HARARE, Zimbabwe — Kilford Shereni helped bring water to the Harare Zimbabwe Temple grounds. His work there in turn helped bring “living water” — the gospel of Jesus Christ and its many blessings — into his life.
Shereni is one of several individuals whose introduction to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started with participating in the construction of the house of the Lord in Harare, Zimbabwe. Those introductions led first to conversions and more recently — following the temple’s March 1 dedication — to temple ordinances, covenants and blessings.
“Entering the temple for my endowment after its dedication was a powerful and emotional experience,” said Shereni, whose first temple experience came just two days after the March 1 dedication, resulted in him being one of the first to do temple ordinances in Harare’s house of the Lord. “I felt a deep sense of peace, reverence and closeness to God.
“Knowing that I had played a part in building the temple made it even a more special moment for me. It felt like I was not just entering a holy place but a place that I had helped prepare for the Lord. It strengthened my testimony and my commitment to live the covenants I made there.”
He first learned of the temple site in November 2023, soon becoming responsible for installing the irrigation and sprinkling systems on the 6.7-acre temple grounds.
“It was a special moment, because I could see something important was happening. Not long after that, in March 2024, I began meeting with the missionaries and learning more about the Church.”
Shereni was first contacted by missionaries at the temple site and initially taught there.
Those who helped teach him and other temple-site workers and who have since completed their service in the Zimbabwe Harare Mission include Bruce and Elizabeth Anderson of Mendon, Utah — who were serving as temple missionaries at the construction site — and proselyting missionaries such as Loryn Stoddard of Provo, Utah, and Emily Hoffman of Ogden, Utah.
Said Shereni: “I felt excited, and as I continued learning, I began to feel a sense of peace and purpose. The teachings from the missionaries touched my heart, and I could feel that what they were sharing was true. Learning about the temple made it even more meaningful because it felt like a place of hope and connection to God.”
He was baptized Sept. 1, 2024, by then-Elder Bruce Anderson, with Shereni calling it “a very important and spiritual moment in my life, and I felt clean, renewed and committed to following Jesus Christ.”
He and his wife, Tsitsi Mlilo, are the parents of one son, Nokutenda, age 15. “They are a great joy in my life,” said Shereni of his wife and son, “and part of my motivation to stay strong in the gospel.”
And the missionaries have fond memories of Shereni and his conversion, keeping in contact via WhatsApp and even reuniting when returning for the Harare temple’s open house and dedication.
“It was here that he felt something different and had the desire to learn about what this beautiful building meant and what happens inside,” said Stoddard, who returned to Harare in late January and met up again with Shereni at the temple open house.
“When you were teaching or talking with Kilford, you could just see the Light of Christ in his eyes. He has so much desire to follow our Savior. Through him, I came to better understand the spiritual power of the house of the Lord and having humility and being willing to learn.”
Hoffman, of Ogden, who joined in teaching Shereni after his baptism date had been set, agreed. “His kindness, goodness and patient hope are truly depictions of Christ’s character. … His story reflects rejoicing in the Lord and persistence in the gospel, despite the highs and lows of life.”
The Andersons shared the Book of Mormon with many of the temple construction workers. “They were deeply touched by the account of the Savior’s loving visit to the people in the Western Hemisphere. The love, compassion and personal ministry He demonstrated left a lasting impression on their hearts,” Bruce Anderson said.
“Kilford, in particular, was profoundly moved by this sacred story and gained a powerful witness of the reality of this event. His testimony of the Savior’s love has become deeply rooted, and he sincerely desires in all things to do what is pleasing to the Savior.”
Shereni still works at the Harare temple site, now as a gardener caring for the grounds that feature locally sourced plants, shrubs and trees — such as the birds of paradise flowers along the temple’s entry and the feather duster and jacaranda trees lining the approach to the temple.
Shereni’s not the only one who learned of the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ because of working on the temple site. Reginald Magocha started four years ago as a small dump driver for the main contractor building the temple, with his brother, Laxon Magocha, working as a gang boss on the site.
Like Shereni, the brothers learned of — and converted to — the gospel of Christ, then helping teach and fellowship relatives and friends, said Elizabeth Anderson, adding that Reginald Magocha exemplifies the adage “every member a missionary.”
He and his wife, Eunice, have faithfully shared the gospel with family members and neighbors, helping lead more than 35 loved ones into the waters of baptism, Anderson said.
“As a result of their devoted discipleship, two families have been sealed in the temple, and five adults have received their temple blessings,” said Anderson, who with her husband returned to Harare for the temple dedication and the first days of operation for the new house of the Lord.
“What a joy it is to witness the peace, blessings and happiness the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought into this remarkable, humble family — true Saints in Zimbabwe whose faith and example shine brightly for others to follow.”
And of the temple site — where Shereni and the Magocha brothers first walked construction pathways before starting down an eternal path of faith, ordinances and covenants — Reginald Magocha said: “It has been a very good job, and a very good place to get blessings.”
The missionaries taught Magocha at the site and at his home: “They would come and teach me, to help me understand the gospel of Jesus Christ — to accept the word and help me get baptized,” he said.
Receiving the priesthood came soon after baptism, allowing him to perform ordinances — the first being the sacrament. “And now I am baptizing other people and teaching other people to come to church.”
Reginald and Eunice Magocha have received their endowments and have been sealed as a family in the temple with their children — daughters Beatriz, age 15, and Blessing, 8, and 1-year-old son Anderson Jr.
And Reginald Magocha has continued to work at the site of the house of the Lord, long after the temple construction has been completed — volunteering for security assignments and having helped move chairs and other furnishings inside the temple and adjacent meetinghouse for the temple’s open house and dedication.
“The temple is the house of the Lord, and the temple to me is a very big blessing,” said Magocha, standing on those same green and luscious grounds in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sunday, March 1, shortly after the dedication of the temple. “Now I really know that the word of God is good for me.”
