When the call came to serve as the next Primary general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Rosemary K. Chibota had a lot of emotions.
“Sometimes just feeling overwhelmed, sometimes feelings of inadequacy, but also feelings of great joy and peace at the same time,” she said. “I know that there are a lot of people praying for me, and I have felt that peace from the prayers and comfort.”
President Chibota was sustained during the April 2026 general conference and begins service on Aug. 1. ...
Above all, she is excited to serve “God’s finest, the little children,” she said. “I look up to them a lot because the Lord said [that] except we repent and become like little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. (See Matthew 18:3; Mosiah 3:19; and 3 Nephi 11:37-38.) I’m really looking forward to learning from them and to being better because of being around them.”
President Chibota was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to Malawian parents. This calling marks the first time an African will lead an organization general presidency of the Church. She said she has received many messages of love and support from people of different cultures and backgrounds.
While she said this is not the reason she was called, it is part of it—just like when her husband was called as a Black mission president in Alabama. She believes that the Lord “calls us for who we are.”
Visit the Church News to read more about President Rosemary K. Chibota.
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