On 10 December 2010, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited the island of Guam and organized the country’s first stake (an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations.) Just a little more than two years later, another Apostle of the Lord, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve visited the Western Pacific island during his first stop on an almost two-week long visit to the Asia North Area.
He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson; Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Kathryn Callister; and Bishop Dean M. Davies, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and his wife, Sister Darla Davies. Elder Michael T. Ringwood, Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita, and Elder Koichi Aoyagi, all of the Seventy and members of the Asia North Area Presidency, also accompanied the Church leaders at various times during their visit.
The visit to the area began on 23 February 2013 with a Priesthood Leadership Conference in Guam. Following that meeting, Elder Nelson held special meetings with members, missionaries, and local Church leaders in Japan. He also met with Japanese government leaders. The visit ended on 3 March 2013 with a military district meeting in Okinawa, Japan.
Elder Nelson commented to the Church News that it was a wonderful assignment to be with the people in that area of the world, but no matter where he is, his message remains the same. He stated in part:
“We can learn two things from the [Asian] people,” he said. “First is honesty, and second is a reverence for ancestors.”
“We are here to teach and testify of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel restored,” he said. “That is the way to find joy and purpose in life. While the world and the people of the world do the best they can in darkness and in despair, they can’t find
happiness any other way. So ours is a message of peace and joy, of strengthening families, bonding husband and wife, children to their parents, and people to their ancestors … that they can all enjoy eternal life in the presence of God when their sojourn on earth is over.
“Most people live from day to day without a thought of what they will do after this life is over, so we try to give them that eternal perspective. This mortal experience is just act two of a three-act play—the best is yet to come.” [1]
Elder Nelson further stated that one of the main highlights of the visit was when he and Sister Nelson were able to attend the Temple in Tokyo, Japan.
“It is a great blessing to have two temples in Japan, and a third one (located in Sapporo) is under construction,” he said. “We went to the Tokyo Temple and did an endowment session. We did proxy work for [Sister Nelson’s] ancestors. That’s what we do now—we don’t just go to the temple and draw names of unknown people; we take family names.” [1]
Sister Nelson, along with Sister Callister and Sister Davies, divided up and made special visits to some Church members. “They did a lot of good,” Elder Nelson said. “They accomplished a great work, maybe even more valuable than what we did with the area review. They were in their homes and took pictures—it was pretty tender.” [1]
On 3 March 2013 a special meeting was held with the Okinawa District—a district for American military personnel and their families.
“It’s pretty rare for us to meet with a military district,” he said. It was also during his visit to Tokyo that Elder Nelson, along with the Area Presidency, met with two local government leaders—Fumio Kishida, minister of foreign affairs for Japan, and Sadakazu Tanigaki, the minister of justice for Japan.
“They spoke in glowing terms of the Church, expressing gratitude for our help following the earthquake, for the high moral standards and responsible citizenship of Japanese Latter-day Saints,” he said. “They were very warm and friendly, and we expressed our gratitude to them for their making it [possible] … for our missionaries and visitors such as us to come into Japan.” [1]
Japan has six missions. Elder Nelson remarked that after President Thomas S. Monson’s announcement concerning the change in age requirements for serving a full-time mission for both young men and young women, there still remains a “wave of excitement throughout the entire earth”, and the excitement among missionary age young people in Guam and Japan matches that of the rest of the world.
Describing the next generation of Church members—the youth and young adults—he met on his travels, Elder Nelson said that they are “bright, light-filled young people” who “know who they are, and they know where they are going. … It is fun to teach them because they are so very receptive. They are the cream of the crop.” [1]