Stories: Patricia Burkholder Bersie's Comments about Her Mission
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| Sister Carol Stallings:
Stallings Shimai was always pleasant, patient, dedicated, and focused on teaching the gospel—with a sincere love for the Japanese people. Her diligence in studying the language was evident when more than once, after concluding a cottage meeting, she explained that didn't know what she had said to the investigator---that the words had simply come to her through the Spirit. With her at the helm, we had a large measure of success---and never got lost as we traveled throughout Tokyo, or out into the country.
Because Sister Stallings was able to sight read, we sang a different hymn every morning as part of scripture reading---progressing in numerical order through the hymn book. What a blessing! On "P-Day" she'd play a recording of Mormon Tabernacle choir hymns that her family had sent to her, introducing me to the "Hallelujah" chorus from the choir's LP recording of the Messiah. She was a special missionary.
June Parahi
True to her Maori ancestry, Parahi Shimai was a missionary who lived by faith. She told of her family's tradition that called for family member to first receive a priesthood blessing before making a visit to a doctor—a lesson not easily forgotten by her companions. She was generous and compassionate missionary. She retains that virtue. After retiring a few years ago from the church school in New Zealand, she continued using her nursing skills and experiences as a member of a task force that deals with Maori people confronted with mental health issues.
Parahi Shimai added an extra dimension to her companions cultural experience. Not only was she taller than most of us, but she used the Queen's English. We'd post a letter, eat super at noon, and eat biscuits (a.k.a., cookies). She was a good missionary.
Nanjo Hiroko
Sister Nanjo significantly contributed to the growth of the Church in Japan. She had an easy-going, loving relationship with her fellow Japanese members and was usually at the center of branch activities. Her understanding and commitment to Gospel principles and teachings served her well as a missionary—she was an example to others. That is just as true today in her work at the Salt Lake Temple.
Nanjo Shimai was a kind companion. When Burkholder Shimai was transferred to Hiroshima, Nanjo Shimai graciously agreed to her new companion's request to visit the peace park located at the epicenter of the atomic bomb blast. She was always willing to teach other missionaries about her culture to help them be better missionaries.
Alita Wilkins
Alita Shimai loved investigators and they loved her. She was cheerful, and she was a problem solver. If you were to inquire why she and one of her companions had sat talking for several hours in the gigantic Aoyama cemetery in Tokyo, you'd know that she was helping the two to work through a point of irritation, now long forgotten----but not the chat. That conversation bridged differences that enabled two sisters to become life-long friends.
Sister Alita had good pitch, perhaps perfect pitch, and she had a trained voice. That ability enabled her and her companion to sing with a small choir at Central and West Branches in Tokyo that would record an LP album, "Japanese Saints Sing." The album was part of a money-raising project to help the Japanese Saints make their first excursion to the Hawaii Temple in 1965. President Anderson authorized the sisters to sing, but the time spent had to be in addition to all other missionary work. Today, Alita and her husband, Barry, both sing with the Washington D.C. Mormon Choir.
Ueda Yoshiko
Her fellow missionaries in Okinawa affectionately called her "Chibichan" because of her small physical stature. But in spirit and purpose, she was a giant. Ueda Shimai was doing her Father's business---building the Kingdom of God in Japan. She was an efficient, dedicated missionary, and a good companion, and willing to try new things. For example, she agreed with her companion to borrow a television, so that they could host the branch and district presidents and their wives, and several investigators, at their missionary apartment in Naha, to watch the Japanese women's volleyball team play for the gold medal during the 1964 Olympics.
Ueda Shimai's love of missionary work was demonstrated in 1992 during a telephone conversation with Bersie (Burkholder) Shimai prior to the missionary reunion in Salt Lake City that would honor President and Sister Anderson. When the conversation concluded, after they caught up with each other about their families, Ueda Shimai enthusiastically said, "maybe some day we can go on a another mission together." Ueda Shimai is a Japanese treasure. |
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