SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG MISSION

This is the entire area of the South Africa Johannesburg Mission. It is huge, bigger than Texas!

South Africa Johannesburg Temple. It is really cool and unique!


Just some normal everyday sights. JK, I'll probably be in the bigger cities most of the time I am super excited to be serving in this mission.

 Just to introduce you to the mission, here a few facts about South Africa and Botswana (The two countries I will be in).

South Africa

  • The most common languages: Zulu (23.8% 9.98 million), Xhosa (17.6% 7.79 million), Afrikaans (13.3% 4.74 million), Southern Sotho (4.24 million), Northern Sotho (4.09 million), English (8.2% 3.67 million), Tswana (3.41 million), Tsonga (1.94 million), Portuguese (1.5 million), Swati (1.01 million), Sepedi(9.4%), Sesotho (7.9%), Setswana (8.2%), Tsonga (4.4%)  I'm not really sure these numbers and percentages add up but, the point is, wow! That is a lot of languages! I'm sure not gonna be only English speaking for long.
  • Population: 49,052,489 (July 2009) with Black African (79%), White (9.6%), Colored (8.9%), Indian/Asian (2.5%)
  • Faiths: Christian (79.7%), Muslim (1.5%), Other (2.3%), Unspecified (1.4%), None (15.1%)
  • South Africa was dedicated for missionary work in May 1853. 
  • LDS Membership: 48,112
  • Wards: 114 Branches: 47 Stakes:11?
  • South Africa experiences some of the highest retention among countries with church membership over 20,000.
  • Johannesburg Temple was dedicated on 24 August 1985 by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Botswana


  •  Population: 1,990,876 (July 2009) with Tswana (79%), Kalanga (11%), Basawara (3%), Other (7%)
  • There are 29 languages in Botswana but the national language is Setswana (78.2%) and the official language is English (2.1%)
  • Faiths: Christian (71.6%), Badimo (6%), Other (1.4%), Unspecified (0,4%), None (20.6%)
  • LDS Membership: 1,305  First members moved to Botswana from America in 1983.
  • Dedicated for missionary work in 1992 (My birth year! I was meant to go here for sure)
  • Wards: 3 Branches: 3 Stakes: 0
  • Gaborone West 2nd ward became the first YSA(Young Single Adult) ward in Africa in Fall 2009
Here are two links to two pages that will give you tons of info on each country. It is really interesting to read about.

South Africa: http://www.cumorah.com/index.php?target=missiology_articles&story_id=117

Botswana: http://cumorah.com/index.php?target=missiology_articles&story_id=7