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compiled
by Maurine Jensen Proctor
Book
Excerpt from Safe Journey, An African Adventure by Glenn
L. Pace. In recent days to prepare our minds and hearts for the
Ghana temple dedication Meridian has run two additional articles.
The first tells of the remarkable
faith of the people of Ghana, and the second
describes the obstacles in the path to building a temple in the
land.
Meridian Magazine’s
Editorial Team will be in Ghana for the temple dedication, taking
you to a front row seat at this remarkable, history-making spiritual
milestone. With scores of photographic images by Scot F. Proctor
and personal interviews with African missionaries and Saints, you
will be able to feel the energy and excitement as the light dawns
in what used to be called the dark continent. See these articles
next week on Meridian—reporting from Ghana.
Africa, observed
Elder Glenn L. Pace, in his book Safe Journey, is a roller
coaster of extremes. An innately spiritual people who need to be
taught the ways of leadership. A piece of soaring good news one
day about the Church’s progress with a setback the next.
As the new millennium
burst upon them in Accra, Ghana, he caught himself humming:
The day
dawn is breaking, the world is awaking,
The clouds of night’s darkness are fleeing away.
The worldwide commotion, from ocean to ocean,
Now heralds the time of the beautiful day.
In many
a temple the Saints will assemble
And labor as saviors of dear ones away.
Then happy reunion and sweetest communion
We’ll have with our friends in the beautiful day.
Beautiful
day of peace and rest,
Bright be thy dawn from east to west.
Hail to thine earliest welcome ray,
Beautiful, bright, millennial day (Hymns, 52)
“I don’t
hum very often,” he said, but I had never felt more positive
about our course in regard to the future temple.
“But the
song in my heart was short-lived. On January 4, a rumor reached
us that the temple had been rejected outright. I called my sources,
who confirmed the rumor. I felt helpless. I couldn’t stop
thinking about the temple but didn’t know what to do.
This was Elder
Pace’s darkest hour of their three years of service in Africa.
He received the word from President Hinckley, “Let the temple
matter lay fallow for a while.”
Months of doom
and gloom followed and Elder Pace worked with the African Saints
to help them prepare to go the temple. Describing how the children
of Israel fashioned a golden calf for themselves while Moses was
in Mt. Sinai receiving the law, He warned them specifically about
their “golden calves.” “Anything that keeps a
member from being temple worthy is a golden calf,” he explained.
“What
percentage of adults in this stake do you think will be endowed
when we open the temple in Aba? [The Nigerian temple had been announced
by this point.] It will be far too low because those paying a full
tithing is very low. Golden calves! I continue to believe we would
have a temple in Ghana right now if we had prepared ourselves better
by paying our tithes and offerings.
“The other
day I heard a report coming from one of your stakes that many members
excuse themselves from paying their tithing because ‘the Church
is rich’ and the people need the money more than the Church.
Golden calves!”
Elder Pace described
other golden calves among the people. Marriages needed to be legalized.
People needed to be honest and free from lying, stealing or cheating.
Tribalism was a golden calf. In fact, he said, “This isn’t
a golden calf, this is a gigantic golden bull.” Leaders in
the Church he said must be “tribe blind” and turn to
the Lord in making their inspired callings.
Then suddenly
a burst of light came through the gloom. George Bonnet, the director
of temporal affairs for the Church came with his wife to the Pace
home and said “in a very somber way, ‘We’ve got
a temple.’” Elder Pace said, “I thought he was
talking about Aba, Nigeria, because the bids were due on the road
and bridge that day. He said, ‘No, I mean we’ve got
the Ghana temple.’ I waited for the punch line, which was
not forthcoming. Finally, I said, ‘Are you serious?’
I soon learned that he was.”
Elder Pace wrote
in his journal the next day: “I’ve tried to analyze
what has happened in the last two years, but I am at a loss to explain
it. I think everything that has been done with different influential
people has slowly had an impact on the powers that be. All it took
was one last little push, which occurred yesterday. After all the
analyzing is done, I know the Lord has just taken things into his
own hands and slowly and gently softened the appropriate hearts
in response to the prayers of the Saints. I feel the Lord has done
this because of the critical mass of Saints who have prepared to
enter the temple.”
“As fate
would have it,” wrote Elder Pace, “Elders Jeffrey R.
Holland and Earl C. Tingey arrived on February 14 for a few days.
We had already scheduled a special meeting of the Saints on February
15 in Accra so the members could hear them speak. We decided we
would make the announcement about the temple to the members at that
time. It seemed very fitting, since Elder Holland was in attendance
in February 1998 when President Hinckley made the original announcement.
Three full years had gone by.”
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A letter announcing
that approval had been granted from the Town and Country Planning
Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly was read that night
to the Saints. “The audience erupted,” wrote Elder Pace.
“They stood up, applauded, and screamed. When President Sono-Koree
concluded the letter, reading the words that expressed appreciation
to the Lord for bringing about such a miracle, they erupted again.
You would have thought we had just made a winning touchdown with
one second to go. I told them we would excuse their applause and
yelling in the chapel just this one time, and that brought laughter
from all. As I put it in my journal, “We were all euphoric.”
The cheering,
applauding Saints were not only a product of the past where the
gospel had grown spontaneously even before missionaries arrived
in West Africa, but a beacon for the future. Elder Pace had told
them these words at the dedication of the first Church-owned building
in Ghana:
“Sometime
after the Savior’s plan was accepted and he was foreordained
to become the Savior of the world, you stood before the Lord to
get your assignment. In my mind I can hear him say, ‘We need
someone to go to the earth and live in Ghana, Africa, and join the
Church prior to 1978. They will be subjected to persecution for
belonging to the Church. They won’t even be able to hold the
priesthood at first. They will need to be true to the teachings,
even though the Church won’t be organized in Ghana when they
join.’
“Who here
joined the Church prior to 1978? Please stand. When the Lord said,
‘Whom shall I send to Ghana?’ these people stood up
and said, ‘Here am I, send me.’
“Then
I think the Lord may have said, ‘I need some children to be
born in Ghana who will join the Church between 1978 and 1988 and
start building the Church. You will see it grow, and then at the
end of time, because of some criticism about the Church, its activities
will be frozen and you will need to worship for a time in your own
homes. Your neighbors will think you belong to an evil church. However,
you will need to be faithful and have the faith that the Church
will return to Ghana.’
“How many
joined the Church prior to 1989? Please stand. The Lord said, ‘Whom
shall I send?’ and you said, ‘Here am I, send me.’
“Perhaps
he then said, ‘We need more to join the Church between 1988
and 1998, and you will join all the others to help build the kingdom
and prepare each other for a temple, which will be announced in
February 1998.’
“How many
have joined the Church since 1988? All members stand. And the Lord
said, ‘Whom shall I send?’ and you answered, “Here
am I, send me.’
“Perhaps
the Lord then said, ‘During this critical time we will need
some couples from the United States to leave their children and
grandchildren for a few years and serve the people of Ghana.’
All missionary couples stand. The Lord said, ‘Whom shall I
send?’ and you answered, ‘Here am I, send me.’”
With the dedication
of the temple in Ghana, a dam will be broken which has held back
not only God’s children here on earth in Africa, but a multitude
in the Spirit world who have been waiting for this minute.
Hallelujah!
Euphoria!
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