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Latter-day Saint

The Real Elder Price, Part 2: Welcome to Africa!

December 12, 2011 by Margaret Blair Young

Continued from Page 2

Elder Price would not meet his future friend, Elder Wigginton, for several months, since "Wiggs" had been transferred to Pointe Noire, along with his new companion from Zambia, Elder Chiloba Chirwa (known as "Chills" outside of his mission life).

It was Elder Wigginton who first wrote to me from his mission, letting me know that, given the undependable mail system, missionaries were permitted to email friends as well as family. Thus began my adventure of sharing the missions of several young men we had known in our MTC branch. Soon, I included their companions on my list. Ultimately, I wrote to twenty.

Elder Wigginton introduced me to Elder Chirwa via email. I assumed that this African missionary was a Francophone, and so asked "Wiggs" to translate a message to his companion. I also assumed Elder Chirwa knew nothing about the world outside of Africa, that his English was elementary, and that his reading skills were poor.

Elders Wigginton and Chirwa with a family in Pointe Noire

As it turned out, Elder Chirwa's father was pursuing a Ph.D. in literature and had been named the Best Actor in Zambia in 1999. Chiloba himself had spent much of his childhood in England, and had an English accent. His sister, a doctor, still lived in England, as did his mother. Chiloba himself was planning on pursuing a degree in architecture. And he loved good books, especially those by Tolkien.

Chiloba "Chills" Chirwa would become dear to me, the African son I never met. He would also become a treasured friend to Elder Price. Both of them began their missions at the same time, and in fact communicated with each other before entering their separate Missionary Training Centers—Price's in Utah, and Chirwa's in Ghana.

Chiloba Chirwa wrote this to Elder Price on September 3, 2008:

Hello there Elder Price --

Elder Price and Elder Chirwa

I'm Elder Chirwa . . . I will be going into the Ghana MTC on the 19 of September and will be heading to the DR Congo mission. I have been surfing the net just trying to find out more about the mission!! You are the only one I have found that I will be serving with!!! Good luck with your preparations . . . see you in the field!!!

Elder Chiloba Anthony Chirwa

Brandon Price replied:

Hey Elder Chirwa! You have no idea how much it made my day when I read your email! I too have been surfing the net trying to figure out some stuff on the mission. I'm very excited, and a little nervous. Good luck in your preparations! I'm sure we'll see each other at least once in the next two years!

In fact, they would see a lot of each other and sometimes proselytize together.

All of the missionaries in the DR-Kinshasa mission—and I—would learn precious and heart-wrenching lessons about love, sickness, death, faith, and compassion because of Chiloba Chirwa.

Page: 3 of 3

12/12/2011 5:00:00 AM

The Real Elder Price

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