1 July 2015 marks the introduction of a brand new format for the Liahona magazine insert for the Africa South East Area. As of this month, members who receive the Liahona will enjoy a new full-colour eight-page insert.
The insert includes monthly messages from the Area Presidency, inspiring articles from local Church authorities, and stories from wards, branches and stakes in the 24 countries in the Africa South East Area. The aim of this new format of the Liahona insert is to uplift the saints, strengthen their testimonies, share local messages, and build unity among the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members from South Africa to South Sudan will be able to read each other’s stories and see photos of each other’s lives in full colour.
Elder Kevin Hamilton, a member of the Area Presidency, described the changes: “The higher quality Liahona layout for the local pages will provide the same rich experience that members of the Church enjoy in the rest of the Ensign and the Liahona. This should improve the readability and the experience that our local members have when reading the local pages content,” he said.
Sister Lauryan Ritzlmayr said the new changes were “great news! Having local content enables my family to understand how the Church applies in our daily lives on a practical level. It also helps us show others what the Church is doing right here,” she said. “My non-member husband loves the Liahona, and he will really enjoy this, too.”
Sister Diane Taim agreed. “I feel different areas of the Church have similar challenges but also very unique ones,” she said. “Having news and stories from our Area will inspire us and motivate us by learning how others have coped with our unique challenges in applying the gospel,” said Sister Taim. “It also makes the Liahona a global representative of the many different people in the Church.”
Elder Hamilton encouraged members to make use of this resource. “Most importantly, read it! Whether you subscribe to the print version or access it online through africase.lds.org, the local version of the Liahona will bless the members of the Africa Southeast Area if they will take the time to read the articles.'
Members of the Area are invited to take Elder Hamilton’s counsel, look out for the new insert, read it, and share their feedback with us on the LDS Africase Facebook page.
To see what the new colour insert looks like, click here: July-2015.pdf