In 2007, 28 years after baptizing Mucioko and Mutombo Banza, a young Congolese couple living in Geneva, Switzerland, Dickson Call and Todd Clement learned the baptisms they performed laid the foundation for the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in the Congo and the subsequent conversions of thousands during those nearly three decades. At the time of the baptisms, however, the young missionaries feared the Banza family might never live their newfound religion.
On a warm summer evening in 1979, a late-hour decision to contact residents in one more Geneva apartment building placed Call and Clement in the doorway of the Banza family who had come from their African home to pursue an education. The Banzas were among hundreds of Africans in Switzerland attending local universities and LDS missionaries found these young African students to be humble, teachable, and full of faith in God. Yet, there were restrictions regarding the availability of gospel blessings for people of African heritage. Those restrictions dissolved in June 1978 when the LDS Church extended the priesthood, the authority to act in the name of God, to all worthy males. That decision opened the way for Africans to qualify for all the blessings that flow from the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. After the relaxation, missionaries immediately began contacting and teaching Africans with enthusiasm.
The Banza family arrived in Geneva in 1977 and Mucioko began his studies with the support of a Presbyterian Church back in the Congo, a nation then known as Zaire. Call, meanwhile, had come within days of being transferred away from Geneva to another community to continue his missionary labors when his mission president, Owen J. Stevens, changed his mind and decided to keep Call and Clement together in Geneva. President Stevens’ explanation to Call was, “you have more to accomplish here.”
In the Banza doorway that August 30th evening, Call and Clement introduced themselves and Mucioko invited them in. Call recorded in his journal, “. . . we taught them a (first discussion) and they said we could teach them all the discussions. They were incredible, very kind, warm, and they are Christians.”
Call continued, “The father was outgoing. They have two boys who are seven and five years of age. We are going back on Tuesday to teach. There is a great feeling there – we’ll see.”
On September 7th, the missionaries stopped to see the Banzas again and Clement wrote: “Tonight we passed by the Banza family and had a real good discussion. They are coming along great. They are looking sincerely and they are coming along really well. They said the whole family would be coming to church Sunday. They have two little boys, . . . Mr. Banza says that he wants to take the gospel truth back to Africa with him. So he is really studying hard. He and his family could very well be some of the first pioneers in the African country in which they live. They are from Zaire. They are a beautiful family and we’re really looking forward to their progress. I love it here in Geneva because you get the chance to teach people from all over the world. It’s a great experience.”
Call and Clement didn’t teach the Banzas for another 12 days, but in the interim, they made a banana cream pie and delivered it to the family. The effort solidified a warm friendship already developing. When the missionaries and the Banzas met again on September 19th, the subject was the Book of Mormon.
“We planned on teaching the commandments, but they had a friend there so we ended up teaching a “C” . . . the first vision and the reestablishment of the Gospel, and presenting the Book of Mormon,” Elder Clement said. “It was neat . . . Mr. Banza asked us if the could tell his friend about it and we agreed. He did a pretty good job and then we explained it in more detail, but it was neat to see that he was excited enough about the reestablishment to tell his friend about it.”
Eight days later, the Call and Clement crossed the threshold with the Banza family and arranged a tentative baptism date.
“We fixed a partially good date for the baptisms of the Banzas – this coming Tuesday or Wednesday,” Elder Clement said. “He can’t say right now because he has to give some kind of presentation to the public for his schooling. We sure have been blessed with finding people. The Banza family wants to go to BYU. Hopefully things work out for them. They are going to be pioneers back in their home country of Zaire. They are excited about it too. They want to return and spread the gospel to their people.”
What the Call and Clement didn’t realize was the Banza family’s residence and schooling in Geneva was sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. When the Presbyterian leaders learned that the Banzas had received LDS missionaries, they threatened to revoke the Banza’s sponsorship. If the Banza family continued their contact with the missionaries and were baptized, the Banzas would be forced to leave Geneva and return to the Congo.
The Banzas had a decision to make. A critical decision. To join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meant forsaking their father’s education in Switzerland and returning home. But the family had been touched by the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost had borne witness to them of its truthfulness. It only remained for the Banzas to exercise their burgeoning faith.
On October 2, Clement exclaimed in French and English in his journal, “Incroyable! Nous avons eu un Bapteme merveilleux! The Banza baptism was amazing and there were a lot of members and missionaries there to witness it. This has been such a blessing to be a part of and I thank God to have had a part in teaching and testifying to this family.
“After the services, Brother and Sister Banza were standing outside and talking to us and telling us that they were going to see if Call and I can come to Africa to preach the gospel and be missionaries there. Boy that would be an experience. It was really special talking to them tonight. We told one another how much we loved and appreciated one another and it brought tears to all of our eyes.”
Only a few days later Call and Clement learned the Banza’s sponsorship had been rescinded and they were preparing to return to Zaire. The day of the Banza’s departure at the Geneva airport was a sad one for Call and Clement, but Mucioko, sensing the missionaries’ concern, assured them he and his family would remain faithful to their baptismal covenants. They would seek to build the Church in their native land. Those were the most worthy of intentions, Call thought, but how likely when so much would be arrayed against their determination and for how many years?
Call returned home to Columbus, Ohio the end of October 1979 and Clement followed him back to the United States a year and a half later.
“I have always said that my mission was the most spiritually intricate time in my life,” Call remembered. “The growth in my testimony was remarkable. I knew it was the
Lord’s work and that I had been a part of that work. I had great companions, saw amazing things, and had moderate success. I would not have traded those two years for anything.
“Yet, in terms of conversions, quality conversions in which people remain actively engaged with the Church throughout their lives, I felt some disappointment.
“I have always said that I felt a little empty in that I received so much personally from serving, but that I did not accomplish very much as far as moving the work forward. I wasn’t sure that any of the converts that I had been a part of were still active in the Church and certainly not the Banzas who lived in a country devoid of the gospel. Still, the memories were incredible. As far as the Banzas, I pretty much resigned myself to the comforting fact that they were awesome people who the Lord loved, and that at least they were baptized and that someday, even if in the life hereafter, they would be back in the arms of the Lord’s Church. This did bring some comfort.”
The Banzas in the Congo
The abrupt end of his studies in Geneva, Switzerland and his sudden return to Zaire in October 1979 left Mucioko Banza in a quandary. What kind of work could he now pursue? What of his new faith? The situation was made more difficult by the expectation of their friends in Kinshasa that the Banzas would come to their senses and abandon their newfound religion and return to the Presbyterian church where Mucioko had held leadership positions. However, the Banza’s conversion to the Lord’s Church had been thorough and although lacking gospel knowledge and understanding, the Spirit of the Lord rested heavily upon them and gave them strength to await the Lord’s timing.
“When we arrived in Zaire, the Church was not yet organized there and my parents had no idea what they would do regarding their new faith,” Junior Banza said.
“For some time, we attended meetings in our old church, but my parents kept in some contact with the International Mission of the LDS Church. The contact consisted of Church magazines every few months and a few other items. I do remember my parents writing Church headquarters asking when the Church would come to Zaire and being told ‘when the Lord says it is time.’ We were assured that President Spencer W. Kimball was praying for us.”
Another consequence of the Banza’s unplanned departure from Geneva was that Mucioko had not received the priesthood. Consequently, the two boys could not be baptized on reaching the age of eight. They knew of no other Latter-day Saint family in the country so, for more than four years, the Banzas were alone in Zaire with minimal understanding of the Church and with no opportunity to attend even simple gatherings of Church members.
Things changed significantly in 1984 when an LDS family, the Larsens, arrived in the Zaire capital where the husband would serve as a physician in the American embassy. Contact was made between the two families and the Banza’s began attending a sacrament meeting in the Larsen home each Sabbath. Eventually, the Larsen’s assignment ended and they left Zaire, but were followed in short order by another LDS family, the Bowcutts, also attached to the American embassy. The Bowcutts had children the same age as the Banza boys and though neither family could speak the same language, the spirit of the meetings buoyed up the Banzas and prepared them for formal recognition of the Church in Zaire in April 1986.
“My parents received a letter from the Brethren saying that the president of the Church had given approval to have the Church established in Zaire,” Junior Banza said. “The nation’s laws demanded that the new Church have two Zairian citizens attest to their membership and sign government documents before permits were issued.
“By this time, a brother Nkitabungi had arrived in the country after being baptized in Belgium in 1982 and serving a mission in the United Kingdom during the intervening years. He signed the documents along with my parents.”
A flurry of visits ensued by Church representatives including David Kennedy who served as a special envoy from the Church to various nations around the globe and from legal representatives of the First Presidency, according to Junior. These representatives along with the Banzas and Nkitabungi began visiting with various government leaders culminating in a meeting with the Zairian President Mobutu Seko. He granted permission for the Church to establish an organization in Zaire and begin missionary efforts in the country.
“We were now meeting in the garage of the Nkitabungi home and on June 1, 1986, my brother Phillipe and I were baptized into the Church in the Bowcutts swimming
pool by another visiting LDS member from the United States,” Junior said. The boys were then confirmed members of the Church.
“This was the beginning of a journey that has brought unnumbered blessings to our family,” Junior shared. “Now, we could invite all of the people who had been wondering about our new church. My parents’ friends came in big numbers and they became the nucleus of the first members in Zaire.
“The Church grew very fast. By November 1986 we had a building and within a few months our branch was split into two branches.”
Events moved quickly for the Banzas once the Church gained official recognition. Junior Banza was called to serve a mission in Zaire in 1991 and was transferred to South Africa when Zaire suffered internal unrest. His brother Phillipe served a mission to the Ivory Coast Abidjan Mission in 1993. In March of 2000 Junior married and they left for the United States later that year. Phillipe married his wife in August 2000 and followed his brother and sister-in-law to the U.S. in 2003.
The Elders Find the Banzas
During General Conference weekend in October 2005, Call attended the 25-year anniversary reunion of the Switzerland Geneva Mission. His former mission president, Owen Stevens, delivered a slide presentation that explored his missionary service in various countries, including Africa. Stevens spoke of the tremendous growth of the Church there and it reminded Call of the Banza family.
In May 2007 while preparing for a sacrament meeting talk on the Church’s worldwide missionary program, Call came across a Deseret News Church Almanac from 2003. While thumbing through the pages he came to the Congo.
Having known the African nation by the name Zaire and not the Congo, and having fruitlessly looked for information about the church in ZAIRE, “I saw the Democratic Republic of Congo and my eyes immediately fixed on these words: ‘its name was changed to Zaire in 1971, and then to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997.’ My heart began to pound a little. Then I totally lost my emotions when I next read, ‘The first baptisms in Zaire were on 1 June 1986, they were Banza Mucioko Jr., and Banza Philippe, sons of Banza Mucioko Wa Mutumbo. Banza Mucioko was baptized in Switzerland on 2 October 1979.’
“I re-read those lines over and over again just to be sure. I immediately called Todd. He answered the phone and without mentioning the reason for the call I just started reading from the Church Almanac. It was heard to breathe – for both of us. All I can say is that for the next hour, he was not Todd and I was not Dickson, but we were Frere (the French term for brother) Clement and Frere Call and we were companions again – back in Geneva.”
Discovering the reference to the Banzas’ was only the beginning for Call and Clement. Contacting the Banza family was now a priority and it proved to be very difficult.
Neither of the former missionaries could remember the Banzas’ complete names or knew the nation or stake of the Church in which they now resided. After calling Church Headquarters, they were told they would need more information. The former companions decided to contact the Stevens through an old email address that Call had saved. In the email to Stevens, Call shared their story, recent discoveries, and their goal of finding the Banzas. The Stevens responded from Brussels, Belgium, where they were on another Church assignment, that they would forward the email to several contacts in Africa.
On the morning of October 29, 2007, Call arrived at work and checked his email messages.
“As I sat down at my desk at work, I pulled up my email messages and saw a message from the Stevens’ which said, ‘trying to find convert . . . FOUND!!! The message said that someone who was contacted from all these people searching on our behalf, actually knew the Banza family very well. They said that Frere Banza was a bishop there in Kinshasa, Congo, and that their two sons were living in Utah.”
Call immediately found a listing in West Valley City, Utah for a Banza Jr, and called the number and left a brief message about his relationship to the Banzas. The next day Call’s phone rang from an 801 number and he thought, “this could be it.”
It was in fact Banza and they were both thrilled. Call said, “We spoke for an hour and he told me all about his parents and their story. It was an incredible story and very inspiring. We rejoiced mightily. I learned that he and his brother married returned missionaries from the Congo and that they now lived a block apart in Salt Lake City. I assured him that I would be calling Todd Clement that evening and would arrange for a meeting between us all.”
The next day, Banza wrote Call and told his family’s story.
“We have spent the last 30 years wondering if we would ever hear from you again. My parents have always talked about you and the impact you had in their lives. As you requested, let me share with you some of the things that have happened to our family since we parted ways in October 1979.
Call’s children, inspired by their father’s story, have since created a DVD and a small booklet that describes Call’s and Clement’s experience. In the booklet are several thoughts:
“There are two things in this life that are powerful enough to span time and distance . . . faith and love. It was the faith and love of two young missionaries that brought the Banza family into the gospel. It was then their (the Banzas) own faith and love for the Lord that brought the gospel into the lives of thousands of others. It was that same faith and love for one another that has since brought them all together again to share in this wonderful story and legacy. This has been and continues to be a journey of faith. You can count the number of seeds in a single apple, but you can never count the number of apples in a single seed.”
The elder Banzas traveled to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple in 2004 where they were sealed and the parents and boys were sealed as an eternal family in the Salt Lake Temple in 2010.
Today, the elder Banza serves as a stake patriarch in Kinshasa while Junior and Philipe provide translation services for General Conference sessions in Lingal, the local language of the Congo.
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