Emmanuel A. Kissi

Emanuel Abu Kissi (1938- ) is a medical doctor, founder of a medical clinic, and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana. [cite news
url=http://coloradosprings.yourhub.com/TriLakes/Stories/Faith/General-Faith/Story~145070.aspx
date=11/1/2006
title=Elder Jayce Porter; American Missionary in Ghana
last=Hart
first=Bonnie Blackburn
publisher=Your Hub] He is only one of a few black Africans to have served as area authority seventies in the church, [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=lSvRnQgJAx8C&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=%22Emmanuel+Kissi%22&source=web&ots=ArUjUDiwj-&sig=1z9Yn0O-35slgZKub1B5T6Qke3Q&hl=en reference in "Black and Mormon"] ] and is the only African to have written a published book of history of the church, his "Walking in the Sand" a history of the LDS Church in Ghana. It was reviewed by William Olsen. [Olsen, William [http://byustudies.byu.edu/shop/pdfsrc/45.3Olsen.pdf Review of "Walking in the Sand"] , Brigham Young University] He also served as the official head of the LDS Church in Ghana for a year and a half. He has worked extensively to increase interfaith relationships in Ghana. [cite news
title=Doctor Works for Interfaith Relations in Ghana
publisher=Ghana News
date=March 9, 2005]

Kissis was born in Abomosu, Ghana on December 2, 1938. He studied medicine in England. In 1979 while completing training in surgery in London he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After his return to Ghana, Kissi and his wife Elizabeth, who is a nurse, established a medical clinic in Accra which they named Deseret Hospital. The hospital at times has been aided by groups of church members from the USA. [http://www.deseretnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=SUIUZHWFUCBN&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=3&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES] He has also been involved with trying to coordinate humanitarian medical care by other doctors in Ghana. [ [http://www.bsmarkham.com/mission/Africa/Oct%2005/doctor.html Doctors for Rebecca ] ] Kissi was among those featured in the film "Lives of Service" about Latter-day Saints of African descent. [ [http://shop.lifeisamovie.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=106406-01 106406-01 - LIVES OF SERVICE ] ]

However initially after his return to Ghana Kissi was a professor at Legon University Medical school and was working as a general surgeon at Korle Bu Hospital. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=7db9aeca0ea6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "Ensign", September 1981, p. 74-75] ]

The first Latter-day Saint Kissi met in Ghana was Priscilla Sampson-Davis who was reading the Doctrine and Covenants while waiting for treatment at the hospital. ["Ensign", Spebtember 1981]

By 1982 Kissi was serving as a district president in Ghana. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9869c5e8b4b6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 talk by Elder Cuthbert in which he mentions hearing Kissi's address at a district conference] ] Kissi served as a counselor in the presidency of the Ghana Accra Mission during the late 1980s. Then in June 1989 when the government of Ghana suspended all meeting of the Church Kissi was designated as the official head of the church in Ghana, a position he held until "The Freze" was over in November 1990.

After this Kissi served as a Regional Representative of the Twelve. He then served again as a counselor in the mission presidency. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4fe7226fecfdb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "Liahona", October 1996, p. 35] ] He latter served as an area authority seventy from 2002-2007. [ [http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-266-7,00.html The Sustaining of Church Officers ] ] [http://www.deseretnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=SUIUZHWFUCBN&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=1&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES] In 2004, he spoke at Brigham Young University on the growth of the LDS church in West Africa. [cite news
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040408/ai_n11449516
title=W. Africa Seventy will speak at BYU
date=April 8, 2004
publisher=Deseret News.]

Kissi was present at the dedication of the Accra Ghana Temple. [ [http://www.meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/040115cornerstone4.html Meridian Magazine : : Church Update : Laying the Cornerstone of the Temple in West Africa ] ]

Kissi wrote "Walking in the Sand: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana" which was edited by Matthew K. Heiss and published Brigham Young University Press in 2004. Elder Kissi also has written a book review of "Black and Mormon" for BYU Studies. [ [http://byustudies.byu.edu/Reviews/Pages/reviewdetail.aspx?reviewID=117 link to book review by Kissi] ]

An article by Kissi was published in the Ensign in 2007. [ [http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/2004.htm/ensign%20february%202004.htm/book%20of%20mormon%20principles%20our%20eternal%20choices.htm?f=templates$fn=document-frame.htm$3.0#JD_E3402.27 Kissi, Emanuel A., "Book of Mormon Principles: Our Eternal Choices" in "Ensign" February 2004, p. 27] ]

ources

*Garr et. al, "Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saints History" p. 624-625.

External Resources

* [http://byustudies.byu.edu/shop/pdfsrc/45.3Olsen.pdf review of "Walking in the Sand" by William C. Olsen]
* [http://www.gapages.com/3q70.htm listing of 3rd Quorum of the Seventy]
* [http://www.alumni.utah.edu/u-news/june06/mention.htm another reference to Americans helping build the Deseret Hospital, this time from a University of Utah publication]
* [http://www.dialoguejournal.com/store/?id=150 mention to review of Kissi's book in "Dialogue"]
* [http://www.trenthead.com/?p=2150 This person incorrectly identifies Dr. Kissi as Edward Kissi, it is clearly Emmanuel he is speaking of]
* [http://globalcoordinate.com/search/query?q=kissi This is a reference to Dr. Kissi in what appears to be a larger article, but I can't figure out how to access it, if someone else can that would be great]