Stories: Any Lord's Errand is a Storehouse of Blessings
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Webmaster Note: The following was contributed by Rosanne Carter Reeves, who requested it of President Shimabukuro after he shared it at a Sendai Mission reunion.
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Any Lord's Errand is a Storehouse of Blessings
I, Sam K. Shimabukuro, of Honolulu, Hawaii, am humbled by a request to write a missionary experience I had when I served in the Japan Far East Mission 50 years ago.
After serving about 1 ½ years in three cities on the main island of Japan, I received a letter from Mission President Paul C. Andrus advising me I was being transferred to Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan with Elder Leroy Anderson as my companion. We are to be the first missionaries to open Okinawa, for proselyting the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think I can say for Elder Anderson when I say how happy and grateful we are to President Andrus, for allowing us this rare privilege of opening a new area for doing the Lord’s errand.
Inasmuch as the missionary experience that I was asked to relate occurred in Okinawa, permit me first of all to cite some background information that led to the experience in question. Sensing that our proselyting efforts were on the plus side, Elder Anderson and I began to feel it was time to lay the groundwork for building a chapel here in Futenma where a branch could be established. We knew this was a huge undertaking, but we went ahead anyway. As a starter, we went to the Futenma village office to find out who the owners were of the property adjacent to the very small property on which is our living quarters--a quonset hut. The Camp Futenma LDS Millitary Group purchased the small lot a few years ago, and subsequently built a quonset on it as our living quarters. From the village office we learned and obtained the names and addresses of three property owners. With tongue in cheek, so to speak, we set on this mission. Little did we realize, however, that this Lord’s errand was destined to culminate in the Lord’s richest storehouse of blessings not only for us, but for the people of Okinawa. Trusting in the Lord that our efforts would be fruitful, we went to the first property owner. To our disappointment he wasn’t home. The second owner also wasn’t home. These two disappointing results almost discouraged us from making our third visit. Knowing that we cannot give up our purpose, we went to the third owner;s home. It was located in the mountain away from Futenma town. Upon knocking at the door, an old gentleman, 70-80 years old, answered the door. He invited us into his home. He had his eyes closed as we introduced ourselves and explained the purpose of our visit. He then opened his eyes and introduced himself as Mr. Kinjo. Then from his lips came words that astonished us beyond description. In essence, he said that as a young man over 50 years ago, he left Okinawa to work overseas. He went to America and the place where he worked, to our astonishment, was the state of Utah! He worked as a laborer in the mining town of Garfield. Although he was a foreigner and didn’t speak English, his Mormon co-workers all treated him as an equal, were very friendly, did not smoke or drink or use foul language. They had such a good influence on me that I quit smoking and drinking. My meeting with the Mormon Church was certainly a positive one and I have tremendous respect for the Church. Now, turning to us, he said, about the property you wanted to purchase from me as well as from the two owners of the adjacent property, I want you to know I agree to sell my property to the Church. He then made another incredible statement: About the two other owners, they my friends, so you don’t have to see them; I’ll have the necessary documents to legally sell the three properties. True to his word, his two friends agreed to sell and the documents were given to us, paving the way for the Church to build a splendid chapel to be dedicated to the people of Okinawa.
After reflecting over all the events that led to the acquisition of the property in Futenma, I can draw but one decisive conclusion: The Lord was instrumental, from start to finish, in seeing that everything was fulfilled according to His plan. An outsider may say everything that happened was a coincidence or just chance. Was it a coincidence that, fifty years ago, while still a young man Mr. Kinjo had the urge to leave his native land and travel thousands of miles to go to a foreign country and work as a laborer? Was it by chance he went to Utah? why not Hawaii, California, Nevada, or any other state? And why Garfield, Utah? Did he select Garfield because he was curious and wanted to know about the Mormons and the Mormon Church? Was it a coincidence that 50 years later, there at his door stood two missionaries of the Mormon Church? That he was able to grant their request to purchase the necessary properties to build a church in Futenma, was not a coincidence, but was as real as it can be. |
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