メリディアン

日本語

帰還宣教師から

From Returned Missionaries

Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography

Mission President continued

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L.D.S. SERVICEMEN’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHURCH IN JAPAN

 The first man to come into the church in Japan was Tatsui Sato, a very well educated man. This was after World War II and before the mission was re-opened in Japan. Ray Hanks and Boyd K. Packer, then servicemen in Japan were deeply involved in his conversion, baptism, and confirmation. Shortly after the church was opened in 1948, the L.D.S. servicemen, seeing the condition of the Japanese people, started to contribute money to a chapel building fund. In 1952, the Japanese Mission Presidency asked the L.D.S. servicemen to contribute to a missionary fund to provide finances to support local Japanese youth who would like to serve a mission but had no financial means. The servicemen readily responded and provided enough funds to totally support 10 elders and four sisters. As a member of the mission presidency at that time, I was asked to supervise this project. These missionaries made an outstanding contribution to the missionary work’; and many of them became strong leaders of the church in their more adult life. I know of at least four of them who hold leadership positions even at this time (2001). Upon my arrival in Japan as the mission president in 1962, I discovered there was enough money in the L.D.S. service men’s chapel building fund to provide the LOCAL share (Japanese) of many of the first chapels in Japan. 

Another great contribution these fine military men made was in donating their time and skills in the construction of the chapels on their free days. The mission had a pearl and singing record project to help finance the Hawaii temple trip for the Japanese saints. The L.D.S. servicemen enthusiastically contributed a substantial amount of money by securing pearls and records for their families and others. Some of them even made personal cash contributions to the project. The Japanese saints were overwhelmed with this support that these military men gave to help them. The greatest contribution by the L.D.S. servicemen was made by Colonel Robert David. When he was sent to Hawii on a TDY assignment for the military, I asked him if he would check on the airlines in Hawaii, to see if we could find a bid from some airline for a chartered plane that the Japanese saints could afford. We were unable to secure an affordable bid from any of the airlines in Japan. We were desperate, but not discouraged. Miraculously, Colonel David met the man in charge of Japan Air Lines in Hawaii at a social event. He explained to the man the plan of the Japanese saints to go to the Hawaii Temple to participate in sacred ordinances. The Japan Air Lines representative invited Colonel David to come to his office the next day. 

As Colonel David walked into the office the next day, the representative handed him an official bid for the Hawaii temple project. Colonel David was overcome with emotion when he read the bid. It stated that the Japan Air Lines would provide a chartered plane to take the saints from Japan to Hawaii and back, at the cost of $276 per seat for 141 seats. This single miraculous event opened the way for us to proceed with our Hawaii temple plans. Without this special bid it is very possible that the entire project would have failed! 

These wonderful servicemen made another special contribution as we were building the chapels. The Japanese culture has many levels of status that are very well defined and accepted by the Japanese people. I am not sure of all the levels, but I know that money and occupation are two of them. Laborers who build houses or other buildings are very low on this status level. So, when we began building the chapels, we asked the Japanese members to donate their spare time to helping us build their own chapels. The members would just come and stand around, looking at the others who were working. They would not pick up a hammer, shovel, or broom, etc. On the other side, the servicemen would come on their days off and would work very hard at any task they were given to do. Privates and Colonels worked side-by-side digging trenches or hammering nails. The Japanese members were in awe that every serviceman from private to colonel was working side by side from the most menial tasks to the higher skilled jobs. When the Japanese saw the servicemen willing to do anything in helping to build their chapels, they put aside their pride and picked up the various building tools and also worked side by side with the servicemen! This was the beginning of the Japanese members giving manual labor to building their church. I have a great feeling of admiration, love, and gratitude toward the servicemen for all they did to help build the kingdom of God in Japan! L.D.S. servicemen have made similar contributions to the establishing and developing of the kingdom in many parts of the world.