Many wonderful opportunities present themselves for sharing the gospel, sometimes in unexpected ways. Elder Jackson and his companion, Elder Brown, assigned to the Randburg Ward, were contacting people at a mall, trying to begin a conversation with them. They saw some young men sitting on a bench, so they sat down next to them and began talking. After about 20 minutes, one of the young men told the missionaries that he hosts a radio show and would like to interview them on his program. Of course, the missionaries accepted.
On 7 May they appeared on the Lifestyle Thursday show of Kofifi FM 97.2 at 7pm. Kofifi FM is a radio station based in the West Rand of Johannesburg and broadcasts over a 100 kilometre radius, with an audience of about 30,000. During their 45-minute interview, the missionaries told about themselves and discussed why they were in Africa and what missionaries do. They explained that they want to bring people to Christ.
The night before the show, a co-host of the program had recorded members of the public asking questions for the missionaries. One of the questions was about the “Book of Mammon” and included several misconceptions about missionary work, the Church, and baptism. They were able to clear up many misunderstandings and explained what baptism is and why we need to be baptised.
After answering the recorded questions, many live tweets came in with questions, which the missionaries were able to answer. An amusing tweet came from someone, not LDS, whose first cat’s name was Nephi. Some of this person’s extended family were LDS, hence the name. This tweet provided an ideal opportunity to talk about Nephi and the record which he kept, as well as who Mormon was. When the tweets ended, the show’s host asked more questions about the Church’s position on gays, interracial marriage, and polygamy. The missionaries were able to clear up many incorrect ideas and explain clearly the Church’s position on these topics.
They were allowed to talk freely and as much as they liked, and they had the opportunity of speaking briefly about Joseph Smith. As the show was on the Thursday before Mothers’ Day, the last question was about mothers, and the missionaries emphasised how important the role of a mother is. They spoke about their own mothers, paying tribute to them. At the end of the program, they gave their phone number to the public for anyone who had further questions or would like to know more about the Church. Afterwards, they gave copies of the Book of Mormon to the host and his two co-hosts.
That evening those missionaries were fulfilling Alma’s personal desire: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God… unto every people!” (Alma 29: 1). This radio interview allowed them to share much about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon with a wide, local audience, as if with a “trump.” Those who accept their invitation to learn of Christ will be able to say of them, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; … that publisheth salvation…” (Mosiah 12:21).
Interviewed by Collette Burgoyne