When Elder Areff Josué Segovia Ramirez, from Lima, Peru, who serves in the Cote d’Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission in West Africa, was assigned to Conakry, Guinea, within the mission boundaries, he realized that teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Guinea would require some innovation.
The predominant religion in the French-speaking country is Islam, and traditional missionary work, such as door-to-door visits, is prohibited, explained President Serge A. Zadi, president of the Cote d’Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission.
Elder Segovia’s determination to share the gospel, however, didn’t wane.
Instead, he tapped into his creativity and used EnglishConnect — an English learning program offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — as a way to initiate meaningful conversations with individuals in the community.
Although his lessons would be focused on teaching English, Elder Segovia’s ultimate goal was to share the gospel with the people of Conakry, Guinea. Driven by that purpose, he got to work.
On Thursday evenings, people in the community gathered at the chapel where Elder Segovia taught.
“I would draw and create verb structures, but I did it on paper. I wrote them on paper and then [put] them onto the blackboard,”
But conversations with locals during his lessons quickly revealed that children were being taught more Spanish than English in school, prompting him to take advantage of their interest in the language.
With encouragement from his father and companion, Elder Segovia leveraged EnglishConnect to teach the community his native language — Spanish.
He used the EnglishConnect material as a blueprint, translating it from English to Spanish to organize lesson plans the day before he and his companion were set to teach.
His efforts proved to be effective.
At the end of each lesson, people thanked him.
“I was able to touch lives,” Elder Segovia said.
He said he was grateful for the way the lessons helped him and those he taught.
Finding strength through service
Elder Segovia’s desire to serve a mission culminated when he experienced and felt in his heart that “the gospel brings happiness.”
That desire reminded him of the prophet Lehi, who, after partaking of the fruit in his vision experienced “exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:12).
Just as Lehi wanted his family to partake of the same fruit and experience the blessings of the gospel, Elder Segovia was compelled to follow that example through missionary service.
“That motivated me to go on a mission to preach the gospel with the talents the Lord gave me,” he said.
But that sense of purpose was also matched with challenges.
Elder Segovia described his service in Guinea as “truly one of the toughest areas within the mission.”
“Coming from Peru, I never thought I was going to come to Africa, and no one had the African experience to get me ready for this mission. But my desire brought me here,” he said.
He reflected on his own initial struggles learning French when he began his mission, noting that it took him a couple of months to become comfortable with the language.
Yet amid the struggles, his service in Guinea was also where his testimony of the gospel and the Savior grew. Elder Segovia saw that by relying on the Spirit and his talents, he could touch many lives.
He attributed his success to the gift of tongues and the talents that God blessed him with.
Segovia recalled a moment during his second time teaching Spanish, when a friend who attended his lesson expressed his appreciation for his teaching. At the end of the lesson, the friend thanked him.
That simple gesture gave Elder Segovia the willingness to continue working hard.
From gifts to good work
President Zadi acknowledged the faith of the missionaries in the Cote d’Ivoire Yamoussoukro Mission, stating that “each of them came with a special gift.”
Despite the difficulties that come with missionary service, President Zadi said the missionaries choose to “forget about themselves” as they recognize the people around them and their need for the gospel.
He said he often reminds missionaries that Heavenly Father blessed them with individual talents, and encourages them to use those talents to magnify God’s love for His children.
“If your talent is to smile, keep smiling. If your talent is with music, you can sing. You use whatever talent you have, like Elder Segovia did with Spanish, to invite people to the knowledge of the gospel,” President Zadi said.
