Local Voices
‘He Knows Us Personally’: Young Adults in Africa Central Share Learnings from Elder Andersen’s Devotional
“Young adults across the region gathered to watch a special message given in French by an Apostle of the Lord and shared their thoughts afterwards.”
From Cameroon to Congo, French-speaking young adults in the Africa Central Area gathered in February to watch the live-streamed online devotional given by Elder Neal L. and Sister Kathy S. Andersen.
It was the first of several live devotionals shared by Apostles of the Lord—along with their wives and other inspiring Church leaders—with young adults in their own regions and in their own languages.
Elder Andersen, who served his mission in Paris, France, as a young man, said that he had brushed up on his French for the occasion.
His message centered on the reality of a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ: something of which he has become increasingly aware in the 12 years that he has served as an Apostle.
At different times over those years, he told young adults, he has had “unspeakable experiences and feelings that I never anticipated in my life, assuring me of the reality of Jesus Christ.”
He extended six invitations to his listeners:
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Believe in God.
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Believe that you are a son or daughter of God, and that He knows and loves you.
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Believe that you can speak to your Heavenly Father, and He will send His Spirit upon you.
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Believe that the kingdom of God is rolling forth across the world and that we each are an important part of preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior.
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Believe that others whom you know will embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
Elder Andersen reassured young adults that “your faith in Jesus Christ is not in vain. You will see Him again. All the world will know He is the Son of God.”
Afterwards, young adults across the area shared what they had learned from the experience.
Kabeya Konji Freddy, a member of the Kanshi Ward in Mbuji-Mayi, said that the central message for him was one of missionary work. “As single adults, we must be obedient and ready to preach the gospel,” he said. “We must believe in Him and be grateful to Him while doing missionary work, which is the preparation to the Second Coming of the Christ.”
Dieudonné Tshibangu, from Kanshi Ward said, “I know now what important role we have in God’s plan and His mission of gathering Israel. I know that God listens so much to us every time we pray. He is with us and He loves us so much.”
Robert Banjangi from Kanshi Ward said that “we must put Christ at the center of all our problems.” Before we embark on something new, we must turn unto Christ and seek the will of the Lord. Once we know what that is, we need to have the courage to “do what His spirit tells us to do”.
Nzuzi Fallone Alaret, from New Bell Branch in Cameroon, said she had learned a message of gratitude-centered faith. “We must be grateful for God’s blessings; we must have faith,” she said. “And we must also pray and ask Him something as though we were friends,” she said. Young adults should have faith that the Lord will answer our prayers.
Nathan Ntika, from Kanshi Ward, said that he had learned that he has a personal role in preparing for Jesus Christ’s return to the earth. “I have quickly understood that I am an important element in preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior,” he said.
Young adults need to have unshakable faith and belief in Jesus Christ, even though we do not see Him, is what Demnie Idjol, from Cameroon’s New Bell Branch learned from the devotional.
“I have also learned of the power of prayer, and that when we call on the Lord, He will always respond,” she said. “I strongly believe in the truths and the Book of Mormon that our Heavenly Father sent to help build us up.”
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” said Kasongo from Kanshi Ward, quoting Hebrews 11:1. The Andersens’ reminder of this scripture “has strengthened me and give me the purpose of always standing strong in all things pertaining to God.”
Felicia from Kanshi in Mbuji-Mayi said she had learned that “it is important that we do not deny our beliefs. I know that I am a daughter of our Heavenly Father, and that I need to believe in Him whatever the circumstance,” she said.
For Balanganayi Badibanga Papy from the Kananga Stake, one of the messages that struck home was how deeply we are loved by our Father in Heaven. “He knows us personally and loves us completely,” she said. “We can speak with our Heavenly Father, and He will send His Spirit to us. We have to believe that we are daughters and sons of God.”
We need to believe that other people we know will embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, she said.
Part of that process requires us to exercise faith, which is a principle of action and power, said Balanganayi. “Faith helps us better prepare for the circumstances of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is near, according to the words of the prophet.
“One way of exercising faith is to take up the challenge to be a witness of God and of His gospel.” As members of His Church, we need to talk openly about our faith in Jesus Christ.