Seven new missions - mostly in developing nations - have been announced by the First Presidency.
The new missions are: Argentina Buenos Aires West, Colombia Bogota South, Camaroon Yaounde, Nigeria Illorin, Nigeria Jos, Papua New Guinea Port Moresby and Philippines Cabanatuan missions. Presidents of these missions will be announced later.In addition to these seven are the three new missions announced Feb. 15 in the Church News - the Russia St. Petersburg and Russia Moscow, and the Ukraine Kiev, created on Feb. 3.
With the creation of the new missions, there are now 50 missions in South America. Coincidentally, the 50th mission was created in Argentina, where the first mission on the continent was created on Dec. 3, 1925. South America was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel Dec. 25, 1925, by Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Council of the Twelve.
Also included in the new missions are three in western Africa. One, the Camaroon Yaounde Mission, encompasses the nations of Camaroon, Gabon and Equitorial Guinea, which are included within the mission boundaries for the first time.
The new missions bring the total number of missions in the Church to 275.
Argentina Buenos Aires West
The Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission was created in a division of the Argentina Buenos Aires South and Argentina Buenos Aires North missions. The new mission, which began Jan. 20, has some 14,500 members in five stakes within a total population of 3.9 million. The realigned Buenos Aires North mission has 13,700 members in four stakes, one district and four independent branches within a total population of 5.7 million. The realigned Buenos Aires South mission has 13,490 members in four stakes, two districts and two independent branches within a total population of 4.1 million.
Elder Lynn A. Mickelsen of the Seventy and first counselor in the South American South Area presidency said missionary work in the Buenos Aires area is progressing. Leaders are continuing to emphasize activation efforts among less-active members and retention of new converts.
The creation of 50 missions within the short period of 67 years is evidence of the growth of the Church in South America, he said.
Colombia Bogota South
The new Colombia Bogota South Mission was created Jan. 17 in a division of the Colombia Bogota Mission, which has been renamed Colombia Bogota North Mission. The new mission has 9,981 members within a population of 5.3 million. The Bogota North mission has 10,460 members and 5.3 million people.
According to Pres. William L. Riley of the Bogota North mission, work has proceeded more slowly in Colombia in recent years than in the past. However, with the new mission, more missionaries will be available to teach the large population that awaits them.
"Missionaries work mostly through references from members," he explained. "Bogota is a very modern city and there is so much home security that it is very difficult to tract."
Missionaries serving in Colombia are South Americans who relate well to their countrymen, he said.
"We do a lot of work on fellowshipping." He explained that the area presidency, under the leadership of Elder William R. Bradford, is attempting to create more units so meeting places will be closer to the members and reduce the need for transportation.
Pres. Riley said members in Colombia are becoming more excited about the prospect of a new temple being built in their land. Plans for the temple were announced in 1984. "There is a renewed spirituality," he observed.
Camaroon Yaounde
The new Camaroon Yaounde Mission will be created July 1. The Republic of Camaroon, with a land area a little larger than the state of California, has a population of 11 million, composed of more than 200 ethnic groups who speak English and French and 24 language groups. The economy is primarily based on agriculture and petroleum exports.
Gabon, or the Gabonese Republic, is about the size of Colorado and is sparsely populated with about 1 million people. The people speak French and originate from some 40 ethnic groups that speak French and five African languages. Some 100,000 expatriate Europeans and Africans live in Gabon, including about 18,000 of French ancestry.
The land is primarily an equatorial rain forest. Its main revenue comes from exporting crude oil and lumber.
Equatorial Guinea, about the size of the state of Maryland, has a population of 359,000 that speaks Spanish, Fang and English and has an economy based on agricultural.
Both Camaroon and Gabon were extensively exploited in previous centuries by European slave traders.
Few members live in either country, but occasionally Latter-day Saints served there in behalf of the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies over the past decades.
Nigeria Illorin
The new Nigeria Illorin Mission, to begin July 1, will be created from a division of the Nigeria Lagos Mission. After the division, the new mission will have some 500 members in one district, and a non-member population of more than 25 million. The realigned Nigeria Lagos Mission will have about 3,000 members in three districts within a population of more than 20 million people.
The Nigeria Lagos Mission was created as the Africa West Mission on July 1, 1980, and changed to the Nigeria Lagos Mission on July 1, 1985.
Roots of missionary work in Nigeria go back to the 1950s when a few Nigerians learned about the Church through magazine articles. They acquired LDS literature and groups began meeting in the Church's name. From time to time, various groups requested missionaries from Church headquarters. Early attempts to send missionaries were thwarted, however, because visas were unavailable.
The historic revelation on the priesthood, announced June 8, 1978, paved the way for the beginning of work in Nigeria. By early 1980, more than 1,700 converts were baptized in Nigeria and Ghana. In less than a decade, membership in Nigeria alone reached 10,000. In 1988, the Aba Nigeria Stake and the Nigeria Aba Mission were created.
Nigeria Jos
The Nigeria Jos Mission will be created July 1 from a division of the Nigeria Aba Mission. The new Nigeria Jos Mission will have some 30 members, but no districts have been organized. The population of the new mission is more than 30 million. The realigned Nigeria Aba mission will retain 12,000 members in two stakes and six districts within a non-member population of more than 20 million.
According to Elder Richard P. Lindsay, president of the Africa Area, and his counselors, Elders Robert E. Sackley and J Ballard Washburn, there are about 100 local full-time missionaries serving in Nigeria.
"The number continues to increase," they said. "The people are very anxious to receive the gospel, and the members are working with the full-time missionaries to help retain converts into the Church."
Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
The new Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission, which began Feb. 13, was created from the Australia Brisbane Mission. The new Papua New Guinea mission has 2,673 members in one district, and a non-member population of 3.6 million. The mission also includes the Solomon Islands, which has no Church members within a population of 310,000.
The Brisbane mission now has 11,500 members in four stakes and four districts within a population of 3.2 million members. The mission will now concentrate more in the population centers along the coast where stakes exist,said Pres. Douglas J. Martin of the Seventy, Pacific Area president.
Elder Martin said Papua New Guinea accounted for about half the convert baptisms in the Brisbane mission before it was divided. Placing a mission headquarters in Papua New Guinea will strengthen missionary efforts there, he said. Many of the missionaries who will serve in the mission are expected to be from Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea mission includes the western half of the island of New Guinea along with some 600 islands, including New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea is part of the Republic of Indonesia.
Because the interior of the island is a spine of mountains, it is difficult to penetrate, said Elder Martin. Illustrating that difficulty is the fact that in 1984, a primitive tribe discovered in the interior had never had contact with outside people. Some 800 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea, although most people in urban areas can communicate in English.
The Solomon Islands are located some 900 miles southeast of Papua New Guinea, just below the equator. Most of the population, primarily Melanesian, lives in rural areas. English and Pijin, and another 60 languages are spoken on the islands.
Philippines Cabanatuan
The Cabanatuan mission was created Feb. 1 in a division of the Philippines San Fernando Mission, which was formerly called the Quezon City West Mission. The new mission has 15,965 members in four stakes and a population of 2.4 million. The realigned San Fernando mission has 20,403 members in four stakes and four districts within a total population of 4.2 million.
Most of the territory of the new mission is rural and agricultural, according to Elder Durrel A. Woolsey of the Seventy, second counselor in the area presidency.
"Many of the towns and communities in the mission are without full-time missionaries, so growth can be expected," he said. "Several communities in the Tarlac area were severely flooded during the mud floes from the Mount Pinatuba eruption last June."
He said the Cabanatuan stake has 83 stake missionaries serving with full-time missionaries. Through this effort, say leaders, two new districts will be created in a short time. Pres. Manuel C. Garcia of the Cabanatuan stake is working closely with mission leaders in the effort.
