Elder Christofferson Meets with President and First Lady in Sierra Leone

His Excellency Julius Maada Wonie Bio, president of Sierra Leone, and his wife, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, the first lady of Sierra Leone, welcomed Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles into their home for a cordial meeting on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Accompanying Elder Christofferson and his wife, Kathy, were Elder Michael T. Ringwood from the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy and his wife, Rosalie; Elder Alfred Kyungu, Africa West Area President, and his wife, Lucie; and other local leaders of the Church.

As the first lady described it, the meeting was a “return match of Salt Lake versus Freetown,” referencing her hometown of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, and her recent visit to Salt Lake. Regarding that visit, she said, “I had a lasting, lasting impression of the kindness of you people, and I just couldn’t stop telling His Excellency about how you spoiled me rotten. And I said, ‘Elder Christofferson is coming, and I’m going to pay him back.’” Her husband echoed her welcome, saying, “It’s good to have you here in this part of Africa. We’re truly happy to receive you.”

Elder Christofferson expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to visit with the leaders. He began by acknowledging their staunch support of religious freedom in the country as a great example to the rest of the world: “I think that’s an admirable example for the world. We are grateful for religious liberty and how people [of different faiths] live together. You have set a nice model for what should be everywhere in the world.”

Commenting on Sierra Leone’s tolerance of different religions, the president related an event where Christians and Muslims shared a pulpit, Christians quoting from the Quran and Muslims from the Bible. He then commented that religious tolerance is the country’s greatest export.

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Elder Christofferson noted that because of such religious tolerance, the Church is growing in Sierra Leone and is building a temple in their capital. “We’re happy that we have a temple, our most special and sacred building, being constructed here in Freetown, and we’re anxious to see it,” he said. “That’s where our most sacred ordinances or religious rites take place, especially marriage. When the time comes and it’s completed, we’ll have an open house to welcome anyone who’d like to come and see inside before it’s dedicated, and we’ll have a special invitation for you.”

Referencing the Church’s ambition to be good collaborators and citizens with the people of Sierra Leone, Elder Christofferson expressed a wish to “contribute any way we can in the country and society besides the individual contributions of our people. We have been happy to participate in some humanitarian projects here over the years.” He then noted some of the projects in which the Church has participated in Sierra Leone, including projects to provide clean water to communities and sanitary facilities for schools; nutrition programs, especially for children; and education programs.

His Excellency noted his country’s efforts to support and bolster education and his eagerness to help his people become “global citizens” through the contributions that higher education can enable. Elder Christofferson then reflected on the first lady’s visit to Brigham Young University, where she gave a lecture. He explained that the Church is “trying to find a way to spread the influence of that university, our flagship university, and we’re doing that mostly through online degrees and certificates.” Elder Christofferson then talked about the BYU–Pathway Worldwide program, expressing his hope that it can be established more widely in Sierra Leone, to which President Bio responded warmly.

As the meeting drew to a close, Elder Christofferson thanked the first lady for supporting the 2025 Strengthening Families Conference, sponsored by the Africa West Area Presidency, and which her country will host. She has been a tireless advocate for women’s empowerment and child protection in her country, Africa, and worldwide, fighting against child marriages and striving to strengthen families. In a separate meeting with Elder Christofferson, she raised the need to collaborate with the Church in establishing what she termed a “safe house,” a place for housing and rehabilitating street girls and caring for rape victims.

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Her Excellency has embraced the Strengthening Families Conference to further all those efforts, and her influence has already helped spread the word about the conference. She expressed her wish to help support the conference, noting that it will serve as a tool for religious freedom in her country and a platform to bridge the gap between Christianity and Islamic religions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the president and first lady invited their guests to a meal in their home, where they exchanged gifts. Along with a replica of the Christus statue, Elder Christofferson presented His Excellency with a copy of the Book of Mormon, which he described as the Church’s treasure. He pointed out the chapters in 3 Nephi telling of the Savior’s visit to the Americas but reminded the president that he was “free to read the whole book,” which brought smiles to everyone.