HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA SERIES
History of the Church in Africa: Did You Know?
Each year thousands of young men and young women—along with hundreds of senior couples—receive and accept calls from the prophet to serve as missionaries in various locations and capacities around the world. Historically, mission calls have been received as a large white envelope containing a signed letter from the prophet. Now, in recent months, mission calls are sent digitally by email. But in earlier days of the church, mission calls came in a variety of ways. In some cases, a call was extended personally by the prophet. During his presidency, Brigham Young asked men to stand at general conference and their call was announced over the pulpit.
In March 1963, a young South African man received a letter from O. Layton Alldredge, who at the time was serving as the South African Mission President. (This was the only mission of the Church operating on the African continent at that time.) President Alldredge was following up to make certain that Louis Andries Francois Nell had received a mission call letter from Salt Lake City. Indeed, Louis had. Weeks earlier he had received a letter in which he had been called to serve a mission in the Netherlands.
While a number of South Africans were serving locally in the Johannesburg mission, Louis was the first native-born African to serve a mission outside the continent of Africa. He was a relatively recent convert, who—along with his parents and two siblings—had been baptized in September 1960.
Missionaries today receive documents with detailed lists of items to bring, arrangements to make, and instructions for travel. However, the letter from President Alldrege simply stated that Louis should get his affairs in order, determine what vaccines were required and receive them, and obtain a travel visa. Louis was also instructed to notify President Alldrege about when he might be ready to leave directly for his mission.
After preparations had been completed, President Alldrege sent Louis a travel voucher for an airline ticket and notified President Don Van Slooten, President of the Netherlands Mission, that Louis was on his way to Amsterdam. Louis travelled to Europe via Rome and arrived in Amsterdam on May 6, 1963, where he was assigned to serve in Assen, a small northern Dutch town. With Afrikaans as his native language, it was fairly easy for him to learn the Dutch language.
Having been unable to receive his temple ordinances before departing—as there was no temple in Johannesburg in 1963—he and his missionary companion received travel permission from President Van Slooten to visit the London Temple a few months after arriving in the mission field so that he could receive his temple endowment.
Louis served in the Netherlands Mission for two and a half years, after which he returned home to South Africa. Later he met and married Lesley Anne Louise Cook, with whom he raised a family. He continued to serve faithfully in the Church until his death in 2003.
While the process of receiving and accepting a mission call has become more uniform, the call to serve goes out to every worthy member of the church to help bring the gospel to people throughout the world.