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Japan, located in East Asia, is made up of over 14,125 islands, the five main being Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.[1] As an island nation, Japan¡¯s insular geography, positioned relatively far from the Asian continent, surrounded by oceans and rugged mountains, played a significant role in its isolationist policies. Beginning in 1639, Japan adopted sakoku, or a ¡°closed country¡± policy, sealing Japan off from the outside world. Foreigners were not allowed to enter, and the Japanese could not leave their country.[2] Sakoku remained in place until the arrival of US commodore Matthew Perry, when Japan became kaikoku, or an ¡°open country,¡± in 1854 with the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa.¡±[3] The Western world could now engage in lucrative trade with Japan, leveraging the strategic geographic location of the island nation, which offered a new place to cultivate religion and missionary work.[4]

After kaikoku, many Christian clergy from Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox faiths came to Japan to establish churches, although proselytizing was still banned. However, during the Meiji Restoration, a period of widespread political and social reform, the 1873 government issued the ¡°Order in Council of Religious Precepts,¡± which abolished restrictions against religious groups and provided the right to preach and proselytize in Japan.[5]

Introduction of the Church in Japan

In the early 1900s The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sought to send missionaries and establish a formal religious presence in Japan. After much preparation, President Lorenzo Snow gave his proposal for a Japan Mission to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on February 14, 1901. Elder Heber J. Grant (a member of the Twelve) was selected to lead the mission.[6] Elder Grant chose three other missionaries to accompany him: Alma O. Taylor, Horace S. Ensign, and Louis A. Kelsch. During the April 1901 general conference, President Snow said that the creation of the Japan Mission originated a long time ago when officials of the Japanese government visited Salt Lake City and ¡°expressed a great deal of interest in Utah and . . . considerable wonderment as to why we had not sent missionaries to Japan.¡±[7] On June 6, 1901, President Snow counseled a departing group of missionaries:

When the Lord first sent forth his elders in this generation very little was known as to what their labors would be and what they could accomplish. They failed in some respects, but they did not fail in one thing: they did their duty. . . .

Noah preached 120 years . . . did his duty but failed . . . because the people rejected him. . . . Moses, in leading the children of Israel to the promised land, failed to accomplish what the Lord wanted by reason of the disobedience of the Israelites. . . . As to these brethren who will shortly leave for Japan, the Lord has not revealed to me that they will succeed, but He has shown me that it is their duty to go.[8]

After the formal announcement, on August 12, 1901, the missionaries arrived in Tokyo Bay. Encompassed in an entirely new world, language, dress, and buildings, Elder Alma Taylor stated that, indeed, he felt that ¡°they were strangers in a strange land.¡± After several weeks in Japan the missionaries decided to reside in Tokyo because, according to Taylor, there were ¡°fewer foreigners, a higher class of [Japanese], a more religious sentiment, and by far better instructors in the language, and much cheaper living.¡± On September 1, 1901, Elder Heber J. Grant dedicated Japan for preaching the gospel.[9]

As expected, the new Japan Mission faced considerable challenges. Initial obstacles included the inability to learn the language and communicate with locals and a lack of knowledge of the culture, laws, and opinions of the Japanese people.[10] The missionaries faced prejudice from negative and inaccurate reports from local Japanese newspapers and were ostracized by other Christian missionaries serving in Japan.[11] The missionaries struggled to acclimate to the Japanese diet of ¡°raw fish, rice, and vegetables spoiled in cooking.¡± They had to learn to sleep on the floor and remove their shoes when entering a home.[12] However, there was little success in finding people receptive to the gospel message. During the first four years of the Church being established in Japan, only seven converts were baptized.[13] President Snow¡¯s departing counsel brought hope to the young missionaries amid these challenges. After about six months of life in Japan, the missionaries began to adapt. Elder Taylor wrote in the Improvement Era, ¡°Elder Ensign and I are still located in a native hotel and I do not suppose that I . . . will return to foreign style for some years. This fact does not worry me, for I have become so accustomed to nearly all things Japanese that such a life is quite pleasant.¡±[14]

Japanese life was more challenging for Elder Grant and Elder Kelsch due to their difficulty in speaking the language. Though Elder Grant toiled ¡°hundreds of hours studying the language¡± and ¡°compiled a detailed, one-hundred-page notebook,¡± he saw minimal progress.[15] ¡°Elder Kelsch was honorably released because both he and the Church leadership in Salt Lake City believed he could not learn Japanese.¡± Elder Grant stayed for two years, and Elder Kelsch a little more than a year.[16] The third missionary, Horace S. Ensign, was called as the Japan mission president in 1903 returned to the US on July 8, 1905, after almost two years.[17]

Japan Mission Led by Alma O. Taylor, 1905¨C10

In 1905 Alma O. Taylor was appointed president of the Japan Mission at age twenty-two. As a young, unmarried man living in the Japan Mission Home with missionaries, President Taylor needed a housekeeper to cook. Following several interviews, he hired forty-nine-year-old Tsune Nachie, an experienced cook, housekeeper, and Christian with a sincere interest in the Church.[18] In fact, Tsune had specifically chosen employment with President Taylor to continue listening to the missionaries and learn more about the gospel.[19]

President Taylor wrote about hiring Tsune Nachie in his journal on July 12, 1905: ¡°First thing in the morning I went to the home of Mrs. Nachie to see if I could not employ her to work at headquarters. . . . She is a cook of long experience among foreigners & has received a much larger wage than what I offered her so it is doubtful if she will decide to come.¡±[20]

Tsune Nachie: Mission Home Housekeeper and Cook

On April 6, 1856, Tsune Nachie ¥Ä¥ÍÄÎÖǽ­ was born to Tokuzo Ando and Cho Ishida in Tokyo.[21] Although she did not receive a formal education, she was taught how to read and write Japanese by a Buddhist priest. Tsune married Sataro Nachie at age twenty-two and helped raise her niece, Ei, as her daughter.[22] It appears, from church correspondences and mission records, that Tsune officially adopted Ei as Ei¡¯s last name changed from ¡°Asano¡± to ¡°Nachie.¡±[23]

Tsune Nachie in front of the Japan mission home where she cooked for missionaries from 1905 to 1923. Courtesy of Cynthia Jenson.

Tsune began working in the Japan Mission home on July 18, 1905, in Tokyo.[24] She had previously worked for many years in Western-style homes and establishments cooking both Japanese and Western meals.[25] Even though she had previously earned a much larger salary than President Taylor offered, she accepted the job.[26] Tsune was a much-appreciated addition to the mission home. President Taylor wrote, ¡°The new cook is all that we could expect. . . . Her cooking reminds me of how mother used to do it. Some things she prepares are truly delicious. We eat in style when viewed from the way we used to eat.¡±[27] President Taylor described her as ¡°very good natured¡± and stated that she and the missionaries ¡°got along swimmingly.¡±[28] Tsune became a trusted member of the mission family. Her decisions on housekeeping matters in the mission home and throughout the mission were respected by the elders.[29] She advised the elders on wages to pay other servants[30] and whether it was appropriate for a young member of the Church to seek employment with the missionaries.[31] Tsune was more than just a cook or housekeeper, she was also the protector and guardian of the missionaries. On November 30, 1905, an intruder broke into the Japan Mission Home. According to President Taylor¡¯s journal, at 4:45 am, the alarm sounded with the ¡°noise of a burglar leaving the house and the cry of [Tsune Nachie] which immediately followed the crashing of doors.¡±[32]

[He] entered the house by pulling out one of the kitchen doors. He ransacked the house down stairs. He sprung the lock on my trunk and went through the contents. He evidently only wanted money very little of which he got as we keep our money pretty close to us both night and day. He passed over good clothes and jewelry and silverware. I had a little relic money (not over one yen and a half in value) in my trunk. He took this and three sen out of Elder Woodland¡¯s trunk. He must have been in the house for a long time as he left things in a muddled condition.[33]

Tsune, less than five feet tall, was the one who courageously discovered the burglar and tried to stop him. Her actions protected the mission home and the missionaries. As President Taylor said, ¡°[we] are thankful for the little loss¡± experienced because of Tsune¡¯s bravery; ¡°sleep was about the only thing [the burglar] deprived us of.¡± [34]

Personal Conversion

After over a month of serving as a cook and housekeeper in the mission home, Tsune Nachie wanted to be baptized. President Taylor records in his journal on August 22, 1905, his conversation with Tsune. ¡°Mrs. Nachie . . . is convinced that the Latter-day Saints have the truth as taught anciently and that although she has been a member of the Church of England for many years, yet she has heard during her short sojourn with us so many things that ha[ve] given her new light.¡± However, given only seven converts were baptized during the first four years of the Japan Mission and the poor retention of these converts, President Taylor wanted ¡°to test [Tsune¡¯s] sincerity a little more and teach her further about the Church and its laws.¡±[35] He believed that if she continued faithful, she would be found worthy and ¡°we will be greatly pleased to have her join with us.¡±[36] Tsune did not give up on her blossoming faith. Each day her testimony grew more vibrant, and she developed an insatiable desire to be baptized and become a member of the Church. President Taylor records several of these encounters in his journal:

• August 24, 1905: ¡°I talked with Mrs. Nachie about the 1st Article of our Faith until ten o¡¯clock and then we sang a hymn together.¡±
• August 27, 1905: ¡°I spent the evening instructing Mr[s]. Nachie more fully in the peculiar features of ¡®Mormonism.¡¯¡±
• September 11, 1905: ¡°I talked with Mrs. Nachie and one of her friends about the gospel.¡±[37]

Tsune was so convinced about the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that on September 18, 1905, even without permission to be baptized, she ¡°called on the preacher of the [Church of England] to which she has hitherto belonged and told his wife (he was not at home) that investigation had led her to believe in the teachings of Mormonism which she intends to embrace.¡± Upon learning of Tsune¡¯s visit to the preacher, President Taylor, finally convinced of her unwavering testimony and steadfast commitment to the Church, recorded, ¡°Investigation hadled Tsune to believe in the teachings of Mormonism,¡± and she intends to be baptized. ¡°I trust God will give her faith and strength to become a staunch member of His kingdom.¡±[38] After nearly two months of investigating the Church, Tsune was baptized on September 26, 1905.[39] Elder Frederick A. Caine, who baptized Tsune, wrote,

The sweet and comforting influence of the Holy Spirit was with us and our hearts were filled with joy. This is the first time that I have officiated in the ordinance, and I am very thankful for this privilege. I believe that Sister Nachie has an honest heart and a strong testimony of the Gospel. . . .

Tsune Nachie, came to me and said that she is very happy because she has been baptized. She said that she is perfectly satisfied and exceedingly happy with the teachings of the Latter-day Saints. She said that she is very thankful to the Lord that He has led her to our home and given her an opportunity to hear these teachings. I sincerely hope that the Lord will continue to bless and cause that she will always be faithful and diligent in obeying the teachings she has just accepted.[40]

On Sunday, October 1, 1905, Tsune was confirmed in church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. President Taylor records in his journal that ¡°at our fast meeting which convened from 11:30 a.m. we enjoyed a good spirit. Sister Nachie Tsune was confirmed a member of the Church and given the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.¡±[41] Taylor reported her baptism to the First Presidency: ¡°We . . . trust that our Heavenly Father will confirm the faith of our new sister, that she may grow in a knowledge of her God and in all the good graces of the Gospel.¡±[42]

Japanese Translation of the Book of Mormon

Tsune¡¯s conversion and baptism were a miraculous godsend. Although the Japan Mission had been established for four years, the missionaries still struggled to share the gospel effectively. President Taylor wrote about his frustrations. ¡°It almost makes my heart sick,¡± he wrote, ¡°when I think of the opportunity there is in this land to preach the gospel . . . and not being able to.¡±

During a fast and testimony meeting, Elder Grant prophesied that Elder Taylor ¡°would be the main instrument in the hands of the Lord in translating the Book of Mormon into the Japanese language,¡± further stating that ¡°he had been praying that [Alma] should be assisted of the Lord to learn this language speedily so that the translation of this book might be made in the near future.¡±[43]

One of the answers to Elder Grant¡¯s prayer came from Tsune Nachie. In a mission report sent to Salt Lake City, President Taylor describes her help translating the Book of Mormon into Japanese. On May 26, 1908, President Taylor wrote, ¡°spent the entire day in Yochomachi working on the Book of Mormon translation. . . . After supper I went to headquarters and consulted with Sister Nachie about some words which had entered the translation and which I considered too hard for ordinary people to understand.¡±[44] Tsune continued to help with translating the Book of Mormon, commenting on its clarity. On Tuesday, September 17, 1907, President Taylor records that after Tsune reviewed the title page, the first chapter of the Book of Mormon, and the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, ¡°she says that it is all very simple indeed, every word being perfectly plain to her.¡±[45]

Sunday School, Relief Society, Primary

As the Church had not translated the Sunday School curriculum into Japanese, local members and teachers developed their own lessons. President Taylor records that Tsune taught from the Book of Mormon, systematically working through each chapter.[46] Tsune was one of several Japanese members and missionaries who taught Sunday School.[47] American missionary Lloyd Oscar Ivie recounts the clear, thoughtful manner in which Tsune taught in his June 28, 1914, journal entry: ¡°Sister Nachie explained several things very clearly and we had a few new tho[ught]s to go on. The subject was the baptism of Jesus. . . . It is one of the best meetings we have had this year.¡±[48]

Seeing a need to strengthen the women of the Church, President Taylor asked Tsune to form the Relief Society in Japan on September 23, 1906. ¡°I talked with Sister Nachie about trying to get our four native sisters working together in a sort of women¡¯s [R]elief [S]ociety like way. We only have four women in the church here in Japan but if they have a little to do it will be good for them and the work.¡±[49]

On December 19, 1906, Tsune was also tasked with heading the Primary in Japan. And President Taylor asked Tsune¡¯s niece, Ei Nachie, to help filter out and create material that was age appropriate for children.[50] ¡°At 12:00 [noon] we held prayer and council meeting in which it was decided to have Sister Nachie assist in the Primary Department during part if not all of the year 1907.¡±[51]

Missionary Service

On January 1, 1908, President Taylor appointed Tsune a missionary.[52] Even before her call, she constantly shared the gospel with friends and acquaintances. Tsune would arrange for her friends and family members to be taught by the missionaries when they would stay with her.[53] On May 5, 1906, Taylor records,

Mrs. Kato has been living with Sister Nachie for two or three months at headquarters, and over a month ago requested us to baptize her . . . In talking with her I told her that we could not baptize her without the consent of her husband so she wrote for him to come here. Today I told him of his wife¡¯s request to be baptized and gave him an idea of what would be expected of her after she enters the Church. He stated that he had no objections whatever to her changing her faith.

Many of Tsune¡¯s friends and acquaintances were subject to persecution because of their interest in the Church. President Taylor recounts in his journal on January 12, 1908,

I had a talk with Miss Katsu Ishikawa . . . who [has] received several testimonies regarding the Latter-day Work. . . . She is a member of the Church of England and when her coming here became known to her Church people she was called before one of her former teachers and reprimanded for her acts, but as she says, assisted by an unseen power, she defended herself and the Latter-day Saints and leaving the presence of her old teacher she came direct to visit her friend Sister Nachie who lives with us. I told this young lady tonight that she had been greatly blessed of God and he had manifested his power to show her that He sustained and led the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[54]

First Japanese Family to Join the Church

The greatest joy for Tsune came from sharing the gospel with her immediate family: older sister Fude Tai and daughter Ei. On August 6, 1907, President Taylor recorded,

I had a long talk with Mrs. Fude Tai, Sister Tsune Nachie¡¯s sister, in regard to the responsibility and covenants . . . persons [take] upon them when they receive baptism and confirmation into the Church of Christ. She applied for baptism last Sunday. Today I told her to reflect more deeply and examine her own heart and faith and love for God . . . and [t]he seriousness of breaking a covenant made with the Lord, and the danger of growing lukewarm. I questioned her closely to find how much faith she had and learn if possible if it was independent faith or simply faith dependent upon her sister or a passing emotion.[55]

On November 1, 1907, Fude was baptized, the only baptism the entire year! ¡°The elders in Tokyo and Sister Haku and Nachie and the latter¡¯s little girl Ei and Mrs. Tai went to Tamagawa to witness and direct a baptismal service, by which Mrs. Tai was added to the fold of Christ. . . . All hearts rejoiced in the privilege of being present.¡±[56]

Ei also studied the gospel from the missionaries for many years, and her growth and testimony brought delight to both Tsune and the missionaries. President Taylor records in his journal on May 6, 1907: ¡°This evening Sister Nachie¡¯s daughter Ei was mouth in family prayer. This was her first attempt at vocal prayer in the family circle and her effort gave me great joy.¡±[57] On December 29, 1907, President Taylor recounts: ¡°Had a long talk with Sister Nachie¡¯s daughter Miss Ei about the obligations that come upon those who join the Church. This little girl desires to be baptized.¡±[58] On March 12, 1908, Ei again spoke to President Taylor, requesting baptism.

She renewed her request for baptism and I promised to have the ordinance performed for her at any time she desired. . . . This little girl has been impressed with the teachings of the church for a long time and about a year ago first spoke of entering the church. She asked for baptism some months ago, but I had a long talk with her about the sacredness of the ordinance and the covenants made thereby and also of the obligations that come upon members of the church and asked her to think well upon what I told her and continue to pray earnestly to her Heavenly Father for his Spirit to enlighten her mind and confirm her faith. I was glad to hear her request and grant the same this evening.[59]

On March 26, 1908, Ei was baptized. ¡°Elder John W. Stoker confirmed Sister Ei Nachie a member of the Church, . . . had a very good time and rejoiced over the confirmation of another into the Church. The two [s]isters Nachie and Sister Tai, are like one family and this is the first family to join the Church in Japan.¡±[60]

Family Historian and Temple Work Advocate

Tsune Nachie photographed before relocating from Japan to Hawai¡®i. Courtesy of Cynthia Jenson.

Six months after being baptized, on March 17, 1906, Tsune learned about the temple work and ¡°baptisms of the dead.¡±[61] From this point forward, Tsune desperately wanted to know more about gathering names, the temple ordinances, and the vicarious work for her dead ancestors. She had so many questions about temple work that even the 1917 president of the Japan Mission, Joseph H. Stimpson, did not have answers to them all.

At Tsune¡¯s request, President Stimpson wrote to Church President Joseph F. Smith about Tsune¡¯s friend Hisa Udagawa, who died in March 1915 before being baptized. ¡°Just before she died she made our sister [Tsune] promise that she would see that she was baptised for in the temple. How are we to proceed to have this work done?¡±[62] Tsune diligently compiled a record of her ancestors that Elder Caine (who baptized her) helped her create, and eagerly awaited the day that she could have work for her ancestors performed in God¡¯s holy temple.[63]

Beloved Missionary Mother

The missionaries greatly loved Tsune; she was affectionately referred to as obaasan, or grandmother, in Japanese. President Taylor records in his journal on April 23, 1906, that he ¡°was pained to hear that Sister Nachie had been and is still in the hospital having undergone an operation for [hemorrhoids]. She is now very well and will soon leave the hospital so I hear.¡±[64]

As Tsune¡¯s eyesight began to fail her, President Taylor and the missionaries worried about her and wanted her to receive the best medical care. Taylor recorded on December 4, 1906, ¡°After dinner I went over to the Akasaka Hospital to see how much it would cost to have Sister Nachie¡¯s eyes tested and gold-filled glasses made for her. I made this inquiry with the intention of giving her this examination and glasses as a Christmas present.¡±[65] On December 13, 1906, President Taylor and the missionaries presented Tsune with the very precious gift of glasses:

¡°This evening I, on behalf of the elders here at headquarters, presented Sister Nachie with a pair of gold-filled spectacles. We had her go to the doctor and have her eyes examined some time ago thinking that the glasses would be done just in time for Christmas. The glasses coming so soon made it necessary to present them today. She seems well pleased and will be sure to enjoy reading and sewing as she has not done for a long time.¡±[66]

Tsune Ishida at the Laie Hawaii Temple grounds. Courtesy of Cynthia Jenson

Tsune¡¯s faith also allowed her to be one of the first recipients of oil blessed in the Japanese language on December 19, 1907. President Taylor recounted, ¡°Spent part of the evening translating a prayer to be used in blessing a bottle of oil, which oil I blessed at evening prayer time. This is perhaps the first time the oil has been blessed in Japanese. It was Sister Nachie¡¯s oil, blessed for her. I am glad to see the saints manifesting their faith in the use of oil and the administration of the same in the household of faith.¡±[67]

Tsune was known for the joy she spread to those around her. Her knowledge of the gospel, excellent cooking skills, and loving personality brought much happiness to the missionaries. She cared for sick elders, made their favorite meals, and taught them how to cook for each other.[68] Realizing that holidays away from home and family could be difficult, Tsune tried to do for the elders as their mothers would have done: she prepared special homemade turkey dinners the missionaries all enjoyed and gave thoughtful gifts at Christmastime for the missionaries to help them feel loved.[69]

Tsune and Ei were so deeply loved by the elders that the missionaries even paid for Ei to attend school[70] and President Taylor personally tutored her in English.[71] When President Taylor left the Japan Mission after laboring for nine years, he spoke lovingly of Tsune and Ei. He described Tsune as one of his most ¡°faithful servants¡± and a leader among the ¡°female saints.¡± For Ei, President Taylor wrote that he had taken ¡°great pains to have her grow up as the Lord would have her do.¡± He even presented her with a special pearl ring as a token of his care and affection. He stated, ¡°I have loved this little girl as a sister and regret more the farewell to her than I did the farewell to my own blood sisters when I left America. In fact this is the first time in my life that I have had a sister in the same home with me.¡±[72]

On March 31, 1910, as President Taylor rode the steamer back to America, he recounts that ¡°19 of his loving friends¡± shouted ¡°hearty cheers¡± while their ¡°handkerchiefs and hats and umbrellas waved as long as they could be seen.¡± Specifically, President Taylor records that those who gave the most enthusiastic farewell included Tsune and Ei Nachie. This farewell and the years of memories together filled President Taylor with great tenderness. He wrote, ¡°The gospel with its magic power has endeared the Japanese saints and friends to me with a bond as strong as iron. . . . Parting today has been felt very keenly.¡±[73]

Relocation to Hawai¡®i

In 1923, after eighteen years of working in the mission home, Tsune was sixty-seven and had failing eyesight. Given the rigorous physical demands of cooking for the missionaries and cleaning the mission home, the elders felt Tsune should consider retiring. Knowing of Tsune¡¯s great desire to enter the temple to receive her endowment and perform the vicarious work for her ancestors, they sent a letter to all former missionaries who had served with Tsune. The letter asked for some assistance to help Tsune retire and relocate to Hawai¡®i, where the closest temple was located.[74]

Ei Nachie. Below the picture is written ¡°Ei San¡ªDaughter of Sister Nachie longtime housekeeper for Mission. Nachie San was first Japanese to do temple work¡ªin Hawaii.¡± Courtesy of Cynthia Jenson.

This picture of Tsune Nachie was found in the records of William Mark and Olivia Waddoups, Laie Hawaii Temple president and matron. Left to right: Joseph Charles Shill, Tsune Nachie, and Harold Reed Hansen. Courtesy of Marcia Ann Nielson.

Tsune¡¯s great love and care for the missionaries over her many years of service was repaid as contributions provided enough money for Tsune to immigrate to Honolulu, where she arrived on May 19, 1923.[75] The timing of Tsune¡¯s move was also fortuitous because she was able to avoid the 1923 Tokyo earthquake and avoid losing her job and home with the temporary closure of the Japan Mission in June 1924.[76]

Ei Nachie married Yoshio Nagao and lived in Manchuria during part of World War II. After the war Ei relocated to Osaka and attended the first church meetings held by postwar missionaries. Ei¡¯s husband eventually joined the Church in 1980, and the couple was sealed in the newly dedicated Tokyo Japan Temple on March 19, 1982. Ei died shortly after on May 11, 1982.[77]

Temple Pioneer in Hawai¡®i

True to her stalwart faith and diligence, Tsune remained exceptionally busy in her new home as a temple pioneer, missionary, and Sunday School teacher. Perhaps most excitingly, a few weeks after arriving in Hawai¡®i on June 5, 1923, Tsune was one of the first Japanese converts to enter the temple to receive her own endowment and be sealed to her husband.[78] Despite speaking little English, Tsune became the ¡°first Japanese temple worker.¡±[79] Through regular temple attendance, she memorized the ¡°complete temple ceremony in English.¡±[80] Olivia Waddoups (temple matron at the Laie Hawaii Temple) felt special appreciation for the ¡°keen insight into the ceremonies possessed by Sister Tsune Nachie, our Japanese friend and sister.¡±[81]

In 1927 Tsune returned to Tokyo for a four-month visit with Ei and friends.[82] At her welcome and farewell party, and in individual meetings, Tsune inspired members by discussing the temple, the blessings of the endowment, and the vicarious work for the dead.[83] She encouraged them to prepare family names for the temple and carefully took these names back to Hawai¡®i to complete the ordinance work in the Laie Hawaii Temple.

Tsune Nachie with missionary Elder Rawsel William Bradford. This picture depicts Tsune's diminuitive stature but shining presence. Courtesy of Marcia Ann Nielson.

Picture of Tsune Nachie in the personal collection of William Mark and Olivia Waddoups, Laie Hawaii Temple mission president and matron. Picture note reads, ¡°Nachie Tsune One of God's noblest daughter. A faithful sincere Latter-day Saint.¡± Courtesy of Marcia Ann Nielson.

The Japan Mission in Honolulu

Initiation of missionary work among the Japanese in Hawai¡®i ¡°goes to one person, Sister Tsune Nachie who [has been sharing the gospel] among her people since 1923.¡±[84] Although she was not officially called or set apart, in the 1930 Census, Tsune identifies herself as a missionary.[85] Tsune was never released after receiving her missionary call in Japan and continued serving amongst the Japanese in Hawai¡®i.[86] In 1932 Tsune and a group of Japanese members and returned missionaries from Japan were asked to work among the Japanese people of O¡®ahu. Tsune ¡°went out each morning with her church books and a few pamphlets, tied in a handkerchief, and visited diligently among her people and preached the gospel to them.¡±[87] She was lovingly referred to as ¡°mother of the mission.¡±[88] Through her efforts, a Japanese Sunday School class was started in 1934 in the Kalihi Branch, and soon thirty Japanese individuals were attending.[89]

In 1935 President Heber J. Grant traveled to Hawai¡®i and organized the new Oahu Hawaii Stake on June 30.[90] This was the Church¡¯s 113th stake and the first created outside North America.[91] Grant was so impressed with the Japanese-language Sunday School class taught by Tsune that he organized it as a ¡°special unit in the stake.¡±[92] As Grant met the Japanese Saints in Hawai¡®i and saw their successful Sunday School, baptisms, and retention of new members, he ¡°realized that Hawaii might be key to launching a new mission to Japan,¡± but in Hawai¡®i. And when President Grant was asked to confirm nine newly baptized Japanese converts, he commented that he saw more success among the Japanese people in Hawai¡®i than what he accomplished as a missionary in Japan. This feeling of success in Hawai¡®i helped counter the feeling that he had failed in his previous mission.[93] President Grant had deeply regretted closing the Japan Mission in 1924, especially since he had been one of the original missionaries who opened the mission in 1901. ¡°To the end of my life, I may feel that I have not done what the Lord expected of me and what I was sent there to do.¡±[94] Yet, as he had testified during the October 1903 semiannual general conference, ¡°I have the assurance in my heart there will yet be a great and important work accomplished.¡±[95]

This picture was in the personal collection of William Mark and Olivia Waddoups, Laie Hawaii Temple mission president and matron. Courtesy of Marcia Ann Nielson.

As prophesied, the great and vital work among the Japanese people came to fruition in Hawai¡®i, and in 1937 the Church called a former Japan Mission president, Hilton A. Robertson, to reestablish the Japan Mission with headquarters in Honolulu.[96] The purpose of this relocation would be to focus missionary efforts among the Japanese people in Hawai¡®i and to establish Japanese-speaking branches.[97] In October 1937 three missionaries arrived, and by December eighteen Japanese Saints were baptized members.[98] The success and retention of these converts came from the diligent work of Tsune and Dr. Tomizo Katsunuma, who both labored as Sunday School teachers and missionaries. The Instructor, a Church publication about Sunday Schools worldwide, highlighted the Japan Mission in Hawai¡®i and spoke about Tsune¡¯s work as a Sunday School teacher. The article stated that she is a ¡°faithful and well-beloved member of the Church, a convert of many years ago in Japan,¡± and is ¡°remembered and highly esteemed by missionaries who formerly labored in Japan.¡±[99] The Improvement Era, writing about the Japan Mission, spoke of the contributions of Tsune as she continued to labor as a Sunday School teacher, even at eighty-three years old: ¡°Sister Tsune Nachie, . . . who cared for most of our missionaries in Japan, has moved to Hawaii to enjoy the blessings of the temple at Laie. To be in her presence is to feel the beauty of a living faith.¡±[100]

Tsune was a dynamic Sunday School teacher and an excellent mentor to new missionaries. She helped them learn Japanese and the skills necessary to be successful in laboring amongst the Japanese people. Tsune would check on the missionaries, invite them to visit her non¨CLatter-day Saint friends, and even accompanied missionaries tracting amongst the Japanese. At eighty-three, Tsune stayed overnight at the sister missionaries¡¯ home, where she ¡°worked hard, and tracted¡± all day with Sister Chiye Terazawa. Tsune¡¯s service to the Japan Mission filled an essential role in preaching the gospel to the Japanese people, both the living and the dead. As a result, no matter what illness or physical challenges she faced, she was blessed to overcome and live a full life. For example, Tsune took a huge fall from the top step of the mission home down to the hard cement floor. A missionary seeing Tsune fall felt for sure that Tsune ¡°was a goner¡± and ¡°rushed for help.¡± However, Tsune¡¯s life was miraculously spared. ¡°The Lord was certainly shielding her,¡± and she was ¡°preserved like a trojan¡± to continue to battle for the kingdom of God.[101]

Through the efforts of Tsune, members, and missionaries, the Japanese Mission in Hawai¡®i was an immediate success, with additional missionaries being sent and baptisms increasing. In 1942 local church membership increased by 185 percent, fast offerings increased by 240 percent, and tithing increased by 330 percent despite the number of missionaries being reduced from fifty-five to eighteen.[102] ¡°If tithe paying is any indication, the [Japan Mission in Hawai¡®i] converts were also the most faithful in the world.¡± For example, in 1945, ¡°[of these converts] over 97% were tithe payers, which compares with only 61% paid in the non-Japanese Hawaiian mission, and less elsewhere.¡±[103]

Tsune Nachie (seated, far right) with fellow Hawaiian missionaries and members. Tsune is wearing her traditional Japanese kimono. Courtesy of Marcia Ann Nielson.

Tsune Nachie standing with early members of the Japanese Branch and with Elwood Lowell Christenen, who later became the president of the Japanese Branch. Courtesy of Jeff Chris.

Tsune Nachie¡¯s Legacy

After a lifetime of Christlike service, Tsune Nachie died on December 3, 1939, at age eighty-three. Though she stood less than five feet tall, Tsune was a spiritual giant who left a towering legacy of faith. She was an unwavering pioneer for the Japanese Saints, a dedicated temple worker, and an unceasing advocate for the gospel. In fact, Tsune was a missionary until her death, having served thirty-four years, as she was never officially released from her call. Elbert D. Thomas (former mission president of the Japan Mission and at the time the US senator from Utah), wrote to President Robertson about Tsune: ¡°She was a fine lady, and the work that she has done will go on for a long, long time. . . . There are few women in the Church who live away from Zion who have met so many of our leaders and . . . they all knew . . . when we asked about Nachie-san. Her spirit will always be a blessing in our lives.¡±[104]

Tsune Nachie at eighty-three years of age served faithfully as a Sunday School teacher. Picture was taken a few weeks before her death. Courtesy of Cynthia Jenson.

Tsune¡¯s tireless work led to a well-established Japan Mission in Hawai¡®i that would soon nurture converts like Adney Y. Komatsu and Chieko N. Okazaki.[105] Komatsu and Okazaki would later hold influential, pioneering leadership positions. Komatsu served as the president of the Northern Far East Mission (including Japan and Korea) and as president of the Tokyo Japan Temple. Furthermore, Komatsu was the first person of Japanese ancestry to serve as a General Authority (1975¨C2011).[106] Similarly, Chieko N. Okazaki became the first non-Caucasian woman to be called as a General Officer and the first woman to serve in all three women¡¯s auxiliaries (the Primary General Board, the Young Women¡¯s General Board, First Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency). Okazaki and her husband were also called to open and head the second mission in Japan.

As historian Christopher Conkling said, ¡°A great deal of the credit for the initiation of the work among the Japanese in Hawaii goes to one person, Sister Tsune Nachie.¡± As a result of her efforts, ¡°almost every major mission leader in Japan from the mid-1960s until now [1975] was converted or served as a missionary in Hawaii under the Japanese mission.¡±[107] Tsune was one of the first Japanese members endowed in the temple and the first Japanese temple worker; she was a tireless temple trailblazer. Tsune was not content to simply receive the temple ordinances for herself but desired all Japanese Saints to receive these eternal blessings. Even after her death, temple work among the Japanese Saints grew exponentially in Hawai¡®i. Approximately thirty years after her passing, in 1965, Tsune would rejoice from heaven as 165 Japanese members (from Japan) flew to Hawai¡®i to receive their temple ordinances and complete temple work for their ancestors. Of those Japanese Saints who attended the temple, one became a General Authority, five became regional representatives, five became temple presidents, and six became mission presidents in Japan. And most significantly, of those who received their temple ordinances, 95 percent of these 165 members remained active.[108]

Due to the sacrifice, faith, and valiant service of Tsune Nachie, the Church in Japan continues to bear fruit. In present-day Japan, there are more than 130,251 members, twenty-two stakes, 231 congregations, four temples (with a fifth temple announced in October 2023), and six missions.[109] Tsune¡¯s lifelong service spanned two continents, and six mission presidents and blessed countless generations of missionaries, members, and leaders. When asked why she was so devoted to serving God, Tsune cheerfully told missionary Melvin Brain that even if she ¡°worked all the days of her life it was just a means of returning to her Heavenly Father the joy she had found in accepting the gospel.¡±[110]

Notes

[1] Kyodo News, ¡°Recount with Digital Map Leads to Doubling of Listed Japanese Islands,¡± Japan Times, February 15, 2023, www.japantimes.co.jp.

[2] Kenneth G. Henshall, A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012); Martha Chaiklin, ¡°Sakoku,¡± in Japan at War: An Encyclopedia, ed. Louis G. Perez (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013), 356¨C57.

[3] ¡°The United States and the Opening to Japan, 1853,¡± Office of the Historian, US Department of State, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/opening-to-japan.

[4] Henshall, A History of Japan, 68¨C69.

[5] Ashley Tomlinson, ¡°Article 28: An Illusion of Religious Toleration and Secular Government in Japan,¡± Historia 16 (2007): 61¨C71, https://www.eiu.edu/historia/tomlinson2.pdf; Otis Cary, History of Christianity in Japan, 2 vols (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1909); Joseph Mitsuo Kitagawa, Religion in Japanese History (New York: Columbia University Press, 1990).

[6] Journal History of the Church, February 12, 1901, 1, Historical Department, Church History Library (hereafter CHL), Salt Lake City.

[7] ¡°Opening of a Mission in Japan,¡± Deseret Evening News, April 6, 1901, 9.

[8] Journal History of the Church, June 26, 1901, Historical Department, CHL; Rudger Clawson, Stan Larson, A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic Diaries of Rudger Clawson (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1993), 287¨C89.

[9] Ronald W. Walker, ¡°Strangers in a Strange Land: Heber J. Grant and the Opening of the Japan Mission,¡± BYU Studies 43, no. 1 (2004): 231¨C62; Alma O. Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Reid L. Neilson, ¡°The Japanese Missionary Journals of Elder Alma O. Taylor, 1901¨C10¡± (master¡¯s thesis, Brigham Young University, 2001), 76¨C77, 88¨C90.

[10] R. Lanier Britsch, ¡°The Blossoming of the Church in Japan,¡± Ensign, October 1992, 32¨C38; ¡°Mission to Japan,¡± Deseret Evening News, July 24, 1901, 4; Alma O. Taylor, ¡°Some Features of Japanese Life,¡± Improvement Era, April 1902, 449¨C55.

[11] Seiji Katanuma, ¡°The Church in Japan,¡± BYU Studies 14, no. 1 (1973): 16¨C28; Taylor, journal, April 1904; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals¡±; Walker, ¡°Strangers in a Strange Land,¡± 231¨C62.

[12] Alma O. Taylor, ¡°Life in the Orient,¡± Improvement Era, February 1902, 288¨C90.

[13] Britsch, ¡°Blossoming of the Church,¡± 32¨C38.

[14] Alma O. Taylor, ¡°How It Is Done in Japan,¡± Improvement Era, September 1902, 881¨C85.

[15] Richard L. Evans, ¡°Strange Language,¡± Improvement Era, November 1942.

[16] Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals¡±; Walker, ¡°Strangers in a Strange Land,¡± 231¨C62.

[17] Murray L. Nichols, ¡°History of the Japan Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1901¨C1924¡± (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1957), 30, 62.

[18] Nichols, ¡°History of the Japan Mission,¡± 62.

[19] Ardis E. Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions¡¯: Tsune Ishida Nachie,¡± in Women of Faith in the Latter Days, vol. 3, 1846¨C70, ed. Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2014), 122¨C30.

[20] Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 366.

[21] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[22] Ardis E. Parshall, ¡°Tsune Ishida Nachie: Preaching the Gospel, Redeeming the Dead,¡± Keepapitchinin, the Mormon History Blog, July 20, 2008, https://keepapitchinin.org/tsune-ishida-nachie-preaching-the-gospel-redeeming-the-dead/.

[23] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[24] Taylor, journal, July 18, 1905; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 367.

[25] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[26] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[27] Alma O. Taylor to Sanford W. Hedges and William R. Fairbourn, July 26, 1905, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[28] Alma O. Taylor to Erastus L. Jarvis, August 3, 1905, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL; Alma O. Taylor to Yoshiro Oyama, August 4, 1905, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[29] Joseph H. Stimpson to Edwin J. Allen, March 11, 1916, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[30] Joseph H. Stimpson to Val W. Palmer, June 6, 1918, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[31] Joseph H. Stimpson to Bryan L. Wright, March 31, 1920, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[32] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 378.

[33] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 378.

[34] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 378.

[35] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 372.

[36] Taylor, journal, August 22, 1905; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 372.

[37] Alma O. Taylor, ¡°Taylor, Alma O. Vol. 06, 1904,¡± Provo, February 13, 2007.

[38] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 375.

[39] Shinji Takagi, The Trek East: Mormonism Meets Japan, 1901¨C1968 (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books), 2016.

[40] Frederick A. Caine, journal, September 26, 1905, CHL, transcribed by Elder J. B. Johnson.

[41] Taylor, journal, August 12, 1901; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary,¡± 376.

[42] Alma O. Taylor to First Presidency, October 26, 1905, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[43] Reid L. Neilson, ¡°A Priceless Pearl: Alma O. Taylor¡¯s Mission to Japan,¡± Ensign June 2002, 58.

[44] Alma O. Taylor, journal, 1909¨C10, vol. 12, 224, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.

[45] Taylor, journal, September 17, 1907; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 488.

[46] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[47] Alma O. Taylor to Sandford W. Hedges and William R. Fairbourn, December 27, 1905, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL; Alma O. Taylor to John W. Stoker, January 1, 1906, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[48] Lloyd Oscar Ivie, journal, 1913¨C14, vol. 3, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.

[49] Taylor, journal, September 23, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 429.

[50] Alma O. Taylor, journal, 1906¨C7, vol. 9, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.

[51] Taylor, journal, December 19, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 438.

[52] Taylor, journal, January 1, 1908; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 507.

[53] Parshall, ¡°Tsune Ishida Nachie.¡±

[54] Alma O. Taylor, journal, 1908, vol. 11, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, 159.

[55] Taylor, journal, August 6, 1907; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 477.

[56] Taylor, journal, November 1, 1907; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 498.

[57] Taylor, journal, May 6, 1907; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 464.

[58] Taylor, journal, 1908, vol. 11, 159.

[59] Taylor, journal, March 12, 1908; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 519.

[60] Frederick A. Caine, journal, March 26, 1908, CHL, transcribed by Elder J. B. Johnson.

[61] Taylor, journal, March 17, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 393¨C94.

[62] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30; Joseph H. Stimpson to Joseph F. Smith, March 21, 1917, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[63] Joseph H. Stimpson to Alma O. Taylor, August 3, 1916, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[64] Taylor, journal, April 23, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 403¨C4.

[65] Taylor, journal, December 4, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 436.

[66] Taylor, journal, December 13, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 437.

[67] Taylor, journal, December 19, 1907; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 502.

[68] Joseph H. Stimpson to Joseph S. Pyne, September 23, 1920, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[69] Taylor, journal, December 26, 1907, and December 28, 1908; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 504, 556.

[70] Taylor, journal, January 9, 1910; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 600¨C601.

[71] Taylor, journal, July 25, 1906; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 420¨C21.

[72] Taylor, journal, January 9, 1910; Neilson, ¡°Japanese Missionary Journals,¡± 600¨C601.

[73] Taylor, journal, 1909¨C10, vol. 12.

[74] Lloyd O. Ivie to Whom It May Concern, June 26, 1922, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL.

[75] ¡°Hawaii, Honolulu Index to Passengers, Not Including Filipinos, 1900¨C1952,¡± FamilySearch, https://familysearch.org.

[76] Parshall, ¡°¡®Courage to Follow Convictions,¡¯¡± 122¨C30.

[77] Toshiko Yanagida, ¡°Takagi Tomigoro ni tsuite,¡± interview by Jiro Numano, Morumon F¨­ramu 6 (Spring 1991): 45.

[78] ¡°Tsune Nachie Ishida.¡± https://familysearch.org; Parshall, ¡°Tsune Ishida Nachie.¡±

[79] Eric J. K. Marlowe and Clinton D. Christensen, ¡°To Kindreds, Tongues, Peoples, and Nations,¡± in The L¨¡¡®ie Hawai¡®i Temple: A Century of Aloha (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 183¨C204.

[80] Melvin Brain, interview by Ken Baldridge, BYU¨CHawaii Archives, 1978.

[81] Olivia Waddoups, Hui Lau Lima News (temple edition), BYU¨CHawaii Archives, November 24, 1957.

[82] J. Christopher Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church: Japanese Mormons in Japan from 1924 to 1948,¡± BYU Studies Quarterly 15, no. 2 (1975): 209¨C10.

[83] Franklin S. Harris to his wife, October 22, 1926, Franklin S. Harris personal papers, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.

[84] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[85] ¡°United States Census, 1930,¡± https://familysearch.org.

[86] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 209¨C10.

[87] Castle H. Murphy, ¡°A Brief Resume of the Beginning of the Work of Preaching the Gospel to the Chinese and Japanese in Hawai?i 1932 and 1944,¡± BYU¨CHawaii Archives.

[88] John A. Widtsoe, ¡°The Japanese Mission in Action,¡± Improvement Era, February 1939, 88¨C89, 125.

[89] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[90] ¡°Grant to Organized New Hawaii Stake,¡± Salt Lake Telegram, May 31, 1935, 13; Heber J. Grant, journal, June 20, 1935.

[91] Hawaiian Mission, Annual Report, 1934, Presiding Bishopric Financial, Statistical, and Historical Reports, CHL.

[92] Grant, journal, July 3, 1935; Widtsoe, ¡°Japanese Mission in Action,¡± 88¨C89, 125.

[93] Edward L. Clissold, interview, June 11, 1976, Salt Lake City.

[94] Heber J. Grant to Francis M. Lyman, November 15, 1901.

[95] Heber J. Grant, in Conference Report, October 1903, 7.

[96] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[97] ¡°Japanese Unit Again to Function; Springville Man President,¡± Deseret News, November 27, 1936, 1.

[98] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[99] Robert L. Judd, David A. Smith, and Alfred C. Rees, ¡°Sunday Schools in the Japan Mission,¡± Instructor 72, no. 5 (May 1937), 208.

[100] John A. Widtsoe, ¡°The Japanese Mission in Action,¡± Improvement Era, February 1939, 88¨C89, 125.

[101] Chiye Terazawa, mission journal, October 25, 1938.

[102] Richard C. Harvey, ¡°The Development of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii¡± (master¡¯s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1974), 72¨C73.

[103] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[104] Elbert D. Thomas to Hilton A. Robertson, December 29, 1938, Japan Mission letterpress copybooks, CHL, transcribed by Ardis E. Parshall.

[105] Parshall, ¡°Tsune Ishida Nachie.¡±

[106] Britsch, ¡°Blossoming of the Church,¡± 32¨C38.

[107] Conkling, ¡°Members Without a Church,¡± 211.

[108] Dwayne N. Andersen, Dwayne N. Andersen: An Autobiography for His Posterity (self-pub., 2001),CHL, 1.

[109] Takanori Mochizuki, ¡°Statistics and Church Facts: Total Church Membership,¡± https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[110] Brain, interview.