Golden Harvest in Ghana portrays the rewarding but often challenging experiences of the author, Marjorie Wall Folsom and her husband Max, during the time they served as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the all-black nation of Ghana, West Africa.
Arriving in the city of Cape Coast, Ghana in July 1983, at the height of a five-year drought, they found a desperate situation: food was scarce—a loaf of bread, if it could be found, cost a day’s wages. Gasoline was severely rationed—long lines of cars and trucks waited for days to buy a few gallons. Domestic water and electricity were shut off for days and sometimes weeks at a time.
But they were welcomed with open arms by loving and gentle black brothers and sisters who yearned for a better life. Although the Ghanaians were caught in the struggle for survival in their land where hunger and privation was the norm, they were also hungering and thirsting for the spiritual “bread of life.” They eagerly sought and readily accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, showing such dedication and commitment that parallels are hard to find.
The pages unfold thrilling accounts of how the Lord through dreams, visions and miracles is leading these people by the thousands to find his gospel. Related also, as seen through western eyes, are fascinating vignettes of their customs, life-styles, and African environment. The book relates many personal conversion stories, and contains humorous and not-so-humorous accounts of how the missionaries and people of Ghana coped with malaria, burglaries and critical shortages.
The Folsoms received the assignment to build the first LDS chapel in Ghana constructed by the Church. With building materials almost non-existent and exorbitantly priced, many frustrations as well as joyful experiences kept them constantly challenged.
Golden Harvest in Ghana is a powerful first-hand account of the beginning of the LDS Church in western Africa.
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