By small and simple means are great things brought to pass

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints didn't come to the African nation of Angola through missionaries. It all started with one woman. In 1975, as civil war erupted in Angola, a young woman named Maria Dilva fled her home along with 20 members of her family. She escaped the violence and became a refugee in Lisbon, Portugal. Three years later, a friend invited her to a simple party hosted by a local Latter-day Saint Ward.

Just three months later, Maria and her mother were baptized. She would later say, "The greatest blessing of my life was baptism." As Maria became deeply involved in the church, something unexpected began to happen. She started having repeated dreams. In her dreams, she saw the church in Angola, herself teaching, worshiping, gathering people, and those dreams stayed with her. In 1990, despite the civil war still raging, Maria acted on those dreams and returned to Angola.

Knowing there was no church presence there, she gathered every church manual she could find and packed them into her luggage. In Lwanda, Angola, Maria was the only baptized member of the church living permanently in the country. So, she opened her home. Every Sunday, people came. They prayed. They sang hymns. They learned. Maria taught every lesson. primary relief society Sunday school priesthood.

She organized a choir and for nearly two years the group grew quietly faithfully until there were more than 100 people gathering to worship. In 1992, Maria learned that church leaders were staying at a hotel in Lwanda. She arranged to meet Elder Earl C. Tingi of the 70. That Sunday, Elder Tingy walked into a conference and was stunned. A choir greeted him singing Latter-day Saint hymns, and more than 100 unbaptized converts were there.

Afterward, he asked Maria for help securing official recognition for the church in Angola. Maria prepared the paperwork, and then, as she set out to deliver it, violence flared again. Bodies still lay in the streets. There was no postal system. So, Maria walked carrying the church's application past the dead to the government office. She was told, "Many churches are ahead of you.

Some have waited 20 years." She submitted the papers and that night, Maria prayed. Lord, please help us move forward. The spirit impressed her to trust God. 2 weeks later, the church received official recognition. Many of those Maria had taught were baptized shortly after. Today, there are 29 congregations in Angola. This story reminds me that when you receive a prompting to act, act.

Great miracles can come from following those prompings. I love that Maria's actions changed many lives and brought the gospel to an entire nation. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.