Through music, worship and service, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa are helping #LightTheWorld and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
‘Miracle of Christmas’ in Ghana
On Nov. 24, the seventh annual “Miracle of Christmas” program was held at the Accra Ghana Christiansborg Stake Center, adjacent to the Accra Ghana Temple. This program kicked off the Church’s Africa West Area’s Light the World initiative.
The musical presentation included musical groups from throughout the Accra area. More than 1,500 people attended the event, and thousands viewed online through YouTube and Facebook Live.
Government, civic and faith leaders from throughout Ghana attended, including traditional leaders from the Ga kingdom and friends from the Muslim community, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, General Authority Seventy and president of the Africa West Area, spoke during the program.
“All across the world, members of our Church are lighting the world with the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” Elder Nielsen said. “We wanted to share that love with you tonight. May each one of us be the Savior’s light and light the world with His love.”
After the musical program, Elder Nielsen and the dignitaries who attended joined to switch on the Christmas lights on the temple grounds.

As part of the Light the World initiative, on Nov. 30, the Church distributed two weeks’ worth of food for over 800 families in Tamale, Ghana.
Missionaries from the Ghana Kumasi Mission helped put the food packages together and worked with local members and Church leaders to distribute the food during the event.
Ahead of that event, Elder Nielsen — accompanied by Elder Alfred Kyungu, General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the area presidency — met with His Majesty Ndan Yaa Naa, Naa Abukari II at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi.
They visited the king as a courtesy to inform him of the Church’s work in his kingdom. The king gave his blessing and support for the Light the World initiative and said he would pray for its success.
Light the World concert in DR Congo
Christmas hymns, European choral music and traditional African music filled the program for an interdenominational Light the World concert held at the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Stake Center on Dec. 2.

Choirs, soloists and musicians from several religions participated in the program.
Elder Eustache Ilunga, an Area Seventy in the Church’s Africa Central Area, gave the concert’s opening remarks.
He quoted the Lord’s invitation to His disciples to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Members of the Church, he said, follow the two great commandments to love God and love their neighbors — and this is important especially during the Christmas season.
“We need to work together with all religions to accomplish His great work,” Elder Ilunga said according to a news release from Africa Newsroom.
Government officials and opinion leaders attended the concert, including Placide Ndzamba and Danh Ashley Poutance of the Republic of Congo Embassy. Ndzamba said his daughter is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and he never imagined that there was such a well-organized church in Kinshasa.
“It was a magnificent evening,” he said.
Christmas musical in South Africa
To kick off their 2023 Light the World campaign, the Africa South Area held a Christmas musical and a reenactment of “The Forgotten Carols” by Michael McLean in late November. The songs recount the story of Christ’s birth from different perspectives.

Members of the Johannesburg YSA Branch in the Johannesburg South Africa North Stake practiced for several months to be ready for the musical. Many of the young adults had no prior experience in acting, singing or stage performances.
Three separate shows were held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25, in Johannesburg, close to the area office.
Members and friends of the Church of Jesus Christ from surrounding stakes and the South Africa Pretoria Mission came to watch, bringing with them donations of diapers, baby formula and other supplies to be given to children in need.









