West Africans lined up to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Before missionaries ever arrived in West Africa, thousands were already waiting to be baptized. Early church history tells of Wilfford Woodruff arriving in England and finding entire groups of people spiritually prepared for baptism. Sometimes it may seem like those types of mass conversions only happened in the early years of the church. But in West Africa, it's happening now and started in the late 1970s.

For years, small groups of believers across West Africa had been reading the Book of Mormon. In Nigeria, Anthony Obina gathered family and friends in his village near Owi. They studied the Book of Mormon, held meetings, and waited for missionaries to come. In Ghana, others were doing the same thing. Joseph William, Billy Johnson, Rebecca Mold, and Raph Vinca organized entire congregations of believers before the church had officially been established there.

Some had been pleading with church leaders for missionaries for more than a decade. Then on June 8th, 1978, President Spencer W. Kimell announced a revelation that would forever change the church. All worthy male members could receive the priesthood regardless of race and temple blessings would now be available to all worthy members. For many across West Africa, it was the answer to years of prayers.

Just months later, two missionary couples arrived in Nigeria and Ghana. Rendle and Rachel maybe and Edwin and Janet Cannon. On November 21st, 1978, Anthony Obina and 18 others were baptized. The first branch of the church in Nigeria was organized. The missionaries soon discovered that entire villages were already waiting for them. People had already been studying, worshiping, and preparing for baptism.

Then came one of the most iconic scenes in modern church history. March 4th, 1979, more than 60 people dressed in white stood beside a river in the Nigerian village of Ecot Ao waiting to be baptized. At nearly the same time, the first baptisms in Ghana were taking place near Cape Coast at what is now remembered as Baptism Beach. Today, Nigeria has grown to more than 250,000 members of the church and now has seven temples operating, under construction, or announced.

Ghana has more than 100,000 members and has one operating temple. And the Kumasi Ghana temple was announced in 2021.