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From Returned Missionaries
Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography
A BIG CHANGE–ANOTHER MISSION
In August 1951 at a stake meeting with President Henry D. Taylor, he informed the bishoprics that The First Presidency had asked for 1,000 seventies to respond to church mission calls by September 10th. This was necessary to replace younger men who were being called into military service for the Korean War. Pres. Taylor suggested that each ward in the Sharon Stake could supply one missionary from the Seventies Quorum. This problem was discussed by the Crestview Ward Bishopric and they decided that our ward seventies would have to come up with one volunteer. I was present at this meeting as the ward clerk. A week passed, and another bishopric meeting, where the bishop expressed his disappointment and concern that none of the seventies had even talked about it with him. This time I began thinking about it for myself. Although I was an elder, I felt it might be easier for me to go rather than one of the seventies because of the number of children most of them had. As I arrived home, I jokingly told Peggy that I had an opportunity to go on another mission. Explaining the situation to her, I realized that she had become quite excited and was serious about the matter. We had a discussion about it, prayed, and waited to see if one of the seventies would come forth. I told Bishop Bisel that Peggy and I would be willing to answer the call if he received no other volunteer. A few days later we saw the bishop walking slowly up our driveway. Actually, he almost looked sad; but we knew immediately what it meant. And that was it. Our bishop had told the stake president about us; and he was pleased to accept our offer to serve. (He told the bishop that we were “the ram in the thicket” for the seventies quorum--as in the story of Abraham of Old.) By August 23, there still were no volunteers, so our offer was now starting in motion.
Peggy called her dad to see if he could give her a job in the laundry if everything worked out that I would be going. He was very positive and told her that, of course, he would employ her. They would be so happy to have her and Trudy back with them again! Then I checked with my school superintendent to see if I could get a leave of absence from the school district in Provo. He was a bit upset and could not understand why the church would ask such a thing. The next day he called me and indicated that I would be able to have a two- year leave from the district.
We were asked to go the next day to Salt Lake City to be interviewed by Apostle Harold B. Lee. He remembered me from a picnic in his back yard with his daughter and friends and also when he set me apart as ward clerk in the Crestview Ward bishopric. He was very happy that we had accepted this challenge to go on another mission. He said to me: “Dwayne, where would you like to go?” Into my mind came the experience I had with Reverend Kumagai in Lahaina, who had told me that the Book of Mormon was what the Japanese people needed. Without any hesitation, I told him that I would like to go to Japan; but I knew very little about the language and was only able to go for two years. The mission assignment at that time was three years. By August 29, I had received a call to fill a two years’ mission in Japan, and was to enter the mission home on October 8, 1951. This gave me about six weeks to take care of all the business necessary, such as a passport, finding someone to rent our home, packing up Peggy and Trudy for their trip to Arizona, etc. We certainly felt the inspiration and help of the Lord in this undertaking.
Since we had a few weeks to wait, I obtained a painting job at Geneva Steel. This gave us a little money to get started. One of the main painters on the job with me was a man named Smokey, an Armenian. He was used to swearing at the men who let him up and down on the platform where he painted. For some reason he became friendly with me; and through my influence, stopped swearing altogether. He asked me to be his helper, by which I would go up about 75 feet on the side of the building to be painted and attach the hooks for him to be pulled up to that level. Then I would assist in pulling him up. We became good friends as we worked together those weeks. When I received my mission call, he offered to paint our house without cost–which he did! The fellow who took my place in attaching the hooks and letting him up and down the side of the building did not attach the hooks properly. Smokey fell and was killed. When we were notified about the accident, Peggy and I felt a great loss of a special, new friend!
After we felt our business affairs were taken care of, we went to Brigham to spend a few days with my mother. My grandmother was a Reeder; and the Reeder family held a farewell for us and donated money. By the time others of friends and relatives had given us money, we had $600 to start our new journey. Peggy was going to work and support all of our financial needs. Neither Peggy nor I had realized the terrific amount of work involved in getting ready to answer this call, plus the problems that it would be to separate this little family of three; but now it was too late. We knew we had to go forward with this great undertaking. It was surely an empty feeling to see Peggy and Trudy go out of my life for two years. I entered the mission home in Salt Lake on October 8, 195l. Bruce R. McConkie ordained me a seventy and set me apart as a missionary to the Japanese Mission. On October 11, I boarded a train, headed for San Francisco. No one else was going, so I had to travel alone. Sailing out of San Francisco at midnight was a gorgeous sight, but my heart was heavy, and my stomach uneasy as we left the U.S.A. We made a stop in Honolulu where I was able to see some of my old friends. The long trip from Honolulu to Yokohama, Japan, was very lonely; but I got involved in a deck tennis tournament and won the trophy. I arrived in Yokohama harbor on October 28. Missionaries were there to meet me and transport me back to the mission home in Tokyo. As we were driving back, I was impressed with the poor economy and the drabness of Japan. I couldn’t understand how they could ever feel that they were strong enough to fight against the United States. At the mission home I met the mission president, Vinal Mauss, who assigned me to work in the Tokyo First Branch, in the northern part of Tokyo. My companion was to be Wayne Herlin.
I sensed many problems among the members and the missionaries; and it was very difficult to get accustomed to this strange and perplexing culture. But I was determined to make a success of my mission; and my faith was strong and my desire, great. I knew the Lord would help me accomplish the purpose for which I had come to Japan. They gave us a Japanese language book; and with no tutoring from a companion, we were expected to pick up the language as we “tagged” along with the companion. Elder Herlin and I lived with Sr. Sagara, an older member, who did the cooking for our evening meal and also did our washing.
After about five months, I was beginning to recognize a few words and speak a few memorized phrases. At that time I was asked to come into the mission home. There I was given the assignment of 2nd Counselor to the mission president. I was assigned to work with the American servicemen, to keep their groups organized and attend their conferences. I was also given the responsibility of working with missionaries and going to some of the Japanese conferences, where I had to use interpreters. I had learned enough phrases whereby I could travel, get directions for food and shelter, but I was not able to carry on a gospel conversation. I had many rich, spiritual experiences as I traveled with President Vinal Mauss and also in traveling alone to district conferences for the Japanese saints and military families. The mission presidency felt it would be helpful if we had some local Japanese serve missions; but we knew they had no financial means. I asked the military people to see if they could provide a little money each month to support local Japanese missionaries. We were able to get enough money to support 15 local Japanese missionaries. Many of these later became leaders in the development of Japan.
President Mauss became very ill at one time; and it was necessary for me to take over some of the duties of the mission president. (The 1st counselor, Peter Nelson Hansen, was a much older man, having walked in the Philippine Death March in the war, and had no feeling in his legs. He was unable to do the traveling that I could.) While visiting at one of the conferences in Kanazawa, the missionaries asked me to help with the baptism of a woman who was sick. Her name was Sr. Onishi. The doctors had given permission for her to be baptized, so I helped her out of the wheelchair into the o-furo where she was baptized. Then we returned her back home. She asked for an administration, which we performed, since she had been ill and bedridden for a number of years. Later I was informed that her health was restored and she was able to resume normal life.
When I was investigating opening a new branch in northern Japan, I learned that there was a legend that Christ had lived in this area, that his brother had taken his place on the cross, and Christ lived out his life in this region. I wondered many times if the full program of the church could ever be accomplished in Japan. They were destitute and struggling hard to obtain food and shelter for themselves. Some of the missionaries questioned President Mauss about not teaching the principle of tithing. His response was that we MUST teach them the principle of tithing, for that would be the quickest way for them to get back on their feet. Most people had to work seven days a week. There was no Sabbath. They drank tea in place of water. Business was done at night among “geisha women” and sake, which is Japanese liquor. There were problems of immorality with husbands and geisha girls. With their way of life, it seemed almost impossible to establish stakes and wards in Japan. However, the Lord was preparing the people. Hirohito, the emperor, under the pressure of General MacArthur, declared that he was not divine–that is, not God on the earth. This left a great spiritual void for the youth, so that the message of the gospel appealed to the youth and filled their spiritual need.
During the two years I spent in Japan, I had about every conceivable problem possible with the missionaries. It seemed as if Satan were working overtime. However, we could see the hand of the Lord in helping to support and develop the work in this distant land. I learned that the harder you work, the more blessings the Lord pours down upon you. My mission was a wonderful, spiritual, and growing experience. Many times it was difficult in being away from my family. Peggy’s struggles seemed to be harder than mine. I put much time and effort and prayer into writing her encouraging letters.