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From Returned Missionaries
Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography
FIRST MISSION: WONDERFUL HAWAII
Preparation, Arrival, the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Reverend Kumagai
On the 1st of June 1941, I was ordained an elder. During this summer, the Germans had waged a war against most of Europe. I was 20 years old and had had a strong desire all my life to serve a mission for the Lord. In a ward testimony meeting, during the middle of the summer, I felt a strong urge to bear my testimony. I did so, attesting to the truthfulness of the Gospel and the love I had for God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I said that all my life I had had this deep desire to go on a mission, but that maybe the United States would be drawn into the war and I would go into the army and never return. My dad was no longer the bishop. Bishop Nelson, who replaced Dad, called me in for an interview in about two weeks. He told me to get ready for a mission. Shortly after that, I received a call from President Heber J. Grant. The family gathered around as I excitedly opened the letter and learned that I was to serve in the Argentine Mission.
I was asked to obtain a U.S. passport and buy a steamer trunk. I was given until about November to prepare. At this time I was still working for the flour mill and stayed there until a few weeks before I was to leave for my mission. During this late summer, my cousin Grant, and I, with some other friends, started to date some girls in Logan. We went quite regularly to Logan to date these girls to go to dances and other activities. Two weeks before I was to leave, I received a letter from President Grant, telling me that my mission was changed from Argentine Mission to the Hawaiian Mission in Honolulu. I was greatly surprised, but pleased to serve in Hawaii. I already had my clothes for Argentina and my passport. The cause of the change was that Peron had taken over the government in Argentina and would not issue visas to the church missionaries. It was necessary for me to make a few adjustments in my clothing for the climate of Hawaii.
I had a sweet spiritual experience when I received my endowment on October 30, 1941, in the Logan Temple. I had not received any preparation, so it was quite a shock for me the first time in the temple. However, I felt the spirit of the temple work and had a testimony that it was the work of the Lord.
Elaine Curtis was a little more caught up in our relationship than I was. In fact, when my parents were to take me to Salt Lake to the LDS Mission Home on November 3, she insisted on coming to Brigham from Logan and going with me and my parents to the mission home. She did come, but I was a little embarrassed because I wasn’t that serious about her. Earlier I had received the Melchizedek Priesthood and was ordained to be an elder by Dad. I spent about a week in the mission home in Salt Lake City. During our stay there, we received instructions and talks from general authorities. Elder Harold B. Lee, then an apostle, (later to be president of the church) took us all through the Salt Lake Temple. We were shown where the special room, Holy of Holies, was located. He also gave us a chance to ask questions.
It was a great spiritual experience and helped me to understand more about my own endowment. I was set apart as a missionary by Apostle Albert E. Bowen on November 8, 1941.
After being set apart, I was given a leave to go back to Brigham City for my farewell, which was on November 9. This was a very busy day, a special day for me. I went to priesthood meeting in the morning. They had me give a short talk. I expressed my thanks to all of them for the help they had given me over the years. Then at Sunday School, I was asked to give the opening prayer. After Sunday School I went to see my Grandpa Andersen. He had been completely paralyzed and not able to communicate with anyone for a long time. As I told him goodbye, he began to shake all over and cry. This was rather touching for me, because he hadn’t been able to show emotion and communication for a long time. I returned home to a wonderful farewell dinner. After eating, I spent a little time on my talk. About three o’clock, Grant Andersen, my cousin, came over to the house with Elaine Curtis and Ruth Carlson to visit. They were all very helpful in finishing up the packing of my trunk in order to leave the next morning.
We all went to sacrament meeting, my farewell, in which there was a large crowd. I was so pleased to see all the people who turned out for me. Delmont Beecher presented me with a special loose leaf notebook. Because of Mother and Dad’s remarks, as well as two bishops, and the musical numbers, I did not have much time. I gave my talk with fear and trembling; my hands were perspiring and clammy. But I did thank them all and bore my testimony. They were all very happy because I was the only missionary to go from the ward in quite some time. They gave me a heartwarming farewell. I received about $200 from friends and relatives. I decided then and there that I was going to be a good missionary and do my very best to represent the ward. After the meeting I told Grant, Elaine, and Ruth goodbye, and he took them back to Logan.
Monday, November 10, I got up at 4:30 and made it to the Brigham City train station about five o’clock. I enjoyed the train ride to Salt Lake because I met Captain Herb Adams, who was in the military, but also a member of our ward. I was a little late for the devotional at the mission home, but the rest of the day we had a full schedule of meetings. Part of the day we attended the temple again; and I find that each time I go to the temple, I understand it more fully. After the temple session, we had a banquet at the Lion House. On Tuesday, November 11, we had a day of classes again. From 4:30 p.m. we were on our own, as we were leaving on the train that evening. I went to the Hotel Utah and there I ran into Elaine Curtis. She had two girls with her. She told me she had seen my parents, and we soon found them. After visiting with the folks a bit, we went to a movie called “Sundown.” and then had a bit to eat. Elaine did not want to go into the train station, so I said my goodbye to her in the car and then the folks and I went into the station.
It was a little hard saying goodbye to everyone, including my folks, since I had not been away from home before. I was excited about the experiences that lay ahead. I began my new experience as the train pulled out of SLC train station and headed west to California. When I awoke we were still in Nevada, but soon reached California. This was my first time to see palm trees and so much greenery. How beautiful it was. This was also my first view of the ocean. We ended our journey on the train at Oakland and took a ferry to San Francisco and passed under the Golden Gate Bridge. I was so excited, seeing all these new sights. We were housed in the Washington Hotel at Grant and Bush Street. We had time to do a little sightseeing and going to Chinatown. I was a little disappointed with Chinatown, but was totally amazed with San Francisco itself.
We had to be at the pier, Thursday a.m. November 13, at 10:30. Our ship was the LURLINE, a very beautiful thing. The excitement of departing from the pier was almost more than I could take. There were streamers, confetti, crowds on the pier, crying and waving to loved ones on the ship. A band filled the air with music, just like in the movies. There were 12 missionaries going to Hawaii, 8 of us to Hawaiian Mission, and four to the Japanese Mission there in the (Hawaiian) islands. As we sailed out of the harbor at San Francisco, it was just like a dream.
We sailed past the Alcatraz Island prison and out into the ocean. I ate dinner, but I didn’t feel too well. As the ship tilted from side to side I became dizzy and seasick, so I went to bed. We arrived at the Los Angeles Pier at 7 a.m. on the 14th. We had a chance to go into Los Angeles for part of the day and sightsee. When we came back to the ship, I ate supper, missing the fanfare at the departure.
As we hit the ocean waves again, I became seasick, so I went to bed. As long as I was in bed, I was fine. So I stayed in bed all the next day. Sunday morning I began to feel fine and survived the rest of the trip in good health. I had a few religious chats with some of the stewards and passengers. I enjoyed the voyage immensely–especially the food, after I got over my seasickness. I also saw my first flying fish. They come out of the water with great speed and extend their large fins like wings and sail in the air for a long distance. Wednesday, the 19th of November, I got up at 6 a.m.. The beautiful green island of Oahu was in view. Planes were flying overhead. A boat of Hawaiian entertainers came out to the ship and put on a big show for us. As we got closer to the islands, swimmers came out to meet us. People would throw coins into the water; and the swimmers would dive for them. Everything was breathtaking for me. As we pulled alongside the pier we could see the two mission presidents waiting for us to disembark.
When we got on the pier the missionaries were all lined up. Pres. Jay C. Jensen of the Japanese Mission checked off the names of his four missionaries. Next, Pres. Ross Cox checked off his group of missionaries, leaving me standing alone. Pres. Cox walked up to me and said: “Who are you?” I explained that President Grant had changed my call from Argentina to Hawaii. President Cox had not been notified of the change, but he welcomed me just the same as the other missionaries. I was the last missionary to be listed on the roster of the Hawaiian Mission until after the end of the World War II. We were taken on a tour of Honolulu. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. It all seemed like an exotic dream. After an interview with President Cox, I was assigned to the Hilo District on the big island of Hawaii. I was to go there by steamship, with the ticket costing $12.50. It took me only one day to fall in love with this island paradise, with birds singing, colorful flowers everywhere, and landscape was always green.
My first day in the mission field consisted of some personal activities and later a visit to a hospital with two other elders. This was my first administration to the sick. On the second day, we were shown a little more of the beautiful sights around Honolulu. AT 4 p.m. four of us were loaded on to a small ship headed for Hilo, the island of Hawaii. The ocean was very rough and I was seasick again. After arriving at Hilo, I was assigned to the Lapahoehoe District, which was the Kiolani Branch area. My first companion was Elder Louis Patterson from Salt Lake City.
Before leaving for our district, we were asked to conduct a funeral for a Catholic baby who had been born dead. The Catholic priest would not have anything to do with the baby because it was not baptized in the “Catholic way.” We arrived very late at our new home, to the side of the Kiolani Chapel. We were close to the courthouse, where the police station and post office were located. Our house was about 1,000 feet above the ocean. To get to the little community of Lapahoehoe, we had to turn to the right on the road coming from Hilo and go down a rather steep, winding road to this village, which means leaf of lava. The village is built on a leaf of lava that extends out from the valley floor into the ocean. It is a beautiful scene as you look down from the top of the hill at that quiet little village below. On this side of the island it is very green. I think they got about 200 inches of rainfall a year. Most of the islands of Hawaii were engaged in growing sugarcane. I was very impressed with the beauty and quietness. We prepared our own meals, but received many invitations to eat with the members and friends, so my mission expenses were less than $30. a month. The members brought us bananas and other foods. There was a small trolley train that ran from Hilo all the way past Lapahoehoe on the coastline. We used the trolley when we had to go to Hilo, which was about 25 miles away. We had had a number of small earthquakes since my arrival. We could hear the rumble as they approached. They were constantly coming throughout the year. There was very little damage, and I grew to enjoy them!
Our proselyting area ran several miles in each direction from Lapahoehoe. We had to walk everywhere. In our district, the homes were mostly along the highway, with a few villages.Also there were a few plantations or settlements that consisted mainly of Filipinos who worked in the cane fields. Almost all the people in our area were Hawaiians except in the plantation settlements where the Filipinos lived. Once in a while there was a Japanese family. We did do tracting in our area of Lapahoehoe, where not too many people lived; but they had been tracted many times. In the Hawaiian homes they were either members or relatives were members or they knew about the church and were not interested. In the plantation settlements, the Filipinos were all Catholic and were not interested in any other religion. Where we were welcomed into a home, we used the Plan of Salvation, filmstrips on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. We also had a large record player that played a series of church dramas, called: “The Fullness of Times.” (made under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley, who also did much of the writing of them.)
We were also able to establish some religious education classes after school in elementary schools. Much of our time was spent in strengthening members, teaching classes in priesthood and Sunday School, also giving talks in sacrament meetings. As we walked back and forth doing these various activities, we were caught in rainstorms and got soaked if we couldn’t find any shelter. The Hawaiian members seemed a little timid about leadership, so we had to spend quite a bit of time working with the leadership and keeping members active in the branches. It was a little disappointing not to be more involved with investigators and conversions.
However, I loved the Hawaiian people and thoroughly enjoyed working with them. While still in Lapahoehoe, we did have one investigator, a Japanese woman and her daughter. We did get them to church, but we could never get her to commit to baptism. Bro. John Akiona was the branch president of the Kiolani Branch, right at the end of the Lapahoehoe peninsula.
Sometimes as we were walking down the winding road to Lapahoehoe, the Akionas would see us coming. Then their son about 12 years old would jump into the bay there and catch a turtle. By the time we reached their home, there were turtle steaks cooking for us.
Sunday morning December 7, 1941, we were preparing for branch priesthood meetings and could see quite a bit of commotion at the courthouse across the ravine. We proceeded with our meetings; and after sacrament meeting we learned that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by Japanese carrier planes! It was a great shock to everyone and had a numbing effect on the members. Tensions and emotions were running high. The phrase of my patriarchal blessing flashed into my mind: “You will go in peace and go home in safety.” This statement was a comfort to me. After grabbing a bite to eat, Elder Patterson and I started walking toward Hilo, which was mission headquarters. Roadblocks had been set up all along the highway to Hilo. As we were walking along the road, a car stopped; and a man asked us if we’d like a ride. The man was some kind of engineer at the Hilo airport. With him was a nurse from the Hilo hospital. They had been spending the weekend in Kona, but had been ordered to come back to their jobs immediately. He gave me the scariest automobile ride of my life! He accelerated to high speed as he went around the winding road that follows the coastline. The tires screamed as we went around the curves. He had a sign on his windshield that caused the people at the roadblocks to scramble out of the way. I will never forget the looks on people’s faces along the way. They were standing by the road with looks of fear and disbelief on their faces and talking in low tones. The driver took us to the center of Hilo, which was completely deserted. The shops along the coastline had put up sandbags in front of windows and doors facing the ocean. We also saw a jeep with several men and a machine gun, patrolling the streets. We walked up to the Hilo Mission home to be with the rest of the missionaries. All were excited with anxiety about what was going to happen.
Elder Patterson and I went to visit Sister Loa, who lived out near the Hilo Airport. The radio station in Hilo was blacked out, but she had a radio that could get short wave stations in America. Here we could get reports of Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor, the following confusion, and what the U.S. was going to do about it. The Hawaiian government ordered a total blackout. Cars could have a small slit in their headlights just to get around slowly at night. Everyone was ordered off the streets, so we had to stay overnight at Sister Loa’s home. No one was to use the telephones; and the whole islands were put on a state of emergency. No one knew whether the Japanese would launch a ground attack or not. We spent most of the evening listening to the news on short wave. At 9 p.m. I heard the roar of a plane’s engine. I ran out in the black night but could see nothing. I could only hear the plane overhead as it turned out to sea. Shortly after that I saw a very bright light coming toward us from the Hilo side. It got brighter and brighter, and I could hear the roar of the engine. It passed over and turned out to sea. The bright lights were the landing lights of the airplane. They were probably looking for a place to land; and they missed the airport just a short distance from where we were staying. Later, I found out that these were Japanese planes that had lost their aircraft carrier and were probably looking for a place to land. It was a really exciting day, starting with our Sunday meetings and ending with total confusion. I will never forget the actions and feelings of the people. My main concern was how my mother and family would take this shocking news. The consequences of this disaster had a great effect on our missionary labors.
One day my companion and I were walking toward Honakahua School, which was a little community about four miles from our living quarters. We were going to conduct some religious education classes. As we were walking along the road, a model-T Ford pulled up beside us. The driver was a Japanese man who asked us if we wanted a ride. The day was hot, and we readily accepted. As he conversed with us in very broken English, we learned that he was Reverend Kumagai, a Buddhist minister living in Lahaina. He was the only Buddhist minister that I knew who had been allowed to stay with his congregation. The others were either deported or put into prison camps. His congregation consisted of about 80 people. Before we reached our destination, the Reverend Kumagai said to us: (broken English) “You teach me English?” We agreed to come to his home one evening a week. As we learned more about this man, we grew to love and admire him. In many respects he exemplified the Christian virtues more than many Christians. His wife had committed suicide because she had collected a lot of money from people in Hawaii who wanted it sent to Japan for their military efforts. However, he did not know this. But after her suicide, he began paying back all the money that the Japanese people had given to his wife.
Reverend Kumagai had five children, the oldest being about 15 years old. We commenced teaching him English by using the Book of Mormon as a text. Subsequently I obtained Book of Mormon in Japanese for him. The following week as we arrived at his home, he greeted us with much excitement. He explained that he had read the entire book and was having his congregation worship it. What he meant was that he was teaching them some of the principles in the Book of Mormon. Then he looked at me, asking: “You like go to Japan?” I of course answered, “yes.” Then he said: “After war, I take you. You teach Japanese people this book. This what Japanese people need!” I explained to him the missionary program of the church and assured him that other young men would be sent to Japan as soon as the war was over.