After a long journey flying to the USA, the Ukhozi FM Radio Station and KZN Premier's representatives arrived to a warm welcome in Salt Lake City on Friday on the 18th of July. Their visit began with a tour of Temple Square and 'This Is The Place' Monument Park, both places of huge significance in understanding the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and their history.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The day ended with VIP seats at the Pioneer Day Concert in the Conference Centre. They witnessed first hand the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their home in Salt Lake City.
The team from South Africa includes - From Ukhozi FM Radio: Sibusiso Buthelezi-Ukhozi FM Radio Presenter, Mroza Buthelezi-Ukhozi FM Radio Presenter and Bonga Mpanza-General Manager of Ukhozi FM Radio. Also touring with Ukhozi FM Radio are: Zamokuhle Mchunu-Sr Manager Sustained Livelihood, Kenneth Mofokeng-Mgr SE Area LDS Welfare Services, Sipho Duma-Stake Public Affairs Director and Graham Sabela-Bishop Pinetown Ward.
The This is the Place Monument is a historical monument at the This is the Place Heritage Park, located on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah, at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. It is named in honor of Brigham Young's famous statement in 1847 that the Latter-day Saint pioneers should settle in the Salt Lake Valley. Sculpted between 1939 and 1947 by Mahonri M. Young, a grandson of Brigham Young, it stands as a monument to the Mormon pioneers as well as the explorers and settlers of the American West. It was dedicated by LDS Church President George Albert Smith on 24 July 1947, the hundredth anniversary of the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley.
The 19th-century Mormon pioneer migration beginning in 1846 in Illinois, then through Iowa and Nebraska and eventually to a place of refuge in the Rocky Mountains, was one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of the United States’ great western migration. Unlike the thousands of pioneers streaming west to California and Oregon looking for a better life, the Mormon pioneers migrated involuntary — the result of expulsion from Illinois and Missouri by hostile neighbors. Later, the Mormon pioneer trail would be filled with converts coming from Europe
The Salt Lake City Temple was dedicated in 1893 and took 40 years to build. Throughout history, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples. Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred promises with God. Worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be sealed together as families for eternity in these beautiful buildings.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, one of the oldest and largest choirs in the world, has performed before U.S. presidents, sold millions of records, won scores of awards and enthralled audiences in dozens of countries. The choir is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The choir is composed of 360 volunteer singers ages 25-60 who are members of the Church.
Accompanying the choir in the great auditorium is the 11,623-pipe Tabernacle organ, featuring prominent golden pipes made of round wood staves, hand-carved from Utah timber. Ten pipes from the original organ, built in 1867, are still functioning today.
The choir is best known for its weekly Sunday broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, which originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This program is the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in America.
Ronald Reagan, president of the United States from 1981 to 1989, dubbed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir “America’s Choir” in 1981 when the choir sang at his inauguration.