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The Great Tema Temple Campus Adventure
In 1832 the Savior declared to the prophet Joseph Smith, “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:73). Today, 193 years later, that hastening is evident in the work of the “gathering” occurring every day at the Tema Campus Institute Gathering Place in the Ghana Accra East Mission, where family history, missionary, and temple experiences converge to produce miracles.
The miracles in Tema began in September 2024 with the repurposing of an empty building that had formally housed the Ghana missionary training centre and two anchors: BYU Pathway and the Church Seminary/Institute program. Under the direction of two capable and visionary leaders, stake president Stephen Abu Jr. and Bishop Prince Mensah, multiple enrichment classes were added to the offerings available at the building. In less than a year, the influence of these programs grew tremendously, and the building with its programs became a powerful gathering place for the young single adults in the Tema Ghana Stake.
These offerings of spiritual and temporal instruction have attracted a consistent and increasing flow of students. These young single adults are between 18 and 35 years old, are predominantly male, and roughly half of them are “friends of the Church.” These young single adults come voluntarily every day, most of them at some expense and effort to make the trip, and they spend afternoons receiving this instruction after finishing required school classes or day jobs.
A New Senior Missionary
It was into this environment that a newly arrived single sister senior missionary was placed. Sister Betsy Thornton, from Utah, had accepted a calling to serve in the Ghana Accra East Mission. On her arrival, despite not having much experience in the subject, she willingly accepted the assignment to teach an institute family history class, having faith that Lord qualifies those He calls. With the aid of fellow institute instructor, Eric Osei Asare, help from some tech-savvy Pathway students, support from other resources, and by exercising a lot of patience, she put her shoulder to the wheel, and her class began to thrive.
Sister Thornton invited missionaries who were serving at the Tema Gathering Place to come teach about the importance of not only building FamilySearch trees but of also uniting those efforts with the blessings of the temple. As they learned about the importance of family history and began to build their trees, the students experienced great joy in discovering their ancestors and other family members on FamilySearch.org/Africa. In concert with the teachings of the temple, students began to be curious about the gospel of Jesus Christ. That curiosity turned into spiritual affirmations of truth and instilled in the members a desire to be baptised for their deceased loved ones. As for the friends, many of them felt the desire to be baptised themselves.
A Visit to the House of the Lord
Recognizing the opportunity to build on this spiritual affirmation, Sister Thornton planned a visit the Accra Ghana Temple, where she would take her students to feel the power of the temple. Initially, 22 of the students signed up to go, but that number grew quickly as recently baptised members in the Tema Stake heard about the excursion and asked to join. From there, other young single adults, not wanting to miss out on such an opportunity, joined the group. Eventually, over 70 young single adults, both members and friends of the Church, committed to visit the temple.
On 13 June 2025, one-and-a-half busses filled with eager students pulled into the Accra Ghana Temple parking lot. The group was received by a crew of supportive area missionaries who assisted in hosting, teaching, and guiding at the temple. Following a group photo on the temple steps, the 22 Church members in the group, including seven new converts, were then ushered into the temple to participate in baptisms for their ancestors.
Plans were to take the remaining 50-plus students, friends of the Church, on a tour of the temple grounds, but in a wonderful and unexpected turn of events, a member of the temple presidency emerged and invited all of them to enter the temple waiting room, where he taught them about the nature of covenants and the blessings of the temple. It was truly a miraculous opportunity for each of them to receive counsel and absorb the peace available in the house of the Lord.
Words are barely adequate in describing the surprise, wonder, and reverence present in that experience. Many of the members and their friends later expressed their feelings about the temple, about how sacred, peaceful, and beautiful it was, and how they felt the presence of Jesus Christ and His love in His holy house.
Although the temple experience was the culmination of the trip, there remained other wonderful experiences for the students. Upon leaving the temple, they walked next door to the Christiansborg Stake Center, where students had the opportunity to hear from area family history and African history specialists. Some students were also able to work with specialists in the FamilySearch IT center.
Following those presentations, they had the opportunity to walk next door to the Ghana Accra Missionary Training Center. The privilege of entering this center was another life-changing experience. The new MTC president graciously greeted the group, bearing testimony about the work taking place there. Then, dividing the students into four smaller groups, MTC staff took the students for a real-time view of life there as a missionary. They toured the cafeteria, saw the outdoor field and exercise space, and peeked into the classrooms, where a number of languages were being taught. They noted the prophets’ names on classroom doors, photos on the walls that captured the history of the MTC and Church in Ghana, and marvelled at the diversity of missionaries there, commenting on the warmth, happiness, and spirit of the missionaries.
A Life-Changing Experience
After a full and rewarding experience at the temple compound, the students piled back into the busses and headed home to Tema. This life-changing experience impacted both members and friends alike, as members felt closer to their deceased relatives and talked about preparations for serving missions, while friends began contemplating their own faith, many expressing a desire to join the Church. Several were even baptised in the days and weeks afterwards. As a result of the success of the excursion, the Tema center added another family history class for new students wanting to learn about these things, and another temple excursion was planned for August of the same year.
All who participated in this activity affirmed that the hand of the Lord is directing the affairs of the Church through programs such as FamilySearch, the Gathering Place, and other YSA programs. These programs strive to bolster the spiritual, educational, and inclusive community being cultivated at the Tema Campus Institute Gathering Place. The united efforts of all involved furthered the gathering of Israel through increased family history work, missionary participation, and temple ordinances. Those who are a part of this miraculous surge gratefully affirm that this is God’s time and He is directing the work at the Tema Campus Institute Gathering Place.