Temple Trip across Mighty Congo River Unites Families for Time and Eternity

Members have prepared for years for this unforgettable experience.

Forty-one members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, crossed the Congo River by boat to make sacred eternal covenants in the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple on 25 and 26 November 2022. The group included parents who were married for time and eternity and later sealed to their children. Young single adults also received their endowments.

The members from Brazzaville had to wait almost two years for the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions to come to the temple. They also made financial sacrifices to pay for their lodging and for the short but expensive river crossing.

“This was an unforgettable spiritual experience for the members from Brazzaville,” according to Mingotyi François Mukubu, president of the Kinshasa temple.

He added that, “we were impressed by the reverence that the adults and children have for the temple. This shows that the priesthood leaders in their congregations had prepared the members well and taught them the importance of the temple in their lives. All the temple workers were very happy to share this beautiful experience with these brothers and sisters.”

A member from Brazzaville said of her temple experience, “I started preparing for the temple in December 2019, and my dream [finally] came true. I felt as if there was something missing in me, but after having prayed in the temple I felt lightness and inner peace. It was a special spiritual experience for me. I thank God for making it all possible.”

The Kinshasa temple was dedicated in 2019 and is the first temple in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The First Presidency has announced two more temples in this large central African country: Lubumbashi (under construction) and Kananga (in planning).

In April 2022, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to build a temple in Brazzaville. Once this temple is complete, the members from the Republic of Congo will not need to make the journey to Kinshasa.

Brazzaville and Kinshasa are the two closest capitals in the world, but they are divided by the Congo River, one of the world’s largest. Travelers must cross by boat because there are no bridges linking the two cities.