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From Returned Missionaries

Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography

Tokyo Temple President

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Part 30

We returned to the temple in early February 1982. We were given the charge to visit as many stake conferences as we could in order to help and inspire temple work. The theme for conferences in the entire church that year was on family history and temple work. During our last six months we were able to visit stake conferences in Okinawa, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo. All of these meetings were emotional and tender, as we talked to our beloved Japanese saints in these areas. A charming Thai couple came to the temple. They were alone and had no place to stay. They could speak English; but not Japanese, and they seemed to be in a quandary as to what to do. Our hearts went out to them, so we asked them to stay with us in our spare bedroom in our apartment. They wanted to participate in every ordinance within the temple; and we encouraged them to do so. We did enjoy watching their reactions to each new activity, for we could tell they were absolutely awed by each new ordinance: baptism, initiatory, endowment, and they loved the sealing rooms. 

They taught us some Thai culture each night as we came in from the temple. On the last night before they were to leave, they asked us to sit down together on the couch in the living room. (They had on their native robes, which we thought they must wear in their homes for comfort.) They then told us that they could never thank us enough for letting them stay with us, so they wanted to honor us as they would their own parents. Both of them stood before us, then they knelt, with their hands clasped together as if going to pray. The next thing they did was to bow to us from their waists down to the floor, having their heads almost touching the floor. (If anyone has seen the original movie of “Anna and the King of Siam,” that is the way they bowed to us.) 

As they bowed each time to the floor, they offered us words of praise, love, and thanksgiving. But it did not end with just one bow, but went on for as long as they had things to say. We were clearly stunned and felt a bit embarrassed, but we knew they were truly sincere in doing this. They had no extra money, and this was their gratitude. 

We could not help but feel tenderness towards them, for it was not hard to understand how grateful they felt for the entire temple experience. We kept contact with each other for many years. In one letter he expressed his feelings by telling us that the gospel was the most important thing in their lives. He was made a branch president; and in 200l we noticed that he was made a stake president in Bangkok. What wonderful results we felt from our working with them in the Tokyo Temple!

An adventurous and young couple came to Tokyo Temple from the Philippines. They were also lost in Tokyo. We helped them find an affordable sleeping accommodation. It was so exciting to get to know these people from other parts of Asia. A young couple from Korea showed up one day in peasant clothes. She was dressed in pants and blouse. Peggy got her a white dress so she could enter the temple and helped her change in the restroom at the front of the temple. They were saints of great faith and courage, for they were on their way to attend school in England, with two small cardboard suitcases. They had stopped in Tokyo to receive their endowments before they traveled on to Europe. They considered the temple the most important part of their educational experience. We had similar experiences with members from Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was marvelous to see the Tokyo Temple extend its spirit and influence to most of the countries of Asia.

It is interesting to note that Peggy and I were the only Caucasians involved in the Tokyo Temple dedications (presidency); and I have been the only Caucasian to be called as temple president up to this time.

We closed this chapter of our lives with these experiences in the temple at Tokyo, Japan, on August 15, 1982. The temple’s last session before the summer closing was the day before we left. As we left Japan on this memorable day, many of our friends told us goodbye at Narita Airport. And, prior to that there was a large group of saints waiting on the garage driveway just below our apartment at the back of the temple. What an emotional sight it was for us to look upon these wonderful people, wondering if we would be with them again in this mortal life! Elder Adney Y. Komatsu was to replace me when the temple opened in September. President Komatsu had also replaced me as a mission president of the Northern Far East Mission in 1965. At this time, President Komatsu was a member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy.

Elder Kikuchi, our area president, asked us to go to Korea to help the saints there understand more about the temple, plus the blessings and challenges which would come with a temple in their land. In our visits to Korea, we met with saints in Seoul, Pusan, and Taegu, spending a week in Korea. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Korea. The Koreans, it seemed to us, were most gracious, humble, and receptive. The landscape was quaint and entirely beautiful. We saw more Christian chapels in some of their cities than one would see in U.S. communities. We started our tour in Seoul, where Stake President Rhee was our host. Brother Han, who later became a member of the 2nd Quorum of Seventy, acted as our interpreter. In Pusan, a mission president was our host; and his wife put a beautiful basket of fruits in our hotel room. That night the mission president drove us across town to our meeting. What a frightening time we had! Amidst the heavy night traffic, the car engine died every time we stopped at a traffic light. Horns honked at us; and the president tried to start the engine time after time. We limped slowly through each intersection. We had the same experience as the mission president drove us back to the hotel. 

Brother Han told us that this was the first time that the president had ever driven a car! We knelt that night in prayer to thank our Father in Heaven for his protection! From our experiences in Korea, we began to understand why President Hinckley praised the Korean saints so much on his visits with us in Japan. Out of the poverty and oppression have come many humble, dedicated members of the church. Our visit to Korea was a humbling and gratifying experience. (As the time for our leaving Japan came closer, I was feeling well and strong again. Elder Kikuchi asked me if I could stay on longer, and he would inform the brethren of it. BUT, with concern for my retirement status, and that we intended to fill other assignments after retirement, I told him that we should go ahead with the previous plans which would put me back at BYU for the fall semester.)