This Month in Church History
October 1991: The Dedication of Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe
In late October 1991, Elder James E. Faust (1920-2007) of the Quorum of the Twelve dedicated Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe for the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the Church.
On 23 October, Elder Faust, accompanied by Elder Richard P. Lindsay (1926-2010) of the Seventy, who was serving as the President of the Africa Area, dedicated Uganda from the capital city, Kampala. Earlier this year, Uganda granted the Church official status.
In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Faust petitioned the Lord that in Uganda there would be “a peaceful, pluralistic society so that all of thy children in this land may worship according to their own conscience.”
The next day, 24 October, Elder Faust, Elder Lindsay, and President Larry Brown of the Kenya Nairobi Mission traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, where more than one hundred Church members gathered for the outdoor service.
In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Faust said, “We acknowledge this as a blessed land.” The prayer contained references to Kenya’s beauty, grandeur, and abundant plant and animal life.
He also prayed that the Saints might have access to a temple—a prayer that was answered in April 2017 when President Thomas S. Monson (1927-2018) announced that there would be a temple built in Nairobi.
The following day, on 25 October, Elder Faust and Elder Lindsay met Zimbabwe Harare Mission President Vern Marble for the dedication of Zimbabwe.
“Before the meeting, the Saints of Zimbabwe had been fasting and praying for rain,” Elder Lindsay said. “As the dedicatory prayer by Elder Faust concluded, a gentle rain began to fall, and rainfall increased for days afterward.”