SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will temporarily transfer all missionaries from the country of Liberia.
“Economic conditions in Liberia have continued to deteriorate, leading to increased difficulties in obtaining basic supplies and conducting missionary work,” church spokesman Daniel Woodruff said in a statement Thursday. “For this reason, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has decided to temporarily transfer the remaining 99 missionaries out of that country.
“We continue to pray for all people in Liberia at this difficult time, and we look forward to missionaries returning when the situation improves.”
On Feb. 2, the church reduced the number of missionaries in the country.
Woodruff said at the time that 23 missionaries nearing their scheduled departure dates were returning home and eight missionaries who were preparing to arrive in the mission were temporarily reassigned to other missions.
“The remaining 99 missionaries in the Liberia Monrovia Mission have adequate supplies. The church will continue to closely monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed,” he said then.
Liberia is home to 13,200 Latter-day Saints in 48 congregations. The church has had missionaries there since 1987.
Liberia is currently working to rebuild consumer confidence and fix its economy, which has recently been hit with a crisis, according to Bloomberg. The country has faced significant economic decline after the currency loss more than one-fifth of its value against the dollar.
Inflation jumped 30% by the end of the fiscal year in June 2019. Public debt jumped by about one-third, too, according to Bloomberg.