Francis and Estarina Wani

Francis and Estarina Wani were born and raised in South Sudan and are part of the Bari ethnic group. Francis’s mother was killed in a rebel attack when he was a child. He and Estarina made their way to Egypt to study during their college years.

They were raised Roman Catholic, but while living in Egypt, they made friends with some Latter-day Saints. Both were attracted to the messages about the importance of family. They attended for years and Francis even was even teaching Sunday School when finally they decided to get baptized and formally join. Francis and Estarina, along with an American Latter-day Saint in Egypt, were instrumental in getting desperately needed resources to several South Sudanese families living in Egypt. Later they helped them attain refugee status so that these families could find asylum in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world.

Estarina and Francis are now leaders in the global Bari community, serving as secretary for finance and chairman, respectively. They hope that someday the Book of Mormon might be translated into Bari. That, Francis, says, would be “a great gift to my community.”