Liberia’s Ghana Accra Returned Missionaries Association (GARMA) Celebrates First Anniversary

The Liberia chapter of the Ghana Accra Returned Missionaries Association (GARMA) commemorated its one-year anniversary with a significant two-day event on December 4-5, 2025. Held at the Monrovia Liberia Stake Center, the gathering brought together nearly one hundred returned missionaries and affiliates to celebrate fellowship, recommit to lifelong service, and reflect on their shared purpose to uplift communities and invite all to come unto Christ.

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The event powerfully blended dedicated community service with spiritual celebration, highlighting the association’s foundational mission to build unity and resilience among returned missionaries. By creating a supportive network, GARMA strengthens members in faith and action, extending the spirit of their missionary service into their post-mission lives.

In his overview of the organization, GARMA’s Country Director, A. Goodridge Nyanforh, explained that the event was a time to reflect on their missionary journeys and recommit to serving humanity. “We’re not here to only listen to motivational and inspiring words,” he said, “but as well to share and reflect on our missions, how much we have done, and how much we yet to do for the sake of humanity.” The ongoing mission shared by its members is to continue inviting all to come unto Christ, following the Savior’s commission to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,” as recorded in Matthew 28:19.

The vision for GARMA began in 2020 as a small WhatsApp group of four returned missionaries, initiated by Sandare Dalapo. Fueled by a desire to maintain the bonds and purpose forged in the mission field, the group has since grown to connect over five hundred individuals who served in the Ghana Accra Mission and are now spread across the globe. This growth led to the official launch of GARMA as an organization in March 2024.

Brother Nyanforh noted that the organization’s rapid expansion has been accompanied by meaningful achievements, including community service projects, initiatives to strengthen marriages and families, and mutual support through training and employment. “We know that the organization has not been immune to challenges,” he stated, “but we have faced them with shared values by learning valuable lessons with growth and improvements.”

The proceedings underscored that GARMA’s work is founded in the enduring covenants of missionary service and the Savior’s commission. President Kelvin Wilson of the Monrovia Liberia Mission commended the group for their vital role in hastening the Lord’s work. He referenced the Church’s global growth and temple construction, noting Africa’s significant contribution. “The Lord is hastening his work, and you played a good portion in that by helping our brothers and sisters find Jesus Christ through His restored gospel,” President Wilson said.

He grounded GARMA’s service in scriptural mandates, beginning with the Savior’s timeless charge to His disciples: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This scripture forms the cornerstone of the missionary call that GARMA members continue to honor. President Wilson further encouraged members by referencing the Savior’s example of doing good (Acts 10:38), the commandment to love one another (John 13:35), and the principle that true disciples are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:20).

“Being a returned missionary is not always easy,” President Wilson acknowledged, “but the fruit of that service is that we become more like our Savior Jesus Christ. So now my invitation to you is you continue to join in that work.” He emphasized the Church’s mission to invite others to come unto Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, urging returned missionaries to never let their light dim.

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Elder Prince Sonpon Nyanforh, an Area Seventy, concluded the ceremony by expressing gratitude for the missionaries’ sacrifices. He praised their courage and framed their service in Ghana as a “work of righteousness” that has prepared them to be instruments of peace in their homeland.

“As you stood as witnesses in Ghana, now stand as witnesses in Liberia, in your homes and workplaces as returned missionaries,” Elder Nyanforh declared. He encouraged them to continue sharing the restored gospel and to live in unity, recommending the association expand to include all returned missionaries, regardless of where they served. His counsel echoed the Book of Mormon charge to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9).

The celebration was also graced by Honorable Alex S. Noah, a member of the Liberian Parliament, who presented certificates of appreciation to key contributors within GARMA.

GARMA Liberia stands as a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of a united body of disciples. This first anniversary celebrates a year of leading the way in building unity, love, and resilience. As these returned missionaries move forward, they are empowered by their shared experiences and gospel covenants to continue the work of salvation. They are making a lasting impact on their homes, communities, and nation by sharing the light of the restored gospel and inviting all to partake of the enduring peace and comfort found only in Jesus Christ. Their continued journey exemplifies the profound truth that when God’s children are “united in heart and mind… with that same purpose” (4 Nephi 1:15-17), they become a transformative force for good in the world.