In a remote corner of the West African jungle, an extraordinary scene unfolded on the morning of Aug. 23. On that day, 120 men, women and children entered the waters of baptism in Moriba Town, Sierra Leone.
President Scott L. Wyatt, president of the Sierra Leone Bo Mission, described the event as nothing short of miraculous. “This place is on fire,” he said, adding: “I like to say this is the epicenter of the gathering of Israel.”
A remarkable day in Moriba Town
The combined baptismal service brought together members and missionaries from the Moriba Town Sierra Leone District. Candidates from one branch in Moriba Town and three nearby branches had been preparing for weeks — some for months — for this sacred day. “From the stand where Kathy and I sat, it was an awe-inspiring sight,” recalled President Wyatt of attending with his wife, Sister Kathy Wyatt.
In Sierra Leone, most investigators come through referrals rather than door-to-door proselyting. “All of them, I think 80–90%, were referrals from the members,” explained Elder Tsilihery Tsifanay, a missionary from Madagascar. Elder Mason Kear of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, added that a focus of their mission isn’t necessarily to baptize as many as possible — it’s “helping people to come unto Christ.”
Careful preparation
Missionaries teach families over several weeks, often with upwards of 20 lessons before baptism. Some need time to quit smoking or marry. “Being baptized is a big decision,” President Wyatt said. “They’re not just joining a church. They’re repenting and changing their lives.”
Before the baptism, young missionary leaders conducted dozens of interviews to ensure each candidate’s readiness.
Elder Kear explained that he’s learned that “we don’t have to rush them — just being patient, following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.”
Elder Tsifanay added, “When I asked people, ‘Do you feel that you have repented of your past sins?’ they told me, ‘I have left the bad things behind.’ I could feel that they truly had repented and were willing to follow God and Jesus Christ.”
Sewing for souls
A unique challenge was clothing. With 120 people expected, there were not nearly enough white baptismal outfits. Senior missionaries located 210 yards of white cotton fabric in the Bo marketplace, then sent it to Moriba Town.
Senior missionaries Elder Brian and Sister Shelly Hansen, from Leeds, Utah, worked with local tailors to sew dozens of baptismal clothes using pedal-powered machines. One tailor in Mokanji even hired help to meet the deadline. Elder Hansen saw him later carrying home a 110-pound sack of rice — his family’s food for a month — likely paid for by the baptismal clothing order.
A miracle with the weather
The rainy season often makes dirt roads impassable. Missionaries prayed the rain would stop so candidates from outlying villages could travel safely. It was “one of the miracles,” President Wyatt said. The rain ceased two days before, roads dried, and shortly after the baptisms concluded, heavy storms returned.
The baptismal service
Before the service, candidates in white gathered for group photos. Inside the chapel, every seat was filled. One companionship at a time brought their candidates to the font, baptizing them one by one. Afterward, each was confirmed as members of the Church and received the Holy Ghost. The service lasted two hours.
“It was really a sacred sight to see and just to feel of the love that our Heavenly Father has for all of these individuals and just their acceptance to following the Savior,” Elder Kear said. “Watching them standing in white with smiles on their faces really grew my testimony that the Savior lives and that those who follow Him can change.”
District President Samuel Mulai expressed gratitude in the Church’s Africa Newsroom: “I am deeply grateful and joyful for the new converts who have recently joined us. The missionaries are working diligently, not only to strengthen this district but also to contribute to the progress of the mission as a whole. Our members are actively engaged, and the branch presidents are faithfully supporting the full-time missionaries in fulfilling their sacred work.”
Growth and retention
Missionaries and members immediately follow up with new member lessons and friendship. “We’ve really been working on helping these people have friends before they are even baptized,” Elder Kear said. The result has been strong retention.
“Sacrament meeting attendance in our mission is growing faster than baptisms,” President Wyatt said. In Moriba Town, congregations are so full that one branch will soon be divided into five. Across the mission, the number of mission branches has grown from eight to 21 in just over a year. The last three months have brought more than 1,200 people into the Church throughout the mission.
Baptism isn’t the end of the path; many converts also join missionary efforts quickly. “Even one week after baptism, some of them are proselyting with the missionaries,” Elder Tsifanay said. Many individuals continue on the covenant path by preparing to enter the temple or serve missions as soon as they reach one year in the Church.
Elder Kear described their enthusiasm: “Not only does it help them prepare for a mission, but it also grows their testimony. It’s just really cool to see how willing they are.”
Second Coming preparation
Elder Tsifanay reflected on President Russell M. Nelson’s recent teachings to prepare for the Second Coming, “People here are really willing to prepare for the Second Coming. Even people from other religions are coming to church and finding out it’s true.”
Elder Kear agreed: “The Lord is hastening His work here in Sierra Leone. The Lord is preparing these people for when the Savior will come again.”
President Wyatt has seen that with missionaries across the mission: “The missionaries tell us no one turns them down when they say, ‘We’d like to talk to you about Jesus.’ This is really an amazing time in an amazing place,” he said.
The gathering continues
For those who participated, the massive baptism day in Moriba Town will never be forgotten. President Wyatt shared that even as they rejoiced in the moment, it was clear that this was not an endpoint of their efforts — it was a new beginning. After the two-hour service and once everyone had traveled home before the afternoon storm, the group of full-time missionaries gathered at a nearby home for a quick lunch provided by a senior missionary couple.
“They were exhausted but happy,” he said. The missionaries shared stories and expressions of gratitude for the miracles they had witnessed.
After just a few minutes, however, one companionship stood up, grabbed their bags and announced that they had teaching appointments to get to. They thanked the senior couple for the meal and headed back out into the now-pouring rain. There were, as President Wyatt put it, “more souls to save.”
