Dedicatory Prayer in Aomori, 2001 
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Anyone who has served in Aomori, Japan (my first area) or has interest in the church in Japan might be interested in the following announcement which I received.

Dave Staples
Kobe, Japan 

--- From: Mieko Takahashi
Date: 30 Apr 2001 22:34:41 MDT
Subject: Dedicatory Prayer in Aomori, 2001
Dear friends who served in Aomori,

This year is the 100th anniversary since the restored gospel was brought to the land of Japan. Also, 31st anniversary since the gospel was brought here in Aomori. 

In remembrance of this special year, we, Aomori Branch will have Dedicatory Prayer on Sunday, May 6th, 7am-7:30am, at the chapel of Aomori Branch.

I know we have the ocean between us, miles away from each other, or the time difference, but it would be great if you could join us with your prayer wherever you may be.

"I know that God our Father is in this work in great congregations such as this, and in the smallest branch and the smallest congregation God is in this work."(Elder Loren C. Dunn)

Thank you for reading. May God bless you all. If you would like to know anything about Aomori, please feel free to ask. 

Thank you very much,
Mieko Takahashi (Aomori Branch)=-) 


From President Paul Andrus:

Thank you very much Dave for posting this announcement from Mieko Takahashi regarding the special prayer to be held in the Aomori Branch on Sunday May 5th commemorating the first century of the church in Japan. 

My family and I will join our prayers with all the members of the Aomori Branch on this special occasion.

My name is Paul Andrus and I was one of the first five missionaries to arrive in Japan after world war II in June of 1948.

My companion Jeunne Iwaasa and I were the first missionaries to reopen the work in Sapporo in 1949. 

We travelled by third class coach on the train to Aomori and then rode the ferry across the Tsugaru Kaikyo to Hakodate where we reboarded our train and rode on in to Sapporo.
The trip from Tokyo to Sapporo took over 24 hours.

I was very favorably impressed with Tohoku Japan and with Aomori as we passed through and I wondered when the church would be established there. 

In 1949 we only had 18 missionaries in all of Japan. 

From 1955 to 1962 I was president of the Northern Far East Mission which included all of Japan, Korea and Okinawa.

I was still very much interested in Tohoku Japan, but even then we only had 180 missionaries in the whole mission including Korea so I was not able to send missionaries to Aomori. 

It is thrilling to see how the work is growing in Japan including Aomori. 

Dave will you please forward this letter on to Sister Mieko Takahashi. 

Aisuru Aomori Shibu no kyodai shimai no ue ni Chichi Naru Kamisama no yutaka na mimegumi ga ataeraremasu yo ni kokoro kara oinori wo itashimasu.

With warm aloha from Paul and Frances Andrus. 


Dear Todd:

Thank you for your letter and your kind words. 

My wife Frances and I have fond memories of Sendai which was already a branch when we returned to Japan in 1955 and which we visited frequently. 

You might know our son, Vaun, who was also serving in the Japan East Mission when it was divided to form the Sapporo mission. He went to Sapporo. 

Frances served her first mission in the Japanese Mission from 1949 to 1951 and she worked for a year in Niigata. 

We have five children and all five of them served missions in Japan for which we are very grateful. 

I am very happy to have found Grant's Legacy and I am very happy to be one of this group. 

I am sure the postings from all of you will bring to memory a number experiences from the early days and I will be happy to share them with all of you as we go along.

Aloha, Paul Andrus.