Member Voices
A Legacy of Love—A Pioneer story
My mum tells us that as she was growing up, she got used to the promptings and influence of the Holy Spirit in her life. Sometime in July 1983, she was sitting by the roadside in front of her friend’s house, while the friend was platting her hair. What makes that day so special is her attitude and how she started the day. She was fasting for the Lord’s guidance in her life. She was used to this principle and knew that if she wanted something special from her Father in Heaven she needed to fast and to pray.
As she sat with her friend on the side of the road, the familiar voice of the Holy Spirit came to her, saying, “Winnie, count the cars that pass by, the fifth one is a pink-colored car. Follow and talk to the person driving it and you will have your freedom forever”.
She was more concerned about what it meant by being free forever and did not do the first part of the instruction. The third prompting a few seconds later was stronger and made her more attentive to the instruction she had received. It only took a short while before the fifth car came by and, lo and behold, it was as the Spirit had said to her—a pink-colored car. Winnie was an athlete in high school and ran. She used her amazing speed to chase the car as it passed by. After a few seconds, the car slowed down and stopped by the side of the road and then he took off. Frustrated that the Holy Spirit would give her instructions and not make it easy for her to reach him, she stopped by the kiosk to talk to the other man, inquiring if he knew the driver of the car that just sped off. He gave her the man’s name and told her where he lived. The residence was very far from her neighborhood, but she decided to walk to his home that same day.
When she arrived, Winnie was told that he was not at home. She came each day for close to a month and was told the same thing.
One day as she was about to leave, the familiar voice of the Holy Spirit whispered to her, “Winnie, he is at home, wait for him”. She politely told his wife that she would wait outside for him. A few minutes later, the man opened his front door, looked straight at Winnie, and called her by her full name. He explained to her that he knew why she was looking for him and told her that the only way to continue their conversation was to come back with Atobora Peter Brown.
This man was Joseph William Billy Johnson. He stands as a great pioneer in Ghana, introducing the Church and teaching from the Book of Mormon and writing to the brethren in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A, long before the Church was officially organized in Ghana.
A few days later, as Winnie and Atobora were going around looking for an apartment to rent because their scheduled marriage was nearing, they met a pastor of a church. While they talked about the rent, the pastor stopped mid-sentence, looked directly at Winnie, and in a state that was obvious to them that he was overcome by the Holy Spirit said something like “You were told to go see a certain man and when you saw him, he told you to bring this young man with you and he would have a conversation with both of you together. You have not done that yet. When you go to him, he will introduce you to a church and that church is the true church of God.”
Atobora then asked the pastor why he was not a member of that church knowing that it is the true Church of God. The pastor admitted that the true Church did not have a paid clergy and he needed the offerings from his congregation for his upkeep. As soon as they left that pastor, they went to Brother Johnson’s home. Over the course of three weeks, he taught them all six missionary discussions and they were ready for baptism.
In September of 1983, because of pressure from her family, Winnie cancelled her baptism date, but Atobora went ahead. The following Sunday, Atobora was ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and the week after that, he baptized Winnie.
It has been more than 40 years since Winnie heard the familiar voice of the Holy Spirit who urged her to look for Brother Johnson and thereafter experience joy and rejoicing. Winnie and Atobora were blessed with four sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. All four sons served full-time missions. All six children have received their endowment in the house of the Lord. The fruits of the seed that was planted on that blessed day in 1983 keeps growing and spreading.
This is a legacy of love. It is a legacy that has blessed many of their ancestors and will bless generations to come.