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From Returned Missionaries
Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography
A CALL FROM AN APOSTLE
One night I returned home about 10 or 10:30 at night from a stake meeting. The home teachers were still teaching my family. After their leaving Peggy told me that I had a call from Gordon B. Hinckley and that he wanted me to call him back, even though it was late. I returned the call at midnight, SLC time. Elder Hinckley answered and said: “Is this the Dwayne Andersen who served a mission in Japan?” I said: “Yes, sir!” Then he asked: “ How is your family and how many children do you have?” After answering these questions, he asked: “Are you going to the temple groundbreaking in Oakland?” I told him that I was. He responded: “That’s good. Please look up President Moyle when you get there. He wants to talk with you.”
This was a Thursday night, so I got little or no sleep on both Thursday and Friday nights. I had some idea of what they might want to talk to me about, but I thought they would just probably ask about my circumstances. Nevertheless, Peggy and I did go over a few things about our lives and worthiness, etc. and felt especially grateful that we were NOT in debt, except for the monthly payments on our home. Saturday morning of the groundbreaking for the new temple in Oakland, I arrived with Peggy and made sure that she had a seat in the Interstake Building where the meeting would be held. Then I went to look for President Moyle, finding him in the back of a chapel area in a guarded room. I asked the usher about going in, but he refused me, saying that no one was allowed in. When I told him that I had been instructed by Elder Hinckley to speak with President Moyle, he led me to the room, opened the door, and pushed me inside. There I was, standing in the room, filled with people. On my right side were general authorities, seated at a long table. They were seated in order: President Tanner, President McKay, and President Moyle, then Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Hugh B. Brown. Some reporters were talking with them, as the meeting seemed basically to be completed. On the other side of the room was a large group of stake presidents and other church leaders from the temple district. I was just standing there, wondering what to do. Then I noticed President Moyle get up and walk towards me. I put out my hand and said: “ I am Dwayne Andersen.” He looked at me as if to say, “so what?” I told him I had been told to look him up by Elder Hinckley. He motioned me out into the hall, and then asked me if I knew where the restroom was. I told him I did not know, but I would help him find it. While we were in the restroom he said to me: “How is your family?” I told him they were all fine. Then he asked me how many children did I have. I responded by saying there were four. His next question was: “Have you signed a contract for your next school year?” When I told him that I had not done so, he then said: “Good. Don’t sign one.” The next question was a surprise. He said: “Would you like to go back to Japan?” I replied immediately, “Yes, I would.” His next response was: “That’s fine, because you’ve been approved to be the next president of the Northern Far East Mission.” The thing that was surprising was that he had not asked any more questions like: “Are you worthy? Can you go? Would you be willing to accept this position?” He just said that I was to be the next president of the NFE Mission. We returned back to the special room where the others were. Then he moved to table where the general authorities were sitting.
He began to introduce me to each one individually, telling them that I was the new president of the Northern Far East Mission. When I got to President McKay, President Moyle said: “This is the man you have approved for the NFE Mission.” President McKay just looked and looked at me for several moments without saying a word. It felt as if he were looking right through me. I didn’t know whether to keep looking into his eyes or whether to look down.
Finally, he said: “Have you ever been to Nikko?” I told him that I did not have time on my former mission. He added: “ Now maybe this time you can see it. You haven’t been to Japan until you have seen Nikko.” When I was introduced to Elder Harold B. Lee, he said: “Congratulations, Dwayne. I told them all the bad I could about you, but they wouldn’t listen.”
After all the introductions, President Moyle told me that I was to bring my wife back to meet him, and then he would introduce Peggy to President McKay. He also introduced me to Wendell Mendenhall, who was in charge of the chapel building program of the church. He said the church was waiting for me to get to Japan, so that they could start a labor-missionary, chapel building program in Japan. By now it was time to go into the groundbreaking meeting....
President McKay then led these brethren through a roped-off area into the main meeting hall for the groundbreaking proceedings. Bro. Mendenhall asked me to join with him and follow them. I felt a bit embarrassed to be with all such dignitaries. As I went down the trail, I heard a little voice out of the roped-off crowd say: “ Daddy, what are you doing there?” I looked in the direction of the voice and saw our daughter Trudy, standing with Glen and Melba Hill, who were taking care of her. I then crawled out of the roped-area and went with Trudy. After I “escaped” from this wonderful atmosphere, I went into the auditorium and found Peggy, where I had left her in the balcony. I told Peggy of my call to be the new president of the Northern Far East Mission; and she began to cry. The people sitting around us were looking and wondering what was going on between us. The person conducting the meeting instructed all the people in the auditorium to stay in the building, because there was such a large group outside at the ground-breaking area. Peggy and I arose to leave so that we could find President Moyle. The usher asked us to remain seated. I then told him I was to meet President Moyle; and he opened it up for us to leave. The area for the dignitaries to break the ground was roped off, and the crowd was kept behind the rope. When everything was over, I used the magic words again, that President Moyle wanted us to meet him. They let Peggy and me under the ropes, where we found him. By this time President McKay was in a limousine, driven by Pres. Stone of the Oakland Stake. Pres. Moyle pushed through the crowd, stopping the car. He then introduced Peggy and Trudy to President McKay. It was an exciting, heart-beating moment for us to stand there as he looked into our eyes again. President Moyle then told us to meet him in a special meeting in Los Angeles in just two weeks, where he would be instructing some of the newly called mission presidents.
As we attended this meeting later, we received some important instructions. We were also told that as soon as school was over, we were to report to Salt Lake City to a mission presidents’ seminar. This was to be the first mission seminar that they had held in the church, I believe. We were very excited but also bewildered as we returned home, since there were only six weeks left to school. How could we get everything done? They wanted us to be in Japan by July 12, 1962. After prayer and meditation, we decided to sell everything we had except for a few personal belongings, since they had told us our term of office was indefinite; and that it would be best to dispose of all our things, including our car. There were tears and frustration from the children as they had to move again from their home, give up toys, and prepare to move to a strange land!
I told the superintendent of the Folsom School District about the call to go to Japan; he was surprised and disappointed that I had to leave the district. However, he was most supportive in what I was going to do. He told me that the new school they had just completed building would start next fall in Rancho Cordova and that I was to have been the head counselor at that high school. I felt pleased in the confidence they had in me. With tears in our eyes and empty feelings, we parted with our furniture and other items as people came by to purchase them.
Houses were not selling very fast where we lived; and on our own street, there were probably about eight homes up for sale. With the help of the Lord, we were able to sell the house just before we left, at a lower price than we had paid the year before. A lawyer in our ward offered to draw up official papers for the sale of the home, which was a great relief to us. We then drove to Peggy’s parents’ home in Douglas, Arizona, where we left the car for her dad to sell for whatever money he could get.
We then boarded a small plane going from Douglas to Tucson, where we later boarded a plane heading for Salt Lake City to begin our exciting life ahead. We left our children with my mother in Brigham while we attended the mission presidents’ seminar in Salt Lake City. We just couldn’t believe that we were headed to Japan; but more than that, how wonderfully the Lord had blessed us in getting ready in such a short period of time. The experience in SLC was a glorious few days with the general authorities. I was set apart with a beautiful blessing by President McKay, after which Peggy was set apart by President Moyle. After Pres. McKay set me apart, he said: “Remember, President, your most important responsibility is the welfare of those young missionaries under your care. Baptisms and conversions are just a by-product of this wonderful missionary program.” I had made careful notes of the proceedings of the seminar; but I promptly lost them on my way to Japan. We marveled at what was happening to us–and that we were able to give up all our worldly possessions except a few personal items in Douglas.
However, we felt so blessed to be allowed to serve the Lord in such a marvelous capacity. I was so excited about returning to Japan and having my family given this opportunity of seeing that beautiful country and getting acquainted with the wonderful people in Japan.
On our way we stopped for a two-night stay in Hawaii. Peggy and I had the opportunity of going to the temple in Laie. The kids had a marvelous experience, enjoying the thrill of swimming and playing on Waikiki Beach. Some friends lent us their car; and we were able to see scenic spots on Oahu and enjoy the lush island vegetation. The Leavitts took us to the airport where we boarded a plane in the afternoon, headed toward Tokyo. We were flying west, so when the sunset started, we were able to fly into the sunset for many hours, which was truly beautiful. We arrived in Tokyo shortly after dark; and as we flew over, approaching our landing we could look down at the impressive and multitudinous lights. The thought kept racing through my mind... I wonder what will be my role in helping to build the kingdom in Japan? President Paul Andrus met us at the airport.
Along with him were others to greet us, among which was Sister Sagara, whose name now was Sister Oko. When I arrived in Japan in 1951, my companion and I lived in her home for about five months. She washed our clothes and cooked a wonderful supper for us each night. She was like a mother to us. I was very excited to see her again. After a few tears were shed, we were put into a Japanese hotel, quite close to the mission home, for almost a week, so President Andrus could get his family packed and ready to leave Japan.
At the hotel we were given two large rooms, with woven mats for the floor. There were closets where the bedding was stored. The children were to sleep in one room and Peggy and I would use the other room. We were just getting settled, when in walked all the children, carrying their futons (bedding). They said they were too scared to sleep alone. There was plenty of space in our room, so we let them spread out their bedding and stay with us. They did that every night we were in the hotel. President Andrus was so busy that he didn’t have time to explain too much to me or to travel around the mission at all.
When the Andrus family was ready to leave, we took them to the airport. As I watched President Andrus enter the plane with his family, I had the feeling of being left alone. My heart was filled with anxiety; and I wondered if I would ever be able to handle such a big job. The mission boundaries at that time covered about the same distance as from San Francisco to Chicago (about 2,000 miles)!
I was expected to supervise and direct the development of the church programs for about 6,000 Japanese members plus 2,000 military members. There were 180 full-time missionaries assigned to the mission. Among the Japanese members, there were four districts comprised of 29 branches. In the military area there were three districts, with fourteen branches. Also Brother Hales, along with the building supervisors who had previously arrived, ready to start the chapel building program. At this point, I would like to give a little bit of history of the church in Japan, and the status of the Northern Far East Mission, when I arrived in Tokyo in 1962.