2. Assigning New Missionaries 

Problem or situation. Though it was not soon evident in convert baptism results, many of the mission­aries were changing their vision. Their talk was changing. Their goals were changing. But many were holding tightly to their old vision as well, including their perception of their roles and the norms of 2 or 3 converts during their mission. It became evident to me that new missionaries coming into the field, full of faith and trust, were greatly and often permanently influenced by their first senior companions.

If the senior companions to these new missionaries were enthusiastic about the new vision and new direction of the mission, they would transmit this enthusiasm to the new missionaries. But if these first seniors were skeptical about the new vision, new roles, and expected norms, they would transmit that skepticism instead. Most importantly, the new missionaries were being affected most by what their first seniors did--even more than by what they said.

            While considering this problem, I reread the instructions President Ezra Taft Benson (1976) had given mission presidents:

            Greater emphasis needs to be given by mission presidents in the effective preparation and prayerful selection of senior companions. This calling, in many respects, is the most important calling in the mission. Mission presidents need to outline specific responsibilities and duties of senior companions and their relationship with their junior companions. The magnitude of their call should be explained to them both in writing and verbally. Possibly never will a mission president who is effective, pray more sincerely than on the selection of senior companions, especially senior companions to new missionaries (p. 7).

             Action taken. (8-78)   ASSIGN NEW MISSIONARIES TO PRODUCTIVE BAPTIZING MISSIONARIES ONLY. (Productivity label: Organizational.) 

I used many criteria in selecting and assigning senior companions for new missionaries: keeping the mission rules, working hard, strong testimony, enthusi­asm about the work, etc. Now, in addition to all the other criteria, currently baptizing was added. It was this simple: if a new missionary's first senior talked about baptizing, the new missionary would also learn to talk about it. If he baptized, the new missionary would learn to baptize.

In order to emphasize the importance of this assignment to these seniors, I met with them as a group before each transfer and reinforced how I felt about it. I listed the things they should do and not do. I dis­cussed language learning, proselyting techniques, and teaching skills. But most of all, I discussed the importance of building and nurturing vision in the hearts of the new missionaries. 

Results of the action. It took time, and at first not all seniors to new missionaries did baptize as I had expected. But many did. And almost all of them built vision in their new companions. Thus, gradually over a period of time, the new vision and direction of actually bringing people into the Church began to spread. And the skepticism that "it couldn't be done" began to die away. New missionaries often experienced baptisms right away. As one missionary wrote after a few weeks in the field:  

            I just returned from my first baptismal meeting. What a choice spiritual experience. This is what it is all about. I can see, feel, and know of the miracle of Japan beginning to unfold (Missionary Letters, 1978-1981). 

Perhaps more important than the immediate convert baptism results was the pattern and precedent that was being set. The new vision became valued. It became important to understand and to feel it. It became, important to baptize. It had always been important to set the right example for the new missionaries, but now that example included converting and baptizing people into the Church. I assigned only my most trusted and productive missionaries to be companions with and train new missionaries. This pattern continued throughout the full three years of my assignment as mission president.

3. Putting Leaders Back into the Field

Problem or Situation. In most Mormon missions, two missionaries serve as assistants to the mission presi­dent. My first two assistants had been selected for me by my predecessor in the Tokyo North Mission. As is the tradition in missions, my two assistants had been chosen from among the cream of the crop. They were two of the finest missionaries in every way. They spoke the language well, they were loyal to me as the new mission president, and they were supportive of the new vision of the mission. They had been good companions, shown good leadership ability as leaders over mission districts (four to eight missionaries) and leaders over mission zones (four to six districts). They had developed good relations with the local members, and they had been effective proselyters; that is, they had been at least moderately successful in baptizing people into the Church. Now, as my assistants, they were in the mission office with the primary assignment of assisting the mission president in whatever I felt needed doing.

But what I felt needed doing was demonstrating to the missionaries that the new vision of bringing hundreds and thousands of converts into the Church could, in fact, be realized. Even though my assistants fully intended to help in spreading that vision, there were three problems with having them in the mission office:  

1. Loss of credibility. I suspected that many missionaries would feel, if not say, that "It's easy for you to tell us how to baptize: you don't have to do it any more.”       

2. Loss of learning and growing with experience. Since this was a time of change, we had to learn new and more effective ways of doing missionary work. I felt that the learning that would really count would happen through experience in the field. Two of the best learners had been taken out of the field.  

3. Loss of two of the most capable missionaries in the field. At this point we needed the examples of doers, not just admonishers. I knew it would take a lot of loyalty, ability, vision, and determination to change the roles and norms, and two of my missionaries with the best potential for doing so had been taken away from that opportunity.  

President Benson's (1976) counsel to mission presi­dents on the subject convinced me that I must make a change:

            It is my feeling that all leaders (district leaders, zone. leaders, assistants) should lead out in missionary work by having contacts of their own. This will strengthen the mission and will highlight the most important missionary calling of all, which is a full-time proselyting elder, who is spending his complete efforts in finding, teaching and bap­tizing (p. 8).  

Action taken. (8-78) PUT THE ASSISTANTS BACK IN THE FIELD TO PROSELYTE IN NEARBY BRANCHES. HAVE THEM MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT ONCE A WEEK TO ASSIST IN PLAN­NING AND PREPARING ZONE CONFERENCES, AND TO TEAGH OTHER MISSIONARIES WHAT THEY HAD FOUND, THROUGH THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE, TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN TEACHING, CONVERTING, AND BAPTIZING PEOPLE. (Productivity label: Organizational.)  

I assigned my assistants to live and work as proselyting missionaries in two nearby branches that had the reputation of being productive areas. I assigned each to a newer, younger missionary as a companion for when they were in the field. Once a week they came into the mission office to report on their own proselyting and to assist me in planning zone conferences and seminars. At these conferences and seminars they assisted in teaching what they had learned about proselyting through their direct experience in the field.  

Results of the action. At first they resisted. They seemed to feel that their status as assistant was diminished by their being put back into the field. But given the challenge to find ways to start making the new mission vision a reality, they began to realize that they could perform their greatest service through lead­ing out by example in the field. They announced their change of assignment in the next mission newsletter:

            We have received an exciting new assignment from the mission president, and now have the opportunity to spend more time working with the Japanese people. We expect these two areas [where we are assigned] to really progress and break the barrier. We hope and pray everyone else will catch the same vision. We will mainly be concentrating on making friends, getting referrals, and finding better ways for proselyting (Mission Newsletter, 1978-1981). 

Later, as they spoke of their successes--what they had actually done--in zone conferences and other train­ing meetings, the rest of the missionaries listened more intently and gave more credence than before. And as the missionaries began to make breakthroughs of actually baptizing two and three people in a month, the vision began to change, and they began to believe that it could be done. With this new vision they, too, began to find, teach, convert, and baptize more people. That, in turn, reinforced not only their own visions, but the visions of others as well. Though the numbers of baptisms were still very modest--nowhere near our vision--it was a start. I felt the vision was nurtured far more than the numbers of convert baptisms indicated. As missionaries began to relate their small successes, I published them in our mission newsletter (Mission Newsletter, 1978­-1981): 

            We had our first baptism last night and it was GREAT! When you see people taking that first step towards returning back to our Heavenly Father, it makes everything worthwhile.  

            We had a really great baptism this week. Four people got baptized on the 15th. You should have seen the joy going through them all. 

            After all the counsel and teaching we've received, we had that sacred opportunity to baptize three brothers in our branch. We have been blessed just by simply following what we've been told. 

Local members of the Church also saw the dedication of two of the best missionaries--the assistants--right in their own wards and branches. They saw that they were not just telling others how to do missionary work but were actually showing them how by their example. As a result, the members' vision began to change, too. Local ward and stake leaders began to take a more active role in missionary work. As a note from the historical record of the mission on August 24, 1978, states:

            The stake leaders appreciate very much the work of the two assistants in their wards to which they had been assigned. One member made the comment that the missionaries were so much on fire in these areas that he could hardly believe that they could change so much in such a short period of time. Specific plans were devised whereby members and missionaries could work more closely in friend­shipping and finding investigators (Mission History, 1978-1981).    

            The areas to which the assistants were assigned began to simmer with new vision and excitement which began to spread to other areas as well:

            We are on the brink of a breakthrough here. The [baptisms scheduled for the] 25th will only be a small beginning; the first few kernels to pop.  

            Wow! I've never seen so much excitement and enthusiasm here in this branch in all my 7 months here. Boy, everyone is just busting to make this new branch grow and to baptize. We're going to do it, I know! (Missionary Letters, 1978-1981).

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