Africa is an enchanting and inspiring place. You see the plants and the animals--it's stunning and very diverse. You go from very highly industrialized, sophisticated communities to very rural. And the gospel of Jesus Christ gathers all kinds of people into the net. And so you find a remarkable diversity, but a common, strong faith among the Latter-day Saints here.

This is a land, a people, and a place of great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Africa is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the Church. There are places in Africa where you have entire stakes that have grown and developed from a few members to branches to stakes with no assistance from missionaries. What you find here is a simplicity. They live uncluttered lives. We can be so busy, so occupied with so many things, that our focus, our attention, can be diverted in lots of different directions. And an uncluttered life can be more significantly and singularly focused upon the Savior. I find that here. This is a young church. Most of them are first generations, but really the maturity of the Church is to be found in the heart of people, and here I find a very mature church. Brothers and sisters, good evening. What a blessing it is for us to be here with all of you. Now, tonight we need your help. How many of you are willing to help us? Elder Bednar, he has a style that is endearing and warming. His style is really a way to get people engaged in the meeting and responding to their questions and concerns. And you can just see from the people, it's an opening of their eyes to be able to ask an Apostle a question. You see the Apostles, you see them in conference, in videos, but they're sometimes, like, there, out there, and you can't really speak to them. So to have this experience of an Apostle right here in my backyard is something really amazing and reminds us that it doesn't matter what country you're from, what you look like--we're all one in the gospel. We might be out here in South Africa or in the Congo or wherever we are in the world, but Heavenly Father knows us. And He will send His servants to us. And it means a lot to me as a person. It means the Lord knows me and He loves me. This is a place where many people live challenging, difficult lives. They don't have many of the temporal comforts and blessings that people in the Western world have. So you have a different view of the world when you come to Africa and see the growth of the Church in this place. The future is bright, brighter than I think we even have any idea. They have great light, great hope because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I witness that He lives and He directs the affairs of His Church. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.