New stake in Port Harcourt

A new stake has been created from the Port Harcourt Nigeria and Port Harcourt Nigeria West stakes. The Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake, which includes the Elelenwo and Eneka branches and Mini-Okoro, Oyigbo, Rumuogba, Umuebule and Woji wards, was created by Elder John B. Dickson of the Seventy.

 

PORT HARCOURT NIGERIA EAST STAKE: (Nov. 13, 2011) President — Aaron Imoh, 51, foreman; wife, Elizabeth Akpan. Counselors — Anderson Anyaso O. Ukeh, 45, manager; wife, Helen Nwaby Ogwy Terrry Ukeh. Frederick Ndah Igweh, 37, director; wife, Evelyn Maluk Benjamin Igweh.

Read more at The Church News

New president for Ghana and South Africa MTCs

Stephen Lamar Graham, 67, and Vanessa Jane Schofield Graham, five children, Ghana Missionary Training Center; Oak Hills 2nd Ward, Provo Utah Oak Hills Stake. Brother Graham is a former president of the Tahiti Papeete Mission, temple ordinance worker, stake physical facilities representative, high councilor, bishop, ward Young Men president and missionary in the French-Polynesia Mission. Associate director of training, Provo Missionary Training Center. Born in Rigby, Idaho, to Leonard Everett and Evelyn Green Graham.

 

Sister Graham served with her husband in the Tahiti Papeete Mission and is a former temple ordinance worker, ward Primary president and counselor, counselor in a ward Relief Society presidency, counselor in a ward Young Women presidency, counselor in a stake Primary presidency, and ward camp director. Born in Rochdale, England, to John Armitage and Irene Plumtree Schofield.

Kenneth Dudley Reber, 70, and Janet Dahl Reber, eight children, South Africa Missionary Training Center; Old Mission Ward, Sandy Utah Cottonwood Creek Stake. Brother Reber is a former president of the Austria Vienna Mission, stake patriarch, counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, temple sealer and ordinance worker and missionary in the Germany Munich Mission. Financial services industry. Born in Mesquite, Nev., to Leonard and Daisy Leavitt Reber.

 

Sister Reber served with her husband in the Austria Vienna and Germany Munich missions. She is a former temple ordinance worker, stake Relief Society president and counselor, member of a stake Young Women board, counselor in a ward Primary presidency, ward organist, Primary chorister and ward Relief Society teacher. Born in St. George, Utah, to Clarence Peter and Pheby Crawford Dahl.

Read more at LDS Church News

First baptisms in Uvira, DRC

In April 2011, when there was no established church branch in Uvira DRCongo, twelve friends of the church decided that they would not wait any longer to be taught the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  They along with others, in their Uvira community, had been gathering for many, many years each week to read the Book of Mormon and study the principles of the gospel together.  Their desire to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and be baptized, drove them to sacrifice the money, time and effort to travel by transport bus on extremely rough roads for an hour and half (one way) into Bujumbura, Burundi and back, crossing over the country borders multiple times, attending weekly sacrament meetings in the new branch in Bujumbura and being taught by the full-time missionaries.

On May 14, 2011, they were all baptized in Bujumbura, Burundi.  However, they and others in their community continued to plead for the establishment of the church to come to their homeland city of Uvira.
Read more at the Frogley Adventures blog

Church partnering to help East Africa drought victims

The worst East African drought conditions in 50 years have left more than 13 million people in urgent need of assistance, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is working with various other organizations to coordinate the distribution of aid in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

Read more at LDS Newsroom

Temple fund blesses LDS Africans

In the recent semiannual general conference, President Thomas S. Monson spoke of the thousands of faithful Latter-day Saints whose lives were being blessed thanks to the Church’s General Temple Patron Fund. The fund helps faithful members with limited financial resources and who live far from a temple to visit the temple for the first time.

Read the full article at LDS Church News

Malawi to be dedicated for missionary work

On the heels of the organization of the new Zambia Lusaka Mission and the creation of several new branches and groups in Malawi, members report that Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve will visit Malawi and offer a formal dedicatory prayer for the nation.  Malawi currently pertains to the Zambia Lusaka Mission and LDS congregations operate in Blantyre (4), Lilongwe (3), and Liwonde.  With nearly 16 million inhabitants, Malawi appears a very favorable nation to have its first LDS mission organized in the near future.

via LDS Church Growth

First branch organized in eastern DRC

The first LDS branch was recently organized in Uvira, DR Congo.  The Uvira Branch becomes the first LDS branch ever organized in the entire eastern or northern areas of the country.  Beginning in 2008, the Church has begun to organize new branches in previously unreached cities such as Gandajika, Kakanda, Kasumbalesa, Kipushi, Matadi, and Mwene-Ditu but with the exception of Matadi all of these cities are located within a day’s drive from a city that already had an LDS congregation.  The organization of the new branch in Uvira was made possible by the opening of Burundi to missionary work one year ago and the diligence of local members in the Uvira area to cross the border and frequently attend church services in Bujumbura.

via LDS Church Growth