August 18, 2025, 12:00 PM MDT
For many members of Tanzania’s Arusha district, July 31 was the day they thought they would never come. Finally, they walk through the temple doors to make sacred covenants, saving ordinances for themselves and their ancestors, making them expensive.
Tanzania has over 5,000 members and one mission. The first shares were created in January.
This was the second time the temple has been visited by hundreds of Tanzanian members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in just a few months that has taken a nearly five-hour trip to the Nairobi Kenya temple.
The first was the beginning of the year when many people participated in the temple’s open house on April 23rd. On that occasion, 537 individuals, including 101 orphans from Kenya who joined the group, had the opportunity to tour the Lord’s new home. It was also Charles Muri who joined the Tanzania group in Kenya. It was part of the tabernacle choir at the 2024 Christmas concert in Temple Square, where he had experience as a homeless youth and later founded the place for homeless children, and was part of his adopted children from Ndarani, Kenya.
On July 30, many of the Tanzanian church members returned and traveled by bus for several hours across the border. This time, I reported on the Church’s African newsroom to carry out the ordinance at the Lord’s house.
US natives Alan Jackson and Brenda Angle helped organize transportation, accommodation and meals. Twice their efforts face an unexpected setback, but each time the Lord moves forward,
“Satan always throws out obstacles and makes it difficult to go to the temple,” Angle said.
A small miracle clears the road
Even before the bus left, challenges arise. For five days, Tanzania’s immigration agency was unable to process their passports due to broken equipment. The machine was repaired at 7:30pm the night before departure. According to a church news release, recent converts worked all night to prepare documents for almost every traveler. When the group left, the 13 people were still unfinished. With no system in place to retrieve documents, everyone faced a 3 hour delay at the border before being cleared to follow Nairobi.
One woman could not find enough diapers for the baby she cares about. The day before the trip, someone showed up and supplied her with enough to travel.
|Latter-day Saints’ Church of Jesus Christ
Rehema Nnko, 20, who attended church last year, was ready to attend the Temple Open House in April, but he missed the bus. This time, determined not to overlook the temple trip, Angle personally went to his house so he could go to the bus together. On the morning of departure he discovers that his temple is recommended, but his passport and yellow fever card were missing. Both are necessary to cross borders.
They had to leave without him because they didn’t have time to search. That night he found his document, ran to the highway and was greeted by a bus on his way to Nairobi. This time he entered the temple.
Another church member who traveled was Stephen Masika Soi, a famous pastor from another denomination who once felt he was missing something. After his studies he realized that he needed priesthood power and authority. After discovering the restored gospel, he left his ministry and joined the church. Leaving his ministry meant losing his only means of assistance.
While he was searching for work, his wife and three children had to live with his mother on the other side of Tanzania. For this trip, his wife was able to join him at the temple by traveling 20 hours by bus. After eight months of separation, they were able to enter the temple together, an African newsroom reported.
Along the road, the bus was delayed again due to a traffic accident blocking the highway. All setbacks tested the patience and faith of travelers.
“I don’t want to leave.”
On the morning of July 31st, four buses carrying 99 excited members were finally lifted to the Nairobi Kenya Temple. The senior missionaries smiled, waves and arms wide open before the Latter-day Saints entered the sacred building.
One day they carried out 327 ordinances: 134 baptisms, 156 confirmations, 26 initiations, 10 donations, one family seal.
He prayed when the elder Uris offered the 12 apostles’ wind commanders to the temple.
Latter-day Saints like Jerome Valerian who received a recent mission call have acknowledged those feelings while in the temple.
“I wish I could stay here,” he said.
Janez Paulo Changa, who received the donation, agreed, adding, “I feel very peaceful and I don’t want to leave.”
