Dedication of Okinawa and Futenma Beginnings

By Paul C. Andrus, June 6th, 2001

I have reviewed my journal and determined that when President Joseph Fielding Smith visited Okinawa in 1955 and dedicated Okinawa for the preaching of the gospel, he also suggested to the LDS Servicemen's district president, Major Henry Griffiths, that they look for property in the Futenma area. The LDS Servicemen went right to work and located and purchased the original small piece of land in Futenma before my arrival in December of 1955.

My first visit to Okinawa as mission president was on February 2, 1956, and I had my first look at the Futenma property at that time. Only a small barren 270 tsubo (approximately 10,000 square feet) with no building and no water and no electricity. It was absolutely uninhabitable for humans so I made arrangements with Sister Nakamura for the missionaries to stay at her home upon their arrival in April.

Later on the LDS Servicemen acquired and moved an old Quonset hut onto the property and the missionaries moved in, but there was still no water or electricity and it was way too small for any kind of meetings except cottage meetings. The LDS Servicemen were pushing to build a new building on this property and I authorized preliminary plans to be drawn.  However when I visited Okinawa again and met with the LDS Servicemen and the architect on September 1, 1956, I learned to my dismay that the proposed building would only seat 80 people and we immediately abandoned our plans to build that small building.

It was a Saturday and it was still early in the day so I suggested we visit the owners of the adjoining property and offer to buy their land. There were three owners but, providentially, we were able to meet with only one, a seventy year old man. I vividly recall Elder Anderson, Elder Shimabukuro and myself sitting down on the floor with this old Okinawan man and asking him to do something that seemed impossible that he would even consider.

The conversation was in Japanese and early on this old man astonished us all by saying that he had once lived in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah! I could hardly believe my ears! Not only that, but he held the church in high regard and was favorably disposed to sell his land to the church. He agreed to set up a meeting with all three of the landowners in two days on Monday. At the Monday meeting all three of the landowners agreed to sell their land to the church!

We were all humbled by the obvious hand of the Lord in making it possible for the church to acquire this land. It is clear that the Lord wanted that land!