Bishop Gérald Caussé Shared Story of Faithfulness of African Saints in April 2015 General Conference

A sister missionary told the story of three men she met during a district conference in Africa. They came from an isolated village far away in the bush where the Church had not yet been organized but where there were 15 faithful members and almost 20 investigators. For over two weeks these men had walked on foot, traveling more than 300 miles (480 km) over paths rendered muddy by the rainy season, so they could attend the conference and bring the tithes from the members of their group. They planned to stay for an entire week so they could enjoy the privilege of partaking of the sacrament the following Sunday and then hoped to set out on the return trip carrying boxes filled with copies of the Book of Mormon on their heads to give to the people of their village.

The missionary testified how touched she was by the sense of wonder these brethren displayed and by their wholehearted sacrifices to obtain things that for her had always been readily available.

She wondered: “If I got up one Sunday morning in Arizona and found that my car wasn’t working, would I walk to my church only a few blocks away from home? Or would I just stay home because it was too far or because it was raining?”

(Adapted from Lorraine Bird Jameson, “The Giants of Kinkondja” (article on Africa Southeast Area website, 2009); web.archive.org/web/20101210013757/http:/www.lds.co.za/index.php/news-a-events/news/aseanews/91-the-giants-of-kinkondja...a village in the DR Congo) 

Elder Agyei's parents were sealed today, and then all six children were sealed to them

One of the sweet experiences of serving the missionaries in the temple is helping them with family sealings.  In Elder Agyei's case his parents were not sealed, yet were endowed.  They all joined the Church a little over a year ago.  Now Elder Agyei leaves for the mission field with having all of his siblings and himself sealed to his parents right after they were sealed.  Sitting in on the experience, were Elder and Sister Wilde (Area Executive Secretary and companion), Elder and Sister Watson (family history senior couple), Elder and Sister Malmrose (MTC senior couple) and Sister Robison and myself (MTC President).

We love the temple.

French Speaking Missionaries Attend Temple This Day

Many of these missionaries are from Cote D'Ivoire and are most excited about yesterday's announcement of a new temple for them (after the mission.)

Look At the Progress of the New MTC in Ghana As of April 7, 2015

Work has now started on the second level

Here are the apartments (residences) of the MTC Presidency

As you can see, the progress as of April 7, 2015 is steady

How Is Easter Celebrated in Ghana?

Easter is celebrated across the board in Ghana. It is celebrated by both Christians and non-Christians alike, but each group has its own interpretation and activities to mark the occasion.
For Christians, the celebration starts well before Palm Sunday, but Palm Sunday is the largest, most widely known event before Easter. Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem before His crucifixion, death and resurrection. It is important to Christians all over the world, and Ghana is no exception.
In Ghana, Palm Sunday is celebrated by various church congregations with processions through some principal streets. Paraders wave palm branches and handkerchiefs and sing “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!”

The next important day of the Easter season for Ghanaian Christians is Good Friday. Nearly everyone tries to attend church on Good Friday because they believe that their sins from the year are crucified on the cross with the Son of God.

In most orthodox churches, men and women are dressed in dark-color mourning clothes and are in solemn moods. Many people attend church services only this one time during the year.

People in charismatic churches, on the other hand, dress in bright colors and are in happy moods. They believe that Jesus’ death calls for celebration because He died for their sins. 

 

Some ethnic groups, like the Kwehus of the Eastern Region of Ghana, see Easter as one of the holidays that they need to travel to their home town to enjoy. A Kwehu-born person will go to any length to travel home to celebrate Easter.
For other Ghanaians, Easter is just one of the many festivals to celebrate. These people do not know the true meaning of Easter; they take it for fun and go to beaches where they drink and do various immoral things. For them, instead of Easter being a time to do some real soul-searching and transformation, this holiday is a season for entertainment and merry making.

On Easter Sunday, Ghanaian Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Country-wide, everybody dresses in white for church. Everyone is in a happy mood.

The Monday after Easter is mostly a public holiday. People go for picnics to various locations, such as beaches, parks, or church premises, or on out-of-town excursions to tourist attractions. Special dishes are prepared. This day is all merry making. To Ghanaian Christians, Easter is a day of remembering what Christ did on the cross for all mankind; not just remembering but knowing that it was the foundation for their salvation. They believe that without the passion of Christ, people would not know that there is a place for them to go after death.

(Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/easter-in-ghana/#ixzz3WVuUyQNd)

Patrick Discovers "This Is The Right Place"

When Brigham Young arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he was ill and was laying in the back of a wagon. He was helped out of the wagon and looked down over the Valley and said "this is the right place, move on."

Our own Patrick Appianti, who is in Utah for training and for General Conference, paused yesterday at that sight with Lane Steinagel.

Below, Patrick is pictured with the Mills at Easter dinner in their home:

Hurrah for Israel! Third and Fourth French-speaking Temples

President Monson just announced that a temple will be built in the Ivory Coast and in Haiti.  Along with the Paris, France temple which will be dedicated in 2017,  and the recently announced D R Congo temple, that makes four French-speaking Temples.

Abidjan Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) Temple
Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is home to approximately 20 million people, including over 22,000 members of the Church. The Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple will be the first in the country, where missionary work officially began in 1988. Church members in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s second most populous city, currently attend temple services in Accra, Ghana, which is a 12-hour drive.

Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
Haiti is home to approximately 10 million people, including more than 19,000 members of the Church. The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple will be the first in the country, where missionary work officially began in 1980. Church members in Haiti currently attend temple services in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which is almost a day’s journey away.