Glen G. Fisher's Royal Welcome in Nigeria (1960)

In 1960, President David O. McKay assigned President Glen G. Fisher of the South Africa Mission to be the first Church representative to visit the unbaptized converts of West Africa. In Nigeria he met with several groups, one of which had more than 5,600 participants in many congregations. President Fisher told the First Presidency that he received a royal welcome, for these people had been preparing themselves and their congregations for baptism for years. Their continued plea was simply, 'We want the true church.' He was impressed by their sincerity: though they were extremely poor, they never once mentioned financial help. His visit is a faith-promoting witness of a people the Lord had made ready, and of the Lord's hand in sending His servants to find those who had been waiting.

Fuller account of this event (from E. Dale LeBaron, "African Converts Without Baptism," BYU devotional address, 3 November 1998):

In 1960 President David O. McKay assigned South Africa mission president Glen G. Fisher to be the first Church representative to visit some of these unbaptized converts. He met with several groups in Nigeria, one of which had more than 5,600 participants in many congregations. President Fisher told the First Presidency that he received a royal welcome; they had been preparing themselves and their congregations for baptism for years. Their continued plea was, "We want the true church" (in Glen G. Fisher: A Man to Match the Mountains, ed. E. Dale LeBaron [Edmonton: Fisher House, 1992], pp. 147–48). President Fisher was also impressed with their sincerity. Even though they were extremely poor, they never mentioned financial help.