African Pioneers
The African Pioneers were the first members baptized in Ghana. A list has been compiled by the Church History Department of the first 100 baptized. Many of these pioneers identify themselves by their number. For example James Ewudzie is the earliest baptized living member in Ghana. He would be called "No 4".
# 29 Brigham Johnson is the son of #2 Billy Johnson. Billy Johnson started the congregation of Latter-day Saints 14 years before the church was organized in Africa. They prayed in all their worship services that the church would be brought to Africa. When the first missionaries came in October of 1978 they baptized 100's of Billy Johnson's congregation the first week they arrived. The others in this picture would be Church Historians who are helping in the writing of Saints IV that will contain a section on Billy Johnson and his son Brigham.
#4 James Ewudzie standing atop the Cape Coast "Hill Cumorah" where Billy's Johnson's congregation would come to worship, pray and sing before the church was established in Africa.
I love this so much! I shared the stories of some of these faithful saints with my seminary class years ago. I cried as I read them. My father kneeled down in his Senate office and cried and thanked the Lord for the policy change for all worthy males to receive the priesthood. Thank you for reminding me of these precious people.
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