An inquiry from a visitor prompted Elder James O. Mason of the Seventy and second counselor in the Africa Area presidency to testify of the Restoration of the Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith while addressing a gathering of 1,600 community residents at a recent open house here.

Elder Mason said that as he entered the city's main cultural hall where the meeting was held, a visitor asked "What does your Church teach that differs from the teachings of the other churches?"Following the open house, the missionaries received 120 referrals from those who wanted to know more.

Representative of those referrals is Ndoma Takon, who said he was grateful that missionaries had come because the Church was what he had been looking for.

In his remarks, Elder Mason also emphasized the family-centered aspects of the Church, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the keys of the Holy Priesthood and the first vision of Joseph Smith.

Elder Mason explained John the Revelator's vision of "another angel flying in the midst of heave...." (Rev. 14:6.) He told of the true nature of the Godhead, testifying of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as three distinct and separate beings.

Also speaking at the large open house with Elder Mason were his wife, Marie, and Pres. George C. Pingree of the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission and his wife, Anne. The messages of all the speakers were woven into a doctrinal tapestry emphasizing that the Church is a restored Church and not a break-off from any other denomination.

Two recent converts, Joy Aboli and Imoh Eshiet, and a recently returned missionary, Lawrence Okonah, also bore their testimonies. The meeting was conducted by Pres. Christopher Odock of the Calabar District.

Local Church leaders said the purpose of the open house had been successfully achieved.

"What a thrill it is to teach these families, to look into the eyes of their beautiful children and to know that they are all sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven" said Elder E. Richard Woolley and his wife, Dorene, a missionary couple serving in the Calabar District of the Port Harcourt Nigeria Mission. Elder Woolley said they felt the love and kindness of the people as they were accepted into their homes despite the poverty of the country, which places enormous burdens on the people.

An interesting aspect of the program was the singing of the adult and youth choir. This was organized by the district presidency with the assistance of a friend from another congregation, who transcribed some LDS hymns into the "tonic sofala" method of music writing with which local members are familiar. These transcriptions allowed the choir to sing the hymns in beautiful four-part harmony.

The choir sang prelude hymns in the Efik dialect of the area. A youth chorus joined the adult choir in singing "I Am a Child of God" and "Teach Me to Walk in the Light."

While on his visit to Calabar, Elder Mason assisted in presenting to the Cross River State Library eight volumes of Church books and two copies of the Book of Mormon. Assistant director of the library, Mr. Akpey, graciously received the books and said they will help dispel misconceptions that people might have of the Church.