December 1989: The First Baptisms in Lesotho

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received legal recognition from the government of Lesotho in 1989. Prior to that, there had been very little Church presence in the country; almost all the members were foreigners working for humanitarian agencies. In 1982, a branch had been organized in Maseru, but was discontinued five years later. The next year, in 1988, eight members from two families were again living in Maseru, and a small, dependent group was organized.

However, after the Church received legal recognition in 1989, membership began to grow steadily. Soon, missionaries were assigned to the country and on 17 December 1989 the first two Lesotho converts were baptized: Paul Khobutle and Lawrence Keletsi van Tonder. Brother Paul Khobutle’s wife, Hycintha, was baptized later that month, and the following February, Brother Lawrence van Tonder’s parents and his six siblings followed him into the waters of baptism. As of January 2021, there are more than 1,300 members of the Church in Lesotho, organized in six branches and one district. —Sister Kathleen Irving, Church History Department