Women Leaders Minister to Children of West Africa

On November 19, 2024, children visiting the Kathy Knowles Community Library in Accra, Ghana, were delighted by a special visit from Sister Tracy Y. Browning, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, and Sister Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Established in 1992, the library provides opportunities and resources for local underprivileged children to engage in positive developmental activities, such as reading and interacting with each other. While the library employs full-time staff funded by a foundation, senior sister missionaries from the Africa West Area Office volunteer twice a week to help the children play games, do arts and crafts, sing songs, and, of course, read. These missionaries proposed the visit by Church leaders during their West Africa tour and coordinated efforts to make the visit instructive.

Emulating the Saviour, who always made time for children, Sisters Browning and Runia, accompanied by the wives of the area presidency, took time from their busy schedules to spend some fun time with these kids. That sacrifice was appreciated by the library helpers as well as by the children. Prepared by the volunteer sister missionaries for the visit of these Church leaders, the children performed a welcome song for their visitors upon their arrival.  They then brought the visitors into their circle and engaged them in some local traditional dances, which the sisters participated in whole-heartedly.  Sisters Browning and Runia then joined in with their husbands and the other sisters to participate with the children in some of the kids favourite activities, such as blowing bubbles, playing "double double this this, double double that that" (like patty cake), colouring pictures, and reading stories.

The visit was filled with laughter and fun, with children and visitors joyfully interacting. At the conclusion of the visit, the children, who are all of different denominations but who had been taught by the volunteer missionaries, all sang “I Am a Child of God,” to say goodbye to their visitors and to wish them well on the rest of their journey.