Latest / Words of the Living Prophets / A Peek Into the Church in West Africa - Clark G. Gilbert

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A Peek Into the Church in West Africa - Clark G. Gilbert · Words of the Living Prophets

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  Well, today is a real opportunity.
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  We have the whole Africa West. Area presidency here in SALT.
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  Lake A. Unique gathering and we have the
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  current area president, Elder Alfred Kyungu, who's here and
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  originally from. The DRC.
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  The Democratic Republic of Congo.
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  Elder Ogiteron, who's from Nigeria and Elder Morrison, who
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  is from Ghana. I just wanted to spend a minute
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  with each of you talking a little.
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  Bit about the Africa West area. This is a new area of
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  responsibility for me and my calling in the. 12 but we've
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  had. Lots of time over the years.
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  For BYU. Pathway and Seminarian Institute
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  to be in the area and to feel what's happening in the area and
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  Elder Kuhn go, maybe I could. Just start with you.
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  Tell us a little bit about the Africa West area.
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  What's included in the area and? Give us just a little overview.
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  Thank you all the the Africa area.
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  The Africa West area has the 16 countries starting from Nigeria,
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  Togo, Benin, Togo, Ghana Codivo, we will call it the Ivory Coast
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  and we have Liberia, we have a Sierra Leone, we have a Guinea
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  Conakry, we have a Senegal, we have The Gambia, we have a
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  Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and
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  the Chard. But in in those sixteen
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  countries, we the Church has a presence only in 11 countries.
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  11 of the 16 countries English speaking, French speaking.
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  Yeah, we have 9 French speaking countries and the seven are
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  English speaking countries. Wonderful.
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  Well, I know it's been inspiring for me and Christine to have
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  been to the area and feel the strength of what's happening
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  there and maybe for the. Broader church you could just
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  share with us. A few of the milestones.
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  Of the growth. Of the Church in the Africa.
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  West area. Yeah, this Africa West area is
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  growing so fast. It's really incredible the
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  things we are witnessing. This is really the fulfillment
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  of the brethren, the prophecy that we don't need to miss this
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  majesty of this moment. So just as has been in this
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  service as a president for almost 2 years now, we're able
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  to create 15 stakes. 15 stakes in your time.
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  Yes, 7 missions and we are building all the leadership
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  development because we are trying to understand how do we
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  support that growth is so amazing.
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  We are trying to have the leadership understand how they
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  need to apply this principle of honesty and integrity to
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  increase their capacity to lead the church.
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  And also we are focusing on the the rising generation.
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  It's a growing area where we have the resignation part of
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  this work as we are preparing them to go serve missions, We're
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  inviting them to attend church programs and like SNIBY Pathway,
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  succeed in school and all these things.
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  So it's it's amazing. Wow.
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  Well, you know, Speaking of the rising generation earlier.
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  This year. Although Jitteron, I was with
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  you and Lagos, Nigeria and we were working on the growth of
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  BYU pathway in the area. Tell us just a little.
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  Bit about the impact BYU pathway is having on the Saints in the
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  area. Thank you.
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  The BYU Pathway is a remarkable blessing in the lives of the
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  members of the Africa West area, especially our young single
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  adults. About 1/3 of the global
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  enrollment that is happening in Africa West area.
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  We are having increased membership and a lot of people
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  are joining the church and the good thing is this is helping
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  members to be spiritually and temporarily self reliant.
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  As disciples of Jesus Christ. We have witnessed increase in
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  jobs and even a lot of people are now having remote and local
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  jobs and that is helping a lot of our young single adults to
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  attend temples and also serve in prominent leadership callings.
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  These these outcomes are truly helping to lay the solid
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  foundation spiritually and temporarily for the growth that
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  the area is witnessing now. So when the elder Kyungu says
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  the church growing so fast, we need to develop leaders.
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  And you're saying one of the ways that's happening is through
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  education and in particular through BYU Pathway?
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  Exactly, exactly. And that is really helping to
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  develop future leaders. And with that, the Lord is
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  building solid foundation for the Kingdom in the area.
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  I want to highlight one thing you said Most members of the.
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  Church wouldn't. Realize 1/3 of the global
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  enrollment of BYU pathway is in your area in the Africa West
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  area and. To to.
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  Help people understand that there are more students in BYU
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  pathway in your. Area.
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  Than the total enrollment at BYU.
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  So you could take all the students.
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  At BYU and they. Wouldn't exceed.
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  The total enrollment that you 3 brethren supervise in your area,
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  it's remarkable. That is absolutely correct.
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  Now. Before higher.
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  Education. We have seminary and then we
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  pair institute. With higher.
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  Education and Elder Morrison, I'd like to just.
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  Ask you a little bit, you're a product.
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  Of the seminary program. Is that correct?
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  Yeah. You met your wife in seminary?
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  We did. And she must have seen something
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  in you back then to lock in. And you guys?
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  Tell us a little bit about. That story and and tell us then,
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  more generally, how seminaries blessing the Saints in the
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  Africa West. Area.
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  Well as I'm 17 year old I was invited to go to seminary.
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  I wasn't even a member of the church and when I got there I
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  felt belonged. I felt loved by my peers around
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  and that beautiful relationship began at 18 and and now I have a
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  wife to myself from seminary. Is she the one who invited you
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  or you just met her there? No, she wasn't the one that I
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  invited, but I just met her there.
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  Oh, wonderful. And to your point, seminary is a
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  great blessing in the Africa West area.
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  As we speak now, seminary students in West Africa area now
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  is over 60,000 and this is an increase of about 40% from last
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  year. And that really shows that the
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  youth are hidden to the prophets call.
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  President Oaks has invited the youth to attend seminary
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  regularly and it's becoming a spiritual anchor for our youth
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  to be able to learn how to study the scriptures, to be able to
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  say their personal prayers, and to be able to serve in the
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  church. This is helping in their mission
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  preparation and as a result we are having good, good
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  missionaries who come through the MTC because they have been
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  well grounded in seminary. So seminaries preparing young
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  adults for missions exactly. And BYU pathways preparing or
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  seminaries preparing youth for missions.
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  BYU pathways preparing young. Adults for.
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  Self reliant church service and and I hope as members watch and
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  listen to this presidency, they're getting a feeling of the
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  excitement coming from the Africa.
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  West area. Hello Kungu could.
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  I have you just close with what would you?
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  Hope members here in the United States, in Latin America and the
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  Pacific, all around the world would feel and learn from the
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  experiences you 3 leaders are feeling from the growth of the
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  Church in Africa. West.
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  We feel really privileged to witness this growth, especially
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  the faith of the sense in Africa West.
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  Thus, these people are really full of faith.
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  They love the Savior Jesus Christ.
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  They love the restore gospel. They can do whatever they have
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  been asked to do to fulfill their church callings on Sunday
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  when they're attending sacrament meeting in the other classes.
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  They're not rushing to go back home.
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  They would like that to stay the church just to be there to feed
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  the love. So the gospel has brought a big
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  change in their lives. How people are changing to
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  become to the sample of Jesus Christ.
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  So we are witnessing really a big faith among the members from
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  Africa, Western. You know I have.
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  Felt that. Every time I've been to.
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  The Africa West area, the the faith.
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  Of the members. Is so.
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  Inspiring and it pushes me to want to be a better disciple
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  myself and I remember asking them why has the Lord commanded
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  us to get education. This was a stake center full of
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  youth, and I think you were with me in that and I.
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  Thought there's. More insight in this room to
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  this question than I could get anywhere in the church.
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  And I was so inspired by what they knew and more even
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  importantly, what they felt. And, and I hope the three of you
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  know, we feel that from you. I I'm so excited.
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  To serve. With you and to learn from you.
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  Elder Kyungu and I were called at the same time and we've been
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  long friends. Our wives are such close friends
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  and what a thrill for me to serve with you in an area of
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  the. Church.
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  That I love so much and more importantly, that I know the
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  Lord love so much. So thank you for your service
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  and spending a little time with us today.
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  Thank you. Thank you for the invitation.
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  Thank you. Thank you.