengthened my own testimony of the Book of Mormon even though she can’t read she understands one very important part. Number one the Book of Mormon will lead us to Christ and it will give us the strength to carry on. I was very inspired about this whole experience and have had a new determination to read the Book of Mormon more and more."

MTC Main Floor Ceiled Framed In

The new MTC is making steady progress.  Here is what it looks like today, March 10th - about six months after the project began.

Life Stories Continue - Meet Elders Moses, Lakougnon & Mgbeoji

"All of us who are under the baptismal covenant have promised to offer the gospel to others.    Sometimes, fear of rejection or of giving offense looms before us like an impassable obstacle. Yet some members clear that barrier with ease. I have observed them carefully in my travels. 

I can picture some of them now.  Saturday is a market day across the world. In the countryside of Ghana, in Ecuador, and in the Philippine Islands, countless people bring the produce of their farms and their handicrafts to a town to sell. They talk with those they meet on the road. And they visit with those near them as they wait for someone to buy. Much of the talk is about the struggles of existence, of breaking out of poverty, and sometimes about danger.

Among those on the roads and in the markets are Latter-day Saints. Much of their talk with those they meet would be the same as you would hear anywhere in the world."  - From a talk called A Child and A Disciple by President Eyring in 2003.

Latter-day Saints across Africa have touched the lives of those young men and women who enter the Ghana MTC to serve as disciples of Christ for 18 months or 2 years.  Here are some of their stories:

Left to Right:  Elder Moses, Elder Lakougnon, Elder Mgbeoji

He Learned He Did Not Have A Normal Upbringing - Elder Emmanuel Abraham Moses

Elder Moses is from Nigeria. As a young boy he felt like his childhood was normal but he was stressed that his parents divorced. He went to live with his dad who moved in with the grandfather who was a member of the Church. His other siblings went to live with his mom. When he was 15 his father died. From the time he and his father moved in with his grandfather, he began to go with his grandfather to Church and was soon baptized at the age of eight. He quickly realized that he had not had a normal life before joining the Church, but now had found happiness.

Orphaned at 10 - Loved by his Uncles - Elder Lidao Louis-Rodrigue Lakougnon

Elder Lakougnon was born in 1993 in Togo. When he was 6 his mother became ill and died and when he was 10 the same demise came to his father. Fortunately his uncle took him in, but his younger brother needed to stay with a different uncle. Young Lidao recalls being too agitated and unstable. He tried too hard to have fun but did well in school. He always had a huge desire to understand the mystery of life. On of his uncles was a member, but before his parents died they would not give him permission to become part of the Church. He did not have contact from the age of 8 to 17 with the Church because he lived in a city where the Church was not found. However, when he moved at the age of 17 his uncle put him in touch with the Church and so he was then baptized on March 5, 2011.

I Wished I Had Motherly Love - Elder Peace Udoka Mgbeoji

Elder Mgbeoji is from Nigeria. He was born into a home where the parents were not members. At an early age he lost his mother, so he did not experience “the motherly love and care that I would have loved to experience but I know that the Lord knows why it was so.” His mother died while giving birth to a younger sibling when Elder Mgbeoji was 5.  His father needed help to raise young children because there were many. His brothers were older and came to get Peace when their mother died. (His father died in March of last year.) Young Peace grew up under the care of his older brothers and appreciates so much their efforts to provide for him. It was through his brothers that he learned about the Church and always attended with them. He started understanding the importance of the restored gospel in his life as he grew older and is happy today because he has a testimony of the restored gospel.