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By the end of World War II, the Northern Mariana Islands had been controlled by other countries for hundreds of years. Father Diego Luis de San Vitores and five other members of the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) founded the first mission in Guam in 1668.[1] The first Catholic missionaries from Guam visited Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in 1669. Although the Catholics were apparently well accepted at first, the CHamoru rebelled against the Spanish and the Catholic Church in 1684, with most of the Spanish priests martyred.

By 1730 all the CHamoru north of Rota were removed to Guam, leaving the islands to the north virtually uninhabited. Saipan was repopulated by a group of Carolinians from the Chuuk region in the early 1800s. Neo-CHamoru began arriving on Saipan in the early 1820s as administrators for Guam’s Spanish governor or as individuals looking for a new life. Catholics established San Isidro de Garapan on Saipan in 1856. A few Carolinians joined the Catholic Church at that time.[2]

The United States captured Guam from Spain in 1898, and Germany purchased the Northern Mariana Islands in 1899. Both the United States and Germany promoted Protestantism over Catholicism. At the end of World War I in 1919, the League of Nations approved Japan as the administrator of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

The years spanning from the end of World War II until 1990 represent the early period of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northern Marianas. Much of what took place on Saipan during these years is recounted here through letters and journal entries of the people who lived it.[3] This chapter explores some of their struggles as they shared the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and opened these islands to full-time missionaries.

World War II Experiences

During World War II, the missions of the Church were effectively closed from 1942 until late 1945. During the war, many wards in the United States encouraged their young men to serve in the military rather than serve full-time missions. Thus, only a few young men in each ward were considered eligible to serve as missionaries. Paul W. Lambert of Salt Lake City said, “I was one of seventeen young men in my ward eligible to serve a mission when WWII began. . . . The remaining young men were encouraged to enlist.”[4] As a result of these servicemen serving the gospel cause in seemingly small ways, full-time missionaries were later sent into countries where the Church had previously not been allowed. Before these men reported for duty, Church leaders asked them to share the gospel with those they met during this unusually trying time of war.

The United States captured the Northern Mariana Islands in June–July 1944. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish religious services were made available to all troops as well as refugees in their camps.

While stationed on the island of Saipan, a marine named Lowell Tom Perry joined with other young servicemen in holding regular Sunday meetings in which he often led the music as they sang the songs of Zion. During their free time, these young servicemen organized and built Saipan’s first chapel, located in the village of San Vicente. On September 9, 1945, their small chapel was dedicated. It soon became an oasis of peace and friendship where Latter-day Saint servicemen could escape the horrors of war they endured throughout the week. The soldiers felt that God was aware of their dedication and sacrifice, and they felt his Spirit directing them in meaningful ways.

Marines built this Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Saipan in 1944. L. Tom Perry is the tall man on the back row. Courtesy of Lee Perry.

Marine Lloyd Miller recorded an experience in his journal that demonstrates how the Lord let him know through a quiet miracle that he is aware of our needs:

Now we were taken back to Saipan to again be outfitted and ready to land on another island and maybe this time again the mainland of Japan. The first week back on the island I went to the church service. In the weeks following we decided to build an LDS chapel on the island. Since I had access to the truck of the Motor Transport pool, I would get a truck and go to different places on the island to get materials that we needed. In my scrapbook will be found pictures of some of the men that worked on the building. . . .

Several days later on another Sunday, I decided I wouldn’t go to church but just stay in my tent and read the Book of Mormon. Then go back to sleep and rest up. Well, I couldn’t go to sleep, so I figured if I got up and went down and took a shower that I could come back and read and then maybe sleep. I took the shower but couldn’t concentrate. Something kept saying, “Get up and go over to the church and attend church!” Well, I got out of bed and dressed and went out and stood by the side of the road to get a ride. Generally the first one by picks you up and takes you as far as he is going. Not this time. I stood there fifteen minutes and they kept passing me by. Then it was thirty minutes and a fellow picked me up.

I asked him where he was going, and he said to the Island Command. I suggested that he let me off at the intersection so I could head for the opposite side of the island to go to the chapel. When I got off, I had to wait for twenty minutes more before anyone would pick me up. I knew that now I was going to do whatever I had to do to see this thing that was happening to me through.

As I say after another twenty minutes a jeep with two Navy men in it picked me up. I thanked them and started a conversation. I asked them where they were from and if their ship was in the bay. They told me and said they were just going around the island while this ship was being fueled and readied to go about their duty. I told them my brother was on an LSM and somewhere in the Pacific. I asked them what kind of a ship they were on, and one said, “An LSM.” I blurted in and said, “Is Number 449 in the harbor?” The fellow looked me straight in the eye and said, “You bet, right next to ours.”

Printed program for Saipan chapel dedication. L. Tom Perry is listed as chorister. Courtesy of Leona Lee.

With that I told them to stop the jeep and let me off. I jumped off before they could stop. I held out my hand for a ride, and one stopped almost immediately. I asked him where he was going, and he said to the Island Command area. I told him I had some business in the same place and would he please hurry as fast as he could.

When I got to the desk the officer said the last boat of the day was then getting ready to leave to deliver people to the different ships in the bay. I coaxed him to hold the boat until I could get on, and of course there was that jibing from the guys just because they had to wait a few minutes for me to get my card and permission to go out on the ship.

When we finally got to the LSM #449, the officer on deck asked me to state my business and show him my ID card. I did this, and he told me to come aboard. I then asked him to take me to the quarters of Captain Robert B. Miller as he was my brother. He acted rather surprised but said he would do it. I also asked him to just knock on the door and when it was opened or he was asked to come in that he would say to Bob, “Sir, there is a Marine out here that wants to knock your socks off.”

Well, he did this, and when he opened the door to tell Bob, I could see him sitting at his desk with a paper in one hand and a pen in the other. His answer to the officer’s remark was, “Well,” said Bob, “send the silly boy in. We just as well finish it right here.” I stepped in, and he looked up and then down at the desktop and just froze in that position. From that point you can imagine our feelings and joy in seeing each other here in the wide Pacific.

We visited and caught up on a few things, and then he told me he wanted to go back to my camp to see how we lived and ate. Bob had one of his men lower a boat and he took us to the shore. We thumbed our way back to my quarters. When we got in line for chow and to visit with them Bob told me afterwards that he had never seen a group of men so tough and rough looking. He said, “Boy, they look like they would just as soon kill you as eat.” He thanked me for following the still small voice and being able to meet in the Pacific. Yes, this was something special that just doesn’t happen every day.[5]

At the end of World War II, the United States became the administrator of the Northern Mariana Islands until the people of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota (the most populous islands in the Northern Mariana Islands) voted to become a commonwealth of the United States. On November 4, 1986, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands became a US territory. This new status that enabled its people to vote for their own government leaders using laws patterned after those of the United States.

Pioneer Period of the Church in Saipan

The pioneer period of the Church on Saipan began in the 1970s, with the members and missionaries helping to establish and grow the Church. Missionary work was always a focus for the members living on Saipan.

Darrel and Paula Hale and their three children arrived in Saipan in January 1970. Darrel came to Saipan for his work as an entomologist and as director of the Kagman Agricultural Research Station, where he worked with the farmers on Saipan and occasionally with those on other islands in Micronesia. Darrel spoke Japanese because he had served a three-year mission in the Northern Far East Mission in Japan (1956–59). This ability helped him to communicate with the older farmers in Saipan. These older islanders spoke Japanese because before the end of World War II, while Japan controlled Saipan, the Chamoru and Carolinian islanders were all taught Japanese and were punished for speaking their own island languages.

Darrel and Paula Hale, July 5, 1971. Courtesy of Darrel and Paula Hale.

Paula, a trained teacher, was offered a teaching position on Saipan but chose to educate her own children at home and teach Primary. Her personal history gives glimpses of her daily duties of caring for her young family while living on Saipan:

[January 1970] We arrived in Saipan. Guam had a branch of the Church. There were no active members on Saipan. We located a less-active sister and her daughter.

When Darrel met with President Moody of the Honolulu Stake, he was set apart as the presiding elder on Saipan. Darrel was given a beautiful blessing.

We collected all our drinking water from the roof. It ran into a big barrel. I would dip it from the barrel and boil it. We had running water for other usage. The water wasn’t off much except during typhoons.

JoeTen and J&G Country were the two tiny stores on island. We only had powdered milk, not any fresh milk, and a few basic supplies and meat.

Darrel worked at the agriculture farm, so he brought home fresh vegetables.

The power plant burned down in 1972, so for at least a few months, we had power outages for four hours on and four hours off. We just got used to it and planned our cooking during the on times.

There was no TV when we got there. Later they broadcast a couple of evening hours a day. We got Walter Cronkite news in the evening, and that was a big deal.

We tried to call home on the ham radios, but it was so hard. It didn’t work to call home.

Most of our driving was on dirt roads. Only Beach Road was paved to Navy Hill and Capitol Hill.

It’s a beautiful place to live if you don’t have to educate your kids.[6]

Paula also reported the serious health challenges that her son Joel faced because of the humid climate:

Joel had asthma since he was a baby. It was very bad on Saipan. He struggled for each breath when he was having an attack. Darrel gave him epinephrine shots that would give him horrible headaches. Poor little boy. He was so pale, and we were so worried. He was getting worse and worse. He said to me one time when he was struggling to breathe, “Mama, when you die and get resurrected, you won’t be sick anymore, will you?”

When we moved to Guam, he was much better. He occasionally took medicine on Guam and later in Alabama, but was not nearly as serious as he was on Saipan.[7]

Paula reported that years later, when Joel was a missionary, there was a change in his health: “When Joel left Alabama to go to California on his mission, I was getting asthma medicine ready to send with him. Joel said, ‘No, I’m going to serve the Lord, and he will bless me. I won’t need it anymore.’ And he has not needed medicine since then. That is the testimony he has of having faith.”[8]

Darrel and Paula started a Church member group in their home, which became the center of the Church in Saipan for the nearly six years they lived on the island. Until 1975, when missionaries lived permanently on Saipan, they would occasionally visit the island and would stay in the Hales’ home. The Hales participated directly in missionary work as well:

[February 14, 1971] Keichi Ota, a Japanese laborer, was taught the missionary lessons by Darrel. He didn’t speak very much English but we included him in our church meetings as much as possible.

We also located Sister Ethel Hanson, a Peace Corp lady who had joined the Church in the states before she came to Saipan. She was a joy to us for several years and came regularly.

[January 8, 1974] When Dave and Pauline Herr, along with their two daughters, moved to Saipan, Darrel began teaching a weekly seminary lesson to their girls. They had joined the Church in the states, and we were very glad for their support. They helped teach Primary and Sunday school.[9]

Darrel and Maile Hale are dressed in white for Maile’s baptism in 1975. Courtesy of Darrel and Paula Hale.

Paula held regular Primary classes and invited many of the island’s children to attend. On November 13, 1972, she wrote, “We had fifteen children at Primary. Only our three children were members.” On October 1, 1974, Paula wrote, “We had nineteen children attending Primary.”[10]

Paula wrote about about the first convert baptism: “We went to Juanita Augustine’s baptism at Pau Pau beach at 7 a.m. She was the first person converted and baptized by missionaries on Saipan.”[11]

On September 17, 1975, Paula wrote, “We are moving to Guam. It is always hard for me to break ties with a place I’ve lived, and I truly hate to leave Saipan in many ways. I always feel such a feeling of peace come over me when the plane lands on Saipan.”[12] Paula’s last words about Saipan were on September 28, 1975: “President Cannon (mission president) is coming again tomorrow for the day.”[13] Then in October the family left for Guam for Darrel’s new job.

Seeds Sprouting and Blooming

Paula Hale mentioned Alfred Gonzales in her journal in July 1975, shortly after he arrived on the island. He would do laundry at the Hales’ home while he was staying in a hotel, and he occasionally ate dinner with the family before his wife Matilde arrived in October. Alfred, who was known by the nickname “Mustang,” had been hired as a project manager to help construct a new airport on Saipan. He became the leader of the Saipan Church group after Darrel Hale left the island, although nothing was recorded about him being set apart for the calling.[14] After Matilde arrived, the couple held weekly Sunday meetings in their home for one month. Matilde recorded details about the small group in Saipan:

On Sunday, October 12, 1975, I attended my first Sunday school, sacrament meeting at Dr. Hale’s home on Navy Hill. . . . Three days later the Hale family left for Guam. There went the congregation.

[October 19, 1975] There were only four people in attendance at church on Sunday. Church meetings were held in the home of Brother and Sister Gonzales, located on the Guerrero Estates in the Chalan Lau Lau area.[15]

One day while at work, Mustang noticed fellow construction worker Brad Nago with a big cigar hanging out of his mouth. He reportedly said to Brad, “I need you to be the Church leader to replace me when I leave,” implying that Brad would need to quit his smoking habit and otherwise prepare himself for baptism and faithful service in the Church. Mustang’s invitation and example encouraged Brad and his wife Jean to listen to what the missionaries had to say about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Matilde wrote the following in her journal:

[October 26, 1975] The next Sunday’s attendance was up to eight people. Two of them were investigators, Brad Nago and Jacob Santos, a Filipino employee of Brad Nago.

[November 11] Mustang located an old Quonset building in Garapan owned by the Masons. With the help of Brad Nago and his men, they cleared the ground and building of vines, trees, and shrubs. Next, the Sablan construction men worked on the Quonset hut. They installed plumbing and electricity, renovated the kitchen and built pews.

[Sunday, November 23] The first Church meeting was held in the Quonset hut. There were eight people in attendance that first week.[16]

Brad, Jean, Braden, and Belden Nago on the parents’ baptism day, January 24, 1976, Saipan. Courtesy of Belden Nago.]

Brad and Jean Nago were baptized on January 24, 1976. “A very special day,” wrote Jean. She further wrote:

[May 1976] There were enough investigators listening to the discussions that regular Saturday night lessons were taught weekly at the Quonset hut. Within six months ten people were baptized.

Mustang Gonzales had a great desire to share his testimony of the restored church of Jesus Christ with more islanders. Before returning to Hawaii, he organized and invited many nonmembers to a pioneer celebration.

[July 24, 1976] Over sixty people attended (including local government leaders, friends, and neighbors) the special Branch Pioneer Day celebration at the local Coast Guard building, which included a chicken barbecue.[17]

Regarding this last event, Mustang had arranged for a large gathering at the Coast Guard station to introduce the Church to government leaders, local islanders, and friends. The Filipino contract workers lent a hand by barbecuing the chicken. Though records are slim on the details of this event and its ultimate effect on the guests, Church members considered this gathering a great success in sharing their beliefs with people who had never heard about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Gathering at a baptism of Filipino converts. Courtesy of David Ige.

The following month, Mustang and Matilde left the island. During his time on Saipan, Mustang had introduced the gospel to as many people as possible and had opened the doors for missionary work to thrive.

Brad Nago, who had been baptized only seven months before Mustang left Saipan, became the Church group leader in 1976 following Mustang’s departure. He also later became the first Saipan branch president. He shared his thoughts about the influence of the Gonzales family in Saipan:

It all began in the early 70s when the Lord opened the door for the missionaries to teach the gospel truth to the people of this island. Like many other places on earth, the local Chamorros were no different. They greeted the missionaries with their shotguns, ran them off their properties by waving their machetes, and threw rocks to frighten the missionaries to leave island. The people of this island were not ready; they hardened their hearts and did not want the gospel truth. . . .

After reading the reports from the missionaries and knowing of their constant danger, President Cannon . . . in early 1975 was prepared to pull the missionaries off the island.

[Latter-day Saint] Mustang [Alfred Gonzales] of Hawaii was hired as a resident project manager . . . to manage the construction of the airport.

The first construction manager hired decided to take an early retirement. The first replacement soon returned home to Hawaii for unknown health reasons. The second replacement didn’t last long because his nose kept bleeding for no reason. The doctors found nothing wrong with him after a thorough physical checkup in Hawaii. In the meantime, Mustang was sent to fill the vacant position. . . . [He] asked President Cannon for an extension of time for the missionaries. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and His work is never frustrated. As He proclaimed, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” . . .

We had a very humble beginning. As members of the Lord’s Church, five or six, including the two missionaries, met in the living room at Bro. Gonzales’s apartment, and there we held sacrament meeting: Bro. and Sis. Gonzales, Louise Potter, myself, two Filipino brethren who braved the threat of losing their jobs from their local employer, and the missionaries.

Two months later, arrangements were made with the Masonic Group, and we shared one of the double Quonset huts located in Garapan.[18]

Soon after the Church began meeting in the Quonset hut, ten Filipino brethren were baptized. As Brother Nago’s account mentions, Mustang convinced the mission president to keep the missionaries on Saipan for six months longer. Sets of missionaries have continued to serve on Saipan ever since.

Brad Nago wrote the following about his experience as a new member of the Church:

It was during this critical time that I met Brother Gonzales and was baptized together with Jean (my wife) in the water at Pau-Pau Beach, on January 24, 1976.

Seven months after my baptism, I was called to lead this Dependent Branch (part of the Guam Ward), so we were part of the Kaneohe Stake of Hawaii. Brother Gonzales had finished the airport assignment and was reassigned to another project. . . . I could sense his concern and worry for this new branch. And truly I was confused and worried too. I kept saying, “Why me!” . . .

In the midst of all these changes and my constant worry, the Lord led me to read 1 Nephi 3:7—where in part it says—“The Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

Meeting at the Quonset hut in Garapan became too constrained, and a new meeting place was decided. We moved to San Vicente Village, a large home with rooms for the missionaries, and the living room was used for our sacrament meeting. The property was large enough to hold outdoor meetings during Sunday School classes (during sunny days) and priesthood meetings.

Additional areas were cultivated, and vegetables were planted for fundraising, which also helped keep the members united during these difficult times.

President Cannon (the mission president who was prepared to take the missionaries off Saipan), on his last tour of Micronesia, humbly said, “In spite of men’s mistakes or weaknesses, the Lord’s work goes on.”[19]

The success the missionaries saw in these early days was not among the CHamoru and Carolinians but among people of other nationalities that came to live on Saipan and called it home. Mustang was a visionary who recognized that missionaries could still be successful with the many people of other nationalities who were living on Saipan and were ready to hear the gospel. He accomplished much in his short fourteen months on Saipan. Years later, he served as a bishop in Hawaii, where the Lord once again utilized his leadership skills.

A Mission and a Branch

On April 1, 1980, the Micronesia Guam Mission was created. Soon afterward, the new mission president, Ferron C. Losee, returned to Salt Lake City for a few months for medical treatment. Edwin (Ned) Cannon Winder of Salt Lake City was asked to be the mission president during his absence. After President Winder visited the Saipan Branch, he wrote the following letter to George A. Haight, the Pacific Area President:

July 22, 1980

Dear Brother Haight,

I was in Saipan Sunday and attended some of the most spiritual meetings I’ve ever been to. Seventy-three people were at the sacrament meeting.

During that meeting, and most of the three hours, it rained like there was no tomorrow. The roof leaks in at least fourteen places. At first, I thought we were all going to be rebaptized by sprinkling, then by pouring, and before it ended, by immersion!

We really need a new building there, Brother Haight, or authorization to start an ark. Just in the three days we were there, we saw several rains like that.

President Nago, who as you know is a highly skilled builder, said he is waiting for the plans to come back from Honolulu. Would you kindly check so we can move along on it, please. Thank you.

Sincerely your brother,

Ned Winder

Mission president,

Micronesia Guam Mission[20]

When President Brad Nago accepted the call to be the Church group leader in Saipan, he had no idea how things were supposed to function because the group was not yet a branch. The Church’s status in Saipan changed in April 1980, when the Guam mission was founded, and then again in June 1982, when the Guam Micronesian District was formed and the Saipan Branch was created. For six years Brad Nago had been serving in the Church despite knowing very little about it. Then he was called to be the president of the newly formed Saipan Branch.

He did not know how to preside over a branch, but the Lord sent others to help him succeed, and he did. There was impressive growth in membership and in the programs offered to the members. President Nago succeeded in his calling because he understood that the Lord prepares a way for his faithful servants to accomplish his will. President Winder summarized the changes in the Church on Saipan under President Nago’s care:

Si‘ola Palelei Arp and Herman Arp. Courtesy of Walter Arp.

Membership steadily grew to be about sixty-five members when the missionaries’ living room became too small and members overflowed into the kitchen during sacrament meeting. . . . We were given the approval to build our Saipan chapel (phase 1). Construction began in 1983 . . . with the growing number of baptisms. (Phase 2 and 3 didn’t begin until later when Herman Arp became the branch president. These final two phases included the cultural hall, chapel, kitchen and additional classroom.

The branch grew in number. Mostly Filipinos, Palauans, Chuukese, Marshallese, and Pohnpeians joined the Church.

On January 24, 1981, the missionaries, under Pres. Nago’s suggestion, organized and had their first troop meeting of Boy Scouts #913. . . .

The branch held its first youth conference July 24–25, 1981. It was planned and carried out by the missionaries and the branch leadership. The conference was attended by about thirty youth . . . of which half were nonmembers.

Seminary program started again as the school year started with fifteen students and swelled to over twenty by the end of the year, 1982.[21]

“You Can’t Leave Island until Your Replacement Comes”

A saying started in the Saipan Branch: “You can’t leave island until your replacement comes.” When Brad Nago needed to return home to Hawaii, his replacement, Frederick Herman Arp, providentially arrived in Saipan. Arp wrote the following about his experience as Nago’s replacement in Saipan:

On August 11, 1984, my family arrived on Saipan. . . . The branch president, Brad Nago, was off island in Hawaii. . . . His eldest son died in an accident. . . . During the second week of September 1984, President Nago returned from Hawaii for only a few days. I was sitting under the mango tree behind the church when I saw a gentleman walking toward the office. He saw and came to greet me. “You must be Brother Herman Arp.” I nodded and said hi. As we shook hands he said, “You are the man I’ve been waiting for.” . . .

After three weeks on Saipan, with all the other difficulties relating to our employment contract, I knew I was brought here for a purpose.

At the end of October 1984, I had difficulties with my job. Our housing situation was never resolved, and my family was having difficulties living from suitcases as we moved from one house to the other. . . . I wrote a letter to the governor to terminate my contract. November 2 . . . we reached an agreement that I will be sent back to Hawaii. I’ve requested bookings (for our flights) to return on the 9th of November 1984.

On Saturday, November 3rd, when my wife and I got home from shopping about 11 o’clock a.m., my daughter handed me a note. . . . A gentleman from Guam District wants to meet with you at 12 o’clock at the church. . . . My daughter said, “Dad, you are going to be the bishop.” I softly said to myself that it was impossible to be called into any Church position because we were leaving the following week for Hawaii. . . .

Brother Von Watson said, . . . “President Rogers has given his approval that [you] be sustained and set apart as the branch president of the Saipan Branch tomorrow, Sunday November 4th.”

I told him that we were leaving for Hawaii the following week for good. He said that I have to face my problems with a humble manner, and that whatever I do, the Lord still wants me to be the branch president. I went out and told my wife the news. She cried and said that that was the reason why we came. We were here because God had work for us to do.

All of a sudden, things began to fall into place.

Soon after we decided to stay in Saipan, my daughter came down with leukemia, a deadly disease that has claimed millions of lives of both young and old. During her treatment our family became very close together, putting all our trust and faith in the Lord to spare my sweet little child. We faced it silently with prayers and thanksgiving that the Lord never left us. There was never a time before that I was as close to the Lord as these times of trials and tribulations. Then there were job offers from Western Samoa, American Samoa, and the Polynesian Cultural Center . . . WS $10,000, . . . American Samoa for US $36,000, . . . Polynesian Cultural Center for US $24,000. . . . But instead, we accepted a job in Saipan for only US $12,000.[22]

Beloved hundred-year-old mango tree in a courtyard near the Latter-day Saint chapel in Saipan. Photograph by Del Benson.

Although Though Herman Arp had been offered more money to work in other countries, his calling to serve as branch president came first. He trusted the Lord would take care of his daughter, even though it tried his faith. He understood the island’s cultural values, and he loved the members; they in turn loved him back. He encouraged home teaching to reactivate members and pushed for a chapel to be built (the Church had already built classrooms, and the chapel was the last of three planned construction phases).

When President Arp’s family joined the Church when he was young. He was raised in Samoa, where the Church had been established for several generations, then lived in Hawai‘i. He understood how the wards were organized back home and worked diligently to implement all the Church programs to benefit the branch in Saipan. His faith and organizational skills blessed the members for years, even after he and his family left Saipan. His faith in God was the linchpin in getting the Saipan chapel built. This is how President Arp described his request for a chapel:

My initial request [for a chapel] was turned down due to attendance procedures. I was informed that I must have at least 120 members attending sacrament meetings for three consecutive months before the request may be granted. But my approach was entirely the opposite. I wanted the chapel to attract people who may want to learn about the church. . . . How would they leave the Catholic church with beautiful buildings to worship in our termite-contaminated church building? . . .

I resumed my request for the third phase of our chapel. Again, it was declined. . . . I was hospitalized after a back operation in Guam during late January when I was informed that Elder [William R.] Bradford was on his way to Saipan. I called my executive secretary, Brother Appleby, to inform all branch members that church will start on Sunday at 9 o’clock instead of 10 o’clock as usual. Elder Bradford and his visitors will only be on Saipan for a few hours. . . . We needed to hold church earlier to accommodate them. It was difficult for Brother Appleby to contact all members because 95 percent of them don’t have phones. But with the help of the missionaries and the Lord, they went out Thursday and contacted all our members.

I arrived back on Saipan late Saturday evening on a wheelchair after convincing Dr. Tolento that I needed to be in Saipan for a very special occasion. . . . It was like a miracle that morning when there was standing room only. While Elder Bradford was speaking, he looked around the crowded room, turned to me, and said, “President, you’ve got your building.” What pain I had that morning from the surgery was gone, and I felt like I was dreaming. As Elder Bradford repeated himself, I realized it was true. A General Authority of the Church had spoken. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and whispered, “Thank you Lord, you have answered my prayers.”

It was the beginning of spiritual growth and a very close relationship of all the members. It was a time of peace and harmony among us. I was getting to know everyone. The missionaries were doing a marvelous job in baptizing, fellowshipping, and assisting the branch on Sunday.[23]

President Arp had finally succeeded in securing a chapel for the Saipan Branch. The process had been a challenge, but it was not to be the hardest of trials President Arp would face as a branch president. He wrote the following about what he experienced next:

It was not until the groundbreaking of the new chapel in March 1987 that things fell apart. This was the most devastating blow I ever had as a servant in the capacity of a branch president. I was very discouraged. Several times I almost gave up and said, “Lord, I can’t stand it any longer.” But as I look at the members and how they have come to respect me as the servant of the Lord, it grieves me to think that I would let them down. Then, there is my family. Oh how my wife stood up to every challenge I faced. How we sacrifice together for the Lord. I got on my knees and begged the Lord to please calm my troubled spirit and renew my covenant with the Lord which I had made when I was sustained as the branch president. It was a test delivered by a sword that pierced the heart but left no wounds. It all began with the negotiations of the building contracts.

The attendance was so bad that during the dedication of the chapel only forty-two members attended, with about fifteen visitors from Guam. I immediately focused on home teaching and fellowshipping programs. We reiterated some of our programs we used to do before the building of the chapel. Ethnic firesides in their own languages were initiated. Missionary investigating nights started. A committee for fellowshipping was created. . . .

It is now June 1990. Eight months after the new chapel was dedicated, our membership rose again, and the attendance now averages ninety and above. More longtime members have moved into the branch, including several return missionaries.

June 24 was my last Sunday as a branch president. The attendance was 112.[24]

Several months after the chapel was dedicated, Herman Arp returned to Hawai‘i for another job. He left the members in Saipan a legacy of great faith and love for God, and his service among them as he implemented the programs of the Church helped them to develop skills and dedication that would strengthen the Saipan Branch for years ahead.

Needs of People from Many Cultures

In 1990 Pisander Peter (from Pingelap) was called to replace Herman Arp as branch president. Pisander and his wife Kidean (who was from the Marshall Islands) had been baptized shortly after their marriage. President Peter had served in the branch presidency with Herman Arp, whose example taught him to love those he served. The Peters and their children (Peter, Cathleen, and Leona) helped the early branch continue to grow. Herman Arp said of Pisander Peter, “Brother Peter stood out among all of them because of the special dedications they [he and his family] have given in their callings.”[25]

Church leaders serving in Micronesia always found it difficult to meet the needs of members from so many different cultures. In Church meetings members offered prayers and shared testimonies in Chinese, Korean, Marshallese, Filipino, Palauan, Samoan, Kiribati, Chuukese, Yapese, and Pohnpeian (because some members spoke limited English).

When Del and Karen Benson arrived to work in Saipan in 1991, they immediately contacted the branch president to let him know they would be attending the branch.[26] Karen recalled an incident that revealed the impressive spiritual capacity of their new branch president:

As soon as we arrived on Saipan, President Peter made us feel like we were his best friends. Sometime later, when I was speaking to him just before sacrament meeting was ready to begin, he told me, “I’ve had your name submitted for two callings. One in the Primary and one in the Relief Society, and I haven’t been able to determine which position to call you to. Which calling would you like?”

I was taken aback by his request and didn’t have much to say.

“I have to go get sacrament meeting started, so we can visit afterwards.”

During the sacrament my four young boys were quiet, so I could think about President Peter’s request. I actually had the opportunity to go back and forth in my mind with the reasons why I would like to serve in the Primary and the reason why I’d like to serve in the Relief Society. I felt the Spirit with me and came to understand that the Lord was allowing me to choose. Then I made up my mind that I would like to serve in the Primary. When I met again with President Peter in his office, I didn’t say anything about my experience during the sacrament. I just waited and listened to what he had to say.

“I feel impressed to call you to be in the Primary,” he told me.

I just smiled and accepted the calling. I never did tell him about my own experience during the sacrament. One thing I gained from that experience was that President Peter understood and recognized the Spirit.[27]

President Pisander Peter kindly reminded the members that living and working on Saipan was a call from the Lord to help build his kingdom there. Like others, the Bensons knew they were needed to help the branch prosper. President Peter did not grow up serving in Church callings but had joined the Church as an adult. He loved his members and followed the Spirit to allow God to guide and direct his efforts.

Important changes took place in the Northern Marianas in 1996: five branches in Guam were consolidated to form three, the Rota and Tinian Branches were closed, and the Saipan First and Second Branches were consolidated to form the new Saipan Branch. Members in Saipan were thrilled by a June 1996 visit from leading Church authorities who were returning from a sixteen-day visit to members in Asia. When President Gordon B. Hinckley learned that his plane would refuel on Saipan during a trip from Asia to the United States, he arranged to meet missionaries on Saipan at the airport. A news article reported that “President Hinckley, accompanied by his wife, Marjorie, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Elisa, were greeted upon arriving in Saipan by 10 missionaries and approximately 60 of the island’s 300 members. The missionaries and members sang to President Hinckley and placed leis on him and Sister Hinckley. President Hinckley expressed his love and thanked them for their faithfulness.”[28]

Many years later, the Saipan Branch is now the Saipan Ward, with 150 members regularly attending sacrament meetings. There are currently four sister missionaries and eight elders serving on the island. Two more elders are serving full-time in Rota, and an additional two missionaries are currently serving in Tinian, where CHamorus are joining the Church. There are also several CHamoru and Carolinian members living in Saipan.

Conclusion

The pioneers of the Pacific did not pull handcarts or walk behind covered wagons to cross vast plains, but they did sacrifice much to help the Church gain a foothold in Saipan. Thousands of missionaries, members, government leaders, and others all helped along the way to bring about God’s purposes in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Building up the Church in the Northern Mariana Islands is like working on a piece of intricate tapestry. We may not know what the end result will look like, but as God’s hand continues to touch this work, we do know it will become something marvelous and beautiful to behold.

Notes

[1] “Father Father Diego Luis de San Vitores,” Guampedia, https://www.guampedia.com/father-diego-luis-de-san-vitores/.

[2] Historian Don Farrell of Tinian provided this chapter’s summary of colonization of the Northern Mariana Islands.

[3] There has been very little population growth on Tinian and Rota, and the two islands have a combined population of fewer than 6,000 compared with Saipan’s approximate population of 70,000, which declined to 50,000 within the last fifteen years. Latter-day Saint missionaries have had little success in Tinian and Rota.

[4] Paul W. Lambert, “Oral History of My Life” (unpublished manuscript, date unknown, held in family collection).

[5] Della Leone Miller Lee, “A Life History of Lloyd Lewis Miller, Jr, 1920–2000,” Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah (hereafter CHL).

[6] Darrel and Paula Hale, personal history, appendix 1, January 1970–October 1975, Paula and Darrel Hale Saipan collection, circa 1970–1975, MS 33008, CHL.

[7] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson (Paula’s parents), excerpts from letters about Church activities, 1970–1975, MS 33008, CHL.

[8] Paula Hale, email to Karen Benson, September 3, 2021.

[9] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson, February 14, 1971, and January 8, 1974. Paula and Darrel do not remember Keichi Ota being baptized on Saipan, even though Darrel taught him the missionary lessons there. Ota may have been baptized on Guam or even in Japan during one of his return trips back home, where there would have been Church leadership available for his baptismal interview. Paula recalled that Ota served as a missionary in Japan. (Paula’s comments here are from a telephone conversation with the author in October 2021.)

[10] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson, October 1, 1974.

[11] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson, July 19, 1975.

[12] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson, September 16, 1975.

[13] Darrel and Paula Hale to Ernie and Betty Anderson, September 28, 1975.

[14] Brad Nago, “History of Saipan Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (copy in author’s possession). Mustang’s wife, Matilde, kept a journal, but she didn’t arrive in Saipan until October 12, 1975.

[15] Matilde Gonzales, personal journal, October 12 and 19, 1975, unpublished manuscript, 1975–76, copy in author’s possession.

[16] Matilde Gonzales, personal journal, October 26 and November 11 and 23, 1975, unpublished manuscript, 1975–76, copy in author’s possession.

[17] Gonzales, personal journal, May and July 24, 1976.

[18] Nago, “History of Saipan Branch.”

[19] Nago, “History of Saipan Branch.”

[20] Ned Winder to George A. Haight, July 22, 1980, in the “History of Saipan, Chalan Lau Lau Branch, 1975–1990” scrapbook. President Winder arrived on the island during the wettest time of the year. In Saipan the average monthly rainfall at the end of July and August is about five inches. A copy of the letter is held in a private collection in Saipan.

[21] Ned Winder to George A. Haight.

[22] Frederick Herman Arp, “A Most Humbling Experience” (unpublished manuscript, 1984–1990, copy in author’s possession).

[23] Arp, “Most Humbling Experience.”

[24] Arp, “Most Humbling Experience.”

[25] Arp, “Most Humbling Experience.”

[26] Karen Benson, interview by Clinton D. Christensen, November 21, 2019, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, OH 16209, CHL; and Del A. Benson, interview by Clinton D. Christensen, November 21, 2019, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, OH 16208, CHL.

[27] Karen Benson, “Personal History of Pisander Peter” (unpublished manuscript, 2021, copy in author’s possession).

[28] Dell Van Orden, “Final Stop: ‘Just One More Meeting’ in Saipan,” Church News, June 8, 1996, https://www.deseret.com/1996/6/8/20770208/final-stop-just-one-more-meeting-in-saipan.