Line upon Line

Cover image: The exterior of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple via ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Today, once “hot” and fertile Gospel proselyting grounds have weak growth if not contraction. In 2013 or so, for example, Athens, Greece blossomed to eight branches with some great enthusiasm for more. Then a fellow happened upon the Latter-day Saint missionaries and feigned enthusiasm to be taught. Soon he was baptized and quickly got to know the Saints of Greece in as many branches as possible. Then, his true colors came out.

Whether he was a plant by the Greek Orthodox Church or just an adherent, this fellow turned out to be a professional journalist who embedded himself in Christ’s Church. He knew that the Greek Orthodox Church greatly influenced daily life in Greece. Getting married or even getting good jobs depended upon your orthodoxy with the Orthodox. So strong was the influence that young people who joined the Restored Church dared not tell their parents. So, when this fellow published in the press the names and contact information of the members in the eight branches, a depression set in. People dared not attend and today there exists but one small branch in Athens.

This too shall pass.

Growth of the Church of Jesus Christ ebbs and flows. At the Sermon on the Mount, his followers were legion. At the cross, not so much. Peter presided over an expanding base in Israel with Paul and other apostles fanned out to capture the hearts and spirits of those in Israel, Turkey, Greece and elsewhere. One by one the apostles were killed, and the Church was lost from the earth although faith remained strong in the hearts of the faithful.

With the Restoration of His Church, hundreds and thousands rallied around the prophet and gathered to Kirtland. Then apostles apostatized. So many fell away. England and Sweden soon blossomed and gathered my ancestors.

Today, those fertile grounds that sent so many Saints to Utah – Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, England and such grow slowly, at best.

Where is the Gospel ground fertile today? We see growth in unimaginable places. Certainly, I’m surprised by the growth in India. But even more so is the meteoric growth in Africa. In 2011, Elder Jeffrey Holland stated, “Africa will someday be seen as a bright land full of gospel hope and happiness.”

Consider these numbers in light of Elder Holland’s prophetic statement:

• In 1853 the Church was established in Cape Town, South Africa.
• The Book of Mormon has been translated into 18 languages used in Africa.
• In 1964, Joseph Johnson read the Book of Mormon and was converted. Many other men and women in Nigeria, Ghana, and other west African countries were also converted including Dr. Kissi, Adjei Kwame, and others and held meetings, awaiting the day they could have missionaries sent to organize the Church there. Getting visas for Church work in west Africa was tough to impossible.
• March 22, 1970, first stake organized in South Africa.
• 1978: President Kimball receives a revelation for the priesthood to be given to all worthy males, an answer to prayers by other prophets including President David O. McKay.
• “In 1978, when the Obinna family learned of the revelation on the priesthood, they wrote to the First Presidency: “We are happy for the many hours in the upper rooms of the temple you spent supplicating the Lord to bring us into the fold. We thank our Heavenly Father for hearing your prayers and ours. … We thank you for extending the priesthood, … to prepare us to receive every blessing of the gospel.” When the missionaries arrived in Nigeria, they found many people prepared for the gospel as a result of Brother Obinna’s teaching and leadership. The first Latter-day Saint chapel built in Nigeria is near the Obinnas’ home in Aboh Mbaise, of the Imo State.” (Elder E. Dale LeBaron, only mission president in Africa in 1978.)
• 1980 – integrated congregations in segregated South Africa established. Many black Africans receive priesthood leadership callings including the first Zulu sent to England as a missionary.
• In 1985 the first temple built.
• In 2011 the Church announced its second temple in Africa.
• 2011 to 2021 – 10-year growth of 121%
• Today:
  • 400,000 African members of the Church
  • 40 missions
  • 22 temples are either being used, under constructed or announced.

Why are they joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in record numbers?

Elder David Bednar has a pretty good explanation: “Africa has been influenced in many parts of the continent through early Christian missionaries. When you go to visit with a congregation there and you recite a verse from the Bible, everyone in the congregation, without looking at a text, can recite it with you. There’s a very strong Christian tradition. So, the message of the restoration of the primitive Church strikes a resonant chord with these people. They come, they see our congregations, they participate, and they desire to join.”

The Kittlesons recently returned from a mission to Africa. Steve is a therapist and Kathy assisted him in their capacity as Area Mental Health Advisors to the missionaries in the Africa West Area which included 17 missions and the Ghana MTC. My questions and their answers follow:

Stoddard: What were the greatest challenges for the people of west Africa?

Kittlesons: Higher education, employment, and the cost of getting married. Higher education is very expensive. And even when someone completes their degree, we have heard it might take two to six years for them to find a job in their specialty.

Unemployment and underemployment are two big challenges. The cost for young adults to get married continues to include the bride price where a young man needs to pay the young woman’s family a large sum in cash or goods or presents to be able to marry her.

In addition, to rent an apartment a couple needs to save up a year’s worth of rent to pay in advance. Consequently, a lot of the young people are postponing marriage until they have enough money to take care of these two issues.

Stoddard: How is the Church handling the growth in west Africa where you served?

Kittlesons: One way is through a program called The Gathering. This allows young single adults to meet together on a regular basis and have institute class, Pathway, learn keyboarding, learn a new language, become aware of job opportunities, have access to the Perpetual Education Fund, etc.

Stoddard: How receptive are people to the Gospel?

Kittlesons: In West Africa the people are very humble and very faithful. They are willing to talk about Jesus Christ anytime. It is easy for the missionaries to approach them. Whenever we would ask somebody if they believed in Jesus Christ they would often respond, “yes, He is my friend.” That makes it easy to talk and introduce them to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stoddard: How can our readers help out?

Kittlesons: Best way is to go there if possible. There are many good senior missionary sources for the growth of the church in Africa. Elder Jorge Klebingat serves there with Elder Gifford Nielsen as the area president.

Just as Christ’s church expanded and contracted and expanded during His time and shortly thereafter, just as the followers of Christ in the Book of Mormon ebbed and flowed, the growth today will follow suit. Do recall Nephi’s prophecies about the church of the Lamb of God would face huge opposition and remain relatively small.

Perhaps a tipping point has been reached so that the Gospel can grow in fertile ground in Africa. They need it as much as any people and seem to be especially prepared for the Restored Gospel. Reaching out to these African Saints is so possible via the Internet. Making friends there can go a long way to sharing the blessings of the Gospel for both you and the people you’ll meet.

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The Proctors are taking a group of people February 8, 2023 to east Africa’s Tanzania. While there we’ll visit the Arusha branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and get to learn of how the church is progressing there.

We’ll also meet the general population of Tanzania in small towns and the children in the schools. Plus, we get to visit an ancient tribal village of the Maasai. We see them in their authentic mud and stick homes living as their ancestors have for millennia. 

Between visits, we see the widely diverse topography of majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Maru, crater floors in Ngorondoto and Ngorongoro, the archaeological digs of Olduvai, the majestic lakes of Momella and Manyara, the Rift Valley and the “forever plains” of the Serengetti with millions of animals on our game drives.

CLICK HERE to get more information on how you can join the trip.