Today we went to the Kinondoni Branch for church. This is a picture of the church building. There are four branches in Dar es Salaam. The Kinondoni Branch, the Ubungo Branch, the Changombe Branch and the Mbezi Beach Branch. We have visited all four branches and will try to rotate every week. The meetings are conducted in Swahili but when we are there, the teachers make an effort to teach some of the lessons in English going back and forth. Sometimes the hymns are sung in Swahili and sometimes in English. It is an interesting experience to sing "Praise to the Man" in Swahili.
The Kinondoni and Ubungo buildings are built and owned by the church. The buildings are quite nice and have air conditioning. The Changombe and Mbezi Beach buildings are rented with some air conditioning at Changombe but none at Mbezi Beach. In each case the spirit of the saints is strong and readily apparent in their dedication to the gospel and testimonies of the Savior and his atonement.
Today's priesthood lesson was about Joseph Smith. The brethren bore strong testimony of the divine calling of Joseph Smith, the reality of the first vision and the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The promise that the name of Joseph Smith would be heard throughout the world for good (and sometimes ill) is quite apparent in Africa. It is amazing that this young boy in up state New York is having the kind of profound impact where ever you go.
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