On the evening of December 27, 2008, at the conclusion of a stake Christmas concert in Cape Coast, I heard Sister Turner say behind me: "This is my husband, Elder Turner." I turned to meet a small elderly gentleman who stretched forth his hand and said with a clear, warm and endearing voice: "Good evening, Elder Turner, I am Brother Johnson." I knew immediately who he was, having heard about him from several sources, having read about him and having seen his picture in a wonderful book about the history of the Church in Ghana, entitled: "Walking in the Sand".
This was Brother "Billy" Johnson, charismatic preacher leader of Latter Day Saint groups before 1978, in which year the Priesthood was extended to all worthy men in the Church regardless of race. The Billy Johnson who in February of 1964, saw in vision the Book of Mormon and recognized it when shown the cover of the book. The Billy Johnson who a month later experienced another vision wherein he heard his name called three times and was told: "If you will take up my work as I will command you, I will bless you and bless your land."
Immediately after his vision in March of 1964, Brother Johnson began to proselytize and by December became the President of the first branch of the Church in Ghana. He built a great congregation in Cape Coast, but not without trials and tribulations. The Church was persecuted by publications in "The Catholic Standard", a local newspaper, and by various religions groups which attempted to ensnare him, telling him that the brethren in Salt Lake City would never recognize his congregation because of the Church's position on blacks and the Priesthood.
In 1976, Billy went to Monrovia, Liberia, to find "The Mormons" he had heard were established there. Instead he found the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints. Evidently the Reorganized were afraid of him, for upon his return home he received a letter from the headquarters of that church in Missouri inviting him to keep his distance and remain in his own church headquartered in Salt Lake City.
In 1977, American clerics from four denominations (Baptists, The Church of God in Christ, The New Life Mission, and the Pentacostals) paid visits to Brother Johnson in efforts to dissuade him from the Latter Day Saints Church. Leaders including a bishop from the Church of God in Christ stayed in his home for a weekand offered to pay him to join their church in Ghana. Finally, Billy went down on his knees to ask the Lord to confirm that he should accept this church's offer. He heard a voice say to him: "Do not confuse mypeople." Upon returning to his living room, and before he could say anything, the visiting bishop told him that the Lord had just revealed to him that he should not persuade Johnson and his congregation to depart from their church. With that the visiting entourage packed up and left.
Brother Johnson soon became the leader of seven LDS congregations numbering between 500 and 1000 members. He petitioned President Kimball for missionaries, for baptism and membership in the Church for his people, and for Books of Mormon. He issued temporary "Provisional Certificates of Baptism" while awaiting the appearance of missionaries. When those missionaries did finally arrive in November of 1978, the first Ghanaian they baptized in Cape Coast was Billy Johnson. By 1979, he would organize ten congregations in total.
One of the early members of the Church in Ghana told me recently that he was present when Billy Johnson opened the letter from Church headquarters in SaltLake City announcing the arrival of white missionaries. He said that Billy had been saying repeatedly for months: "The white man will come," and that he relateda vision in which he saw smoke arrising from the letter from Salt Lake as he opened it. He said when Billy actually did open the letter, smoke indeed arose from it.
With his left hand Brother Johnson grasped my arm and with his right shook my hand with a fervor and strength belying his age. He looked up into my eyes with striking intensity and thanked me for coming to Ghana to help his people. What he said next touched me greatly: "The Lord sends us only the best people to be our missionaries!" (I looked around to see to whom he might be referring and settled upon Sister Turner). His hands repeatedly gestured upward as his words poured forth: "You strengthen us, you raise us up, you help us to be a better people. With all of the gold and silver and diamonds in the world we can never repay you for all you do for us. Only by living the Gospel the very best that we can will we ever be able to repay the debt which is ours."
He spoke of the massive relief effort which the Church conducted in Ghana in 1983. He asked me to remember him to the Brethren when I return home. Imagine that. He wanted me to remember him to the Brethren. It was said so sincerely, so innocently, with such conviction that I would actually have opportunity to do such a thing, that I got caught up in the magic of the moment and thought perhaps I would actually do it. And I will, by letter if not in person.
To this day Billy Johnson continues to bless his people in Ghana, serving as the Patriarch for the Cape Coast Stake.
Fine.
Elder Turner
