Walking in the Sand: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana

When the priesthood was extended to blacks in 1978, faithful followers rejoiced and a new day dawned in Africa. Senior missionary couples soon arrived in Ghana, and within a year 400 people were baptized, many coming from congregations that were patterned after the Church and that had operated unofficially for more than a decade.

With Church growth came persecution. Rumors spread that both the organization and the missionaries were American spies. In June 1989, the Ghanaian government instit...