General Conference Broadcast Live for First Time Ever in Ethiopia

Ethiopian Saints and residents have live general conference broadcast for the first time, blessing Saints and the country

The fast-approaching October 2024 general conference will be the second time in history that general conference is broadcast live in the country of Ethiopia. April 2024 was the first conference ever broadcast publicly in Ethiopia.

Some Church members in the country were asked what it meant to have general conference broadcast. Since the Church is young, all those who shared are converts to the Church. Each has a remarkable story.

Recent converts Gemechu Feyissa and his son Betselot Gemechu, who have both joined the Church in the last year, were excited to learn about Jesus and to have fellow Ethiopians watching general conference. “People in Ethiopia like to have their TVs on,” Gemechu said. “Belageru is a popular channel. Many people will see general conference.”

Gemechu sent invitations to watch general conference to all 250 of his WhatsApp contacts.

Atsede Demissie Arega had dreams 20 years ago that brought her to the Church. Before joining, she used to regularly ask herself, “where is God?”

She found God in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said that before April 2024, she used to only be able to see general conference sessions weeks later at her branch meetinghouse, now she can watch general conference live in her home. “I am so grateful,” she said, “I feel that God is looking after Ethiopia.”

She invited the full-time missionaries in her branch to come to her home to watch general conference. She also invited all her neighbors to come and watch or to watch it in their own homes.

Finding a pamphlet about the Restoration on the ground on a street in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, led Zerge Weld Mariam to find and join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 15 years ago. The brochure was printed in Amharic, the native language of Ethiopia, and had a phone number written on it. After reading the pamphlet and feeling a “good spirit,” she called the number. To the full-time missionary who answered, Zerge said, “I need to join this church.”

Her family followed her into Church membership. Ten years ago, Zerge was having a hard time in her life. Elder Edward Dube of the Seventy came to her home and gave her a blessing. After that, her life was blessed, she had food to eat, and her trials were lightened. She loved being able to raise her right hand and sustain Elder Dube, and other Church leaders, as she watched general conference, live, in her home, for the first time.

Sister Yeweinshet Bezu Biru is a remarkable woman. She and her daughter Heleina are devoted members of the Church and devoted to loving and serving their neighbors. Sister Biru is vision impaired. She houses and cares for 16 blind teenage girls. The Utah-based Stirling Foundation provides the financial support necessary to house and care for the girls. Sister Biru and Heleina, along with their 16 young women, enjoyed together the Saturday morning session of general conference. They were thrilled to be able to raise their right hands to sustain President Russell M. Nelson along with members of the Church around the world. Sister Biru shared that one member of her branch did not have a TV, so he went to a nonmember neighbor’s home and watched with them. He repeated that for the Sunday morning live broadcast.

President Kefeni Tesfaye Anbesse, second counselor in the Addis Ababa District presidency of the Church, his wife, Helina Tsega Tesema, and their three children, were grateful to be able to watch two general conference sessions live in their apartment. They invited friends to also tune to Belageru TV to hear the words of prophets, seers, and revelators over two days in April.

“I feel that God is looking after Ethiopia,” remarked Atsede Demissie Arega, when talking about the historic broadcast of general conference in Ethiopia.